Aerospace Engineering (1 Viewer)

[_Anonymous]

So I've always had an interest in planes and spacecraft, so from a really early point in my life I had decided to pursue a career in Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering. But as the HSC is slowly approaching, I was wondering whether it'd be a good Engineering career to choose (especially in Australia). People say that there's little to no demand for Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineers in Australia, hence there being a low salary for them.

So my question is; is it worth it? I've heard that USyd has to combine classes into one to make the Aerospace Engineering course look big enough. If there's no demand in Australia, I guess there's no point doing it. Now I know the US and Europe have better options (NASA, Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Bombardier, etc), but that's extremely competitive I'm guessing and I don't know if there's much of a chance + the fact that moving to a new country and settling and whatnot is a trek.

Also, to any Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineers here or to-be ones; how is it? What's the uni work/actual work like? What's the Mathematical component like? Is it fun for you? Where do you work in Australia if you do work here (that may seem like a personal question, don't need to answer if you don't want to)?

 

[Queenroot]

ye just need to be at the top of ur game and work overseas

 

[_Anonymous]

ye just need to be at the top of ur game and work overseas

So no hope in Australia?

 

[Squar3root]

So no hope in Australia?

not really to be honest, if you wanna work for boeing etc you're gonna have to go to brisbane and have heaps of job competition

 

[D94]

So I'm just a lowly engineer working in the field of aviation. I work alongside people from the likes of Boeing, Airbus, GE, Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney, Honeywell, BAE Systems etc. and what is prevalent is that the field is not small, but because you are highly specialised in what you do and job security is good, people tend to have long careers even in the one company. This means new engineers will find it hard to get in, whilst experienced engineers will have no issue finding another place to work at because there is less investment in education and training required. Aviation tends to hire people in waves, say every 6 years or so. It's actually not a bad time to start an engineering degree - you have to look at the job market when you complete your degree, not when you start your degree.

 

[_Anonymous]

So I'm just a lowly engineer working in the field of aviation. I work alongside people from the likes of Boeing, Airbus, GE, Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney, Honeywell, BAE Systems etc. and what is prevalent is that the field is not small, but because you are highly specialised in what you do and job security is good, people tend to have long careers even in the one company. This means new engineers will find it hard to get in, whilst experienced engineers will have no issue finding another place to work at because there is less investment in education and training required. Aviation tends to hire people in waves, say every 6 years or so. It's actually not a bad time to start an engineering degree - you have to look at the job market when you complete your degree, not when you start your degree.

What's the work like? Also, is your job located in NSW or is it somewhere else? Do people usually transfer jobs from here to the US or Europe after they work for a while (so for example, company from here sends people to Boeing or Airbus for example)? Also, does Qantas offer jobs for Aeronautical Engineers, but I'm guessing it's highly competitive?

 

[Amundies]

Also, does Qantas offer jobs for Aeronautical Engineers, but I'm guessing it's highly competitive?

Of course they do. From my (admittedly limited) experience, a lot of the work is maintenance-based and may not be exactly what you think of when you think of aeronautical engineering.

 

[D94]

What's the work like? Also, is your job located in NSW or is it somewhere else? Do people usually transfer jobs from here to the US or Europe after they work for a while (so for example, company from here sends people to Boeing or Airbus for example)? Also, does Qantas offer jobs for Aeronautical Engineers, but I'm guessing it's highly competitive?

My job is highly specialised, but most professional jobs regardless of the profession are the same - there are interesting, challenging, mundane, political aspects to the job. But it certainly helps when you're naturally interested in that field. I am part of a department that manages aircraft airworthiness, so that includes providing technical support to maintenance crews, investigating technical problems, reviewing technical data released by OEMs and regulatory bodies, and managing maintenance, repairs, overhaul of aircraft systems. The work is certainly related to maintenance more than design, but there are still design aspects (but not in the sense of new innovative designs, rather designs that deviate from approved technical data - keep in mind that design in aviation is the most restrictive and highly regulated aspect of any organisation due to its potential to affect flight safety).

I work in Sydney. It's an office job with some site work, as are the majority of engineering jobs.

In the case of Boeing or Airbus, they have field offices close to the major airlines as they provide technical support to their customers. The jobs in the US or France vary a lot from design to reliability to being program managers for their customers. People from the OEMs do move around, but it's usually because they are supporting a customer - but this requires years of experience. If you work on the aerostructures side in Australia, then there might be more opportunities to work at larger factories overseas.

In the case of Qantas, there are engineers who work on the maintenance and projects side in mechanical, structures, cabin systems, avionics, engines etc., and there are engineers who work on the performance side in weights and balance, flight path optimisation, fleet developments etc. It's an airline, so of course they offer jobs for aeronautical engineers. This applies to any airline.

Most jobs in aviation are highly competitive; it wouldn't be specific to Qantas.