So, you want to be an aerospace engineer.

After all, conquering the skies and extending humanity's reach across the galactic
wilderness
is nothing short of extraordinary.
Today, we're exploring everything you need to know about this stellar field, what
to
anticipate in the degree, the industry job opportunities, and real-life insights on
what
to expect for your career.
Now let's discover what it means to be an aerospace engineer and give it to you
straight.
This is the reality of aerospace engineering.
Starting it off with some context, aerospace engineering is a well-known and
respected
field concerned with every feature of aircraft and spacecraft design.
These engineers utilize the same principles as mechanical engineers to design
everything
from Boeing 737s and hypersonic jets to the latest and greatest SpaceX rockets and
James
Webb caliber telescopes, which is pretty awesome.
But what do aerospace engineers actually do?
Well, it's not a very simple answer.
Like other engineering fields, there are a number of diverse systems that go into
aerospace
designs, meaning one aerospace engineer can have completely different daily tasks
compared
to the next one.
So let's look at what a few of them do.
Some specialize in propulsion methods, experimenting with various materials, fuel
mixtures, and
nozzle shapes to maximize the thrust of cutting-edge rocket engines.
Others use planetary physics to strategize orbital roadmaps for satellites flung
deep
into the farthest reaches of space.
And of course, some prefer the structural engineering that supports vehicles like
the
hypersonic rocket sled, ensuring that this sled traveling over 6,000 miles an hour
doesn't
simply collapse from the sheer forces of traveling over Mach 8.
But before we get too far into the dazzling engineering feats, we've got to explore
the
curriculum that prepares these engineers to produce such amazing performances of
technology.
Oh, and make sure to stay to the end.
We've gathered the three most important things that you absolutely need to know
before
starting an aerospace engineering degree.
You're not going to want to miss this one.
But more on that later.
As a quick note before we get into the curriculum, each university does things a
little differently,
but the concepts discussed here are applicable to any aerospace engineering degree.
Now let's dig in.
The aerospace curriculum starts you off with the calculus series, which is nearly
two years
of derivatives, integrals, and related mathematical laws.
Don't groan yet.
The math courses just started.
There's also linear algebra, differential equations, and probability and statistics
courses to sharpen critical thinking and logical reasoning skills.
Although years of math can get tedious when you just want to work on rocket
engines, remember
that it is the root of all of engineering and will be necessary later on.
So make sure to pay attention and take good notes here.
Anyways, these engineers also take computer science, CAD, and chemistry courses in
their
early degree stages.
CAD is debatably the most useful of all of the foundation courses, as this
technology
drafts and simulates every single aerospace design before it is brought to life.
Moving on, we have a smothering of physics courses that are jam-packed with useful
aerospace
material.
You'll see kinematics, statics, dynamics, and electricity and magnetism courses.
From fuel combustion to shuttle structures to the circuits riddled throughout the
vessels,
there isn't a single aerospace design that dodges the concepts taught in these
courses.
On a similar note, material science provides a baseline for how materials respond
to stress,
fatigue, and other forces over time.
I don't know about you, but when I'm 30,000 feet in the air, I definitely hope the
engineers
who design the plane have a darn good understanding of these topics.
Don't you?
Anyways, we only have one more to cover before the illustrious Aerospace Pacific
courses,
and it is circuits, the bloodline that runs every single aerospace system.
This course gets you into all types of methods and theories for solving DC and AC
circuits,
while learning about the properties of devices like capacitors, inductors,
resistors, and
some amplifiers.
With this, you'll have the skills to understand the basics of oxygen control on
spacewalks
and data transmission from satellites to ground stations.
It's more than likely that you won't be designing these electrical systems
yourself.
That work will be handed to an electrical engineer.
But it is very important to have this base-level understanding of this circuitry,
so you'll
understand the electrical ins and outs of your system when discussing with the
diverse
group of engineers on your team.
Awesome!
Now that you're caught up, we can talk some real aerospace.
But we've got to be honest, we've been hiding something from you.
With the video, you might have noticed that this degree doesn't only pertain to
spacecraft.
It also prepares students to work on aircraft and even ground vehicles as well.
So let's spill the beans.
Aerospace is actually composed of two distinct subfields – aeronautical and
astronautical
engineering.
Aeronautical engineering deals with the engineering of aerodynamic machines in our
own atmosphere
– like planes, jets, helicopters, and even aerodynamic Formula 1 cars, bullet
trains,
and yes, rocket sleds.
On the other hand, astronautical engineers cover the science and technology of
spacecraft,
working to create all types of vessels that perform inside and outside the Earth's
atmosphere.
So as we continue on to the aerospace-specific courses here, keep in mind that some
apply
much more to one concentration, and some the other.
But don't worry, we'll have supplemental videos on each subfield for those who want
to dig deeper into each one.
Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss them.
Now let's get back to the fun stuff.
The first aerospace topics we'll touch on are the thermal courses.
These dive deeper into the concepts of energy, control volumes, and cycle analysis
which
are applied to realistic aerospace systems.
You can find yourself looking at the efficiency of turbojets and turbofans, thermal
protection
in cabins, and combustion properties to maximize propulsion.
Speaking of propulsion, this course is one of the most highly anticipated of all,
and
for good reason.
