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JILL MARLOWE - FAQ
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![[Jill Marlowe's photo]](larc-jmm.jpg)
Describe the benefits and compensation…
Describe the work environment...
How can I get a job in this field...
What high school classes would you recommend a student take to prepare for this occupation? What sort of college degree would I need to work in this field? How exactly does NASA find their job applicants? Are there any special requirements needed in this occupation (such as typing skills, etc.)? Any special abilities required? How much communication skills are needed or would be helpful? Are there any age, sex, weight, height, or other physical requirements necessary for getting this job? Were there any tests or licenses you had to get before you became an aerospace engineer? What are the costs involved in getting ready to get this job? Is some kind of supervised work experience necessary for getting a job? What are the educational requirements to stay in the job? What are the educational requirements for advancement? Do you know any scientists that do this kind of job (aerospace engineer)? Do you join a union to get this kind of work?
Give my thoughts about my job...…
Let's get personal…
Give advice to future aerospace engineers...
Discuss
my job…
Describe
the duties and responsibilities of someone working in aerospace engineering.
What are some specific jobs in this field?
There are many different duties for people in the aerospace engineering
field, and you might want to think about which part of the field best
suits you. First, there are the aerospace scientists; these are the people
who ask basic science questions about space or the earth's atmosphere
and think of experiments that they would like to conduct to help them
answer these questions. There are, of course, the aerospace engineers,
who actually create conceptual designs of spacecraft, launch vehicles,
aerospace instruments, planes, satellites, circuit boards, etc. Within
the broad category of "aerospace engineer", there are structural analysts,
thermal analysts, mechanical designers, electrical designers, environmental
test engineers, orbital mechanics engineers, loads analysts, and probably
half a dozen other specialties that I haven't listed. There are software
engineers, who write the software that either makes the space instrument
take its measurements and return data to earth, or make control surfaces
on planes respond to the pilots commands. There are also engineering technicians,
who perform drafting, execute environmental tests (we call it "shaking
and baking the hardware"), operate wind tunnels, etc. Then there are the
resource analysts, who look at schedule and money issues who help to keep
projects on time and under budget. There are also fabrication technicians,
who actually build the hardware. Also, there are the project managers
who usually start out in any of these fields and lead projects toward
the end of their careers after they have substantial experience. There
are test pilots and aircraft maintenance folks that fly experimental aircraft
or lower atmosphere experiments. Finally, let's not forget the astronauts;
most astronauts are medical doctors, pilots, or research scientists who
have participated on aerospace projects in one of these disciplines before
they started their astronaut training. All of these disciplines work together
on successful aerospace projects, and each have their own educational
requirements.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Exactly what part
of NASA do you work for?
I work at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Langley
is primarily an aeronautics center, but over the last several years, we
have been working hard in aerospace transportation (particularly hypersonics
and aerobraking/planetary capture) and we have a very long history of
excellence in atmospheric science. You can find out more about Langley
at http://www.larc.nasa.gov/
BACK TO QUESTIONS
How many people
work for your NASA center?
About 2300 civil servants, and about 1500 contractors.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What is your specialty
in aerospace engineering? What do you work on mostly?
I started my career as a structural analyst in the Structural
& Thermal Analysis Branch at NASA's Langley Research Center, and I'll
answer this question as if that were still my job (I'm a manager now).
My job is essentially to figure out whether space experiments, wind tunnel
models, aircraft experiments or aircraft will break while they are being
used. Usually, this means I determine the stresses and deflections of
the structure under whatever loading is appropriate (like launch loads
from shuttle) and I determine the structure's dynamic behavior (what the
structure will do while its moving). If I find that the structure will
break, then I recommend changes to the design, and work with the other
engineers to find a design that will work. The tools of my job are a UNIX
workstation, which I use for finite element analysis, a PC, which I use
for writing reports and creating presentations, and also pencil/paper
for regular old math equations. On a normal day, I spend about 6 hours
on a workstation, an hour or so in meetings, and an hour on the PC.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What are some of
the projects you do in NASA?