Here you'll learn about the most popular propulsion systems, and how they tick, or
more literally, how they combust.
In the aeronautics concentration, you'll find systems like the turboshaft,
turboprop,
turbofan, and turbojet.
The turbojet is an intriguing system that takes air in from the front of the engine
and herds it into a compressor, which is something like a series of household fans
that squeeze
air into an increasingly smaller area.
This increases the pressure of the air, which then gets mixed with jet fuel, a type
of super
gasoline.
Now you might be able to guess what comes next.
This pressurized mixture is introduced to a flame that ignites and shoots very hot
air
and flames out of the back of the engine, providing thrust that propels the
vehicle.
Now if that excites you, which come on, how could it not, make sure to see if your
school
has a space or rocket club.
You could be getting hands-on engineering experience building a propulsion system
of
your own, which also will look simply fantastic on your resume.
Now getting back to the curriculum, some students are lucky enough to have access
to wind tunnels
so they can test the aerodynamics of their personally designed wings.
How cool is that?
These students learn that each airfoil, a cross-section of a wing, has a certain
amount
of lift and drag associated with it for a given angle of the airfoil.
The name of the game in these aerodynamics courses is to apply various properties
of
fluid dynamics to design wings with optimal lift and drag for a given application.
Now on to the next course.
The structures courses discuss the intricacies involved in building entire
spacecraft or
aircraft.
This includes the general shape of the vessels and how they stand up to various
vibrations,
stress, strain, and displacements throughout their lifetimes.
This is a great class to build up your finite element analysis skills.
FEA is a numerical method used by software programs to divide larger structures
into
bite-sized pieces.
Yep, another hard skill to slap on that resume.
Once the structure is broken up, you're able to simulate how the pieces react to
various
loads and boundary conditions to ensure it won't fail under any circumstance.
A very important skill.
While a structural failure on an airliner would be an absolute catastrophe, an
attitude
failure for a satellite turns a marvel of technology into one really expensive
brick.
Attitude control is the orientation and orbital control of any spacecraft.
And yes, it really is attitude control, not altitude.
Each spacecraft has a very precise mission, like providing GPS services, collecting
scientific
data, or providing secure communications.
If the orientation of this spacecraft were to flip and the antenna were to point
out
to space instead of down to Earth, it would render the craft completely useless.
The attitude control courses teach you different methods to sense orientation and
use software
and actuators to bring it back to its correct position.
The final upper division course we'll discuss is the systems engineering course,
which basically
teaches a high-level view of all the past classes we've discussed and how to
successfully
integrate them all together.
Further, you'll discuss the importance of system-level requirements, stakeholder
constraints,
and project planning and tracking, but we'll save that for another video.
Congratulations, you now have a solid understanding of the quirks, concepts, and
concentrations
of aerospace engineering.
But now it's time for a lick of reality.
We're here to give you the three most important things that you have to know before
pursuing
aerospace engineering.
The first has to do with the job market you'll be entering after graduating.
No, we're not here to tell you that this is a dying field or anything like that,
but
it is a subfield of mechanical engineering, meaning there aren't as many jobs
available
for you compared to if you went for a mechanical engineering degree.
Searching mechanical engineer on Indeed results in just over 20,000 jobs in the US,
while
aerospace yields closer to 7,000.
Not that this is the exact job ratio, but you get the picture.
This smaller job field compels some that want to work in aerospace to go for
mechanical,
electrical, software, or other relevant degrees and then enter their aerospace
industry from
their respective backgrounds.
The philosophy is that they'll still have the opportunity to enter the aerospace
field,
but will also have much more optionality if it proves to be too crowded.
We do not recommend one path over the other, as this is a highly personal decision
that
is dependent on your goals and aspirations.
Enough on that.
Let's move on to the second important note about this field.
You may or may not know that the majority of aerospace jobs in the US are defense-
based,
which can cause moral conflicts for some.
There are a few non-defense-related industries that you can enter, like commercial
aircrafts,
wind energy, and a few areas of the automobile and maritime fields, but you'll find
that
the majority of aerospace opportunities are in defense.
Defense commercialization is also a relevant and growing industry, but we wouldn't
bet
on a solid number of jobs just yet.
So before you enter the degree, we recommend having an outline of what jobs and
fields
you're aiming for so that you don't get trapped in a career path that doesn't align
well with your passions or morals.
Now one thing that you absolutely do have to be passionate about when entering this
field is wearing a lot of hats.
No no no, not those hats.
Engineering hats.
Seeing as aerospace requires such diverse engineering systems applied to the
relatively
niche application of space or flight, engineers need to be technically proficient
in a lot
of areas to succeed in this field.
As we alluded to earlier, you have to know enough electrical engineering to be able
to
properly communicate about the project at hand.
You'll also need to know enough programming to inspect old code, write test
scripts, and
develop new control algorithms.
Not to mention having a solid grasp on all of the aerospace-specific topics we went
through
earlier in the video.
Now you don't have to have wizard status in each of these fields, but aerospace
engineers
tend to have a deeper proficiency in their surrounding subsystems compared to other
disciplines
of engineering.
This is why you'll see the mid-to-senior aerospace engineers typically gravitate
towards
the overarching systems engineering roles.
They've been preparing for these positions for years.
Now, with all of this in mind, would you become an aerospace engineer?