For most of the time I have been at Langley Research Center, I have been
a structural analyst. My job is essentially to figure out whether space
experiments, wind tunnel models, aircraft experiments or aircraft will
break while they are being used. Usually, this means I determine the stresses
and deflections of the structure under whatever loading is appropriate
(like launch loads from shuttle) and I determine the structure's dynamic
behavior (what the structure will do while its moving). If I find that
the structure will break, then I recommend changes to the design, and
work with the other engineers to find a design that will work. Some of
the projects I have worked on have been SAGE
III (an atmospheric science instrument that will measure gases like
ozone in the upper atmosphere when it launches in 2001), LITE (a laser
experiment that flew on Shuttle), SEDS
(the first successful tethered payload experiment), MIDAS
(a payload on MIR), and several aeronautics programs, including the High
Speed Research project.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What is your daily
routine?
When I did pure engineering, my schedule depended on what phase the project
was in. Basically, I would take the first half hour or so of my day and
read/respond to email and phone mail. Then, I would get down to work.
If I was in the initial phases of a project, I might meet with the design
engineer or other team members to discuss inputs to my analyses. If the
project was in detail design, I would get into the details of my analyses
and results assessment. If the project was conducting testing, I would
support the tests and look at test results as they were produced and relate
them to my analytical predictions. If the project was approaching a formal
design review, I would spend my time documenting results and preparing
presentations. On any day, I would attend project meetings as they were
scheduled to discuss my status and present any concerns I might have;
I would attend staff meetings to hear organizational news and discuss
my technical problems with my fellow structural analysts.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Do you have assignments
that seem to drag on for ever, often?
No, even projects that we work on for years go through phases, so my individual
responsibilities on a project change with time. The dynamic nature of
the work is one of the things I like about this job. It is definitely
NOT repetitive. However, it does often seem that some projects never finish;
typically we think we're done after a space experiment has flown, but
it seems like a researcher pops out of nowhere and decides that they need
to refly it to take more data or do a follow up experiment. Sort of the
nature of the research beast!
BACK TO QUESTIONS
How much of your
time is spent at a computer? Writing? Etc...
On a typical day, maybe 7 out of 8 hours is spent on a computer, either
performing analyses or documenting them. I might spend a month out of
the year supporting testing in a laboratory or traveling to a contractor
site. I probably spend another 2-3 weeks per year in training classes.
I probably spend about a month per year documenting my work, either in
NASA reports or conference papers or presentations.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Does the job mainly
deal with data, people, or things? Explain.
At different times during a project, the job deals with each of these.
In the beginning, before the engineering team has a clear idea of what
an experiment will look like, the emphasis is on people since we spend
the bulk of our time in meetings, interacting, and doing trade studies.
Once a concept has been identified, my job switches emphasis to data as
I perform structural analyses to determine whether the part(s) will break
during operation. Finally, at the end of the project, the emphasis switches
to things, since we are usually testing the items that have been built
and comparing the results back to the analytical predictions.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
How is mathematics
specifically involved with your career?
Math is the entire foundation of my career! Especially in my particular
area of structural analysis, math comes first, followed closely by physics.
In every problem that I work in structural analysis, the first thing that
we do is take the real structure and break it up into smaller, better
understood structures. For example, in a building, you might break it
up into floors, walls, roof, etc., and then take the floor and break it
up into the beams and flooring sheets. Often, using calculus equations,
you can solve math equations based on basic physics to predict how much
one of these floor beams would deflect under a certain load. When you
need to investigate the entire system (all the beams plus the flooring,
plus the walls, roof, etc.), you assemble all the equations together into
a large matrix equation. And then because big matrices can be difficult
to solve, you often use other math tricks to develop numerical solutions
to solve the equations on computers. People who don't like math should
stay clear of this job!!!
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Are there any specific
tools and equipment required for your job?
These days, most engineering work is done on a computer. Around here,
we use high-powered graphics workstations and NT workstations. We use
the computers to do CAD (computer aided design/drafting) / CAE (computer
aided engineering - such as analysis) / CAM (computer aided manufacturing).
We also publish a list of the software packages
that we use to do our jobs.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What are the advantages
of this occupation?
The sky is the limit! My work is different every day, and changes from
year to year. This is necessary for me since I get bored easily. The work
is challenging (which keeps boredom away). I get to work on things that
really make a difference to people; it might be a space instrument to
measure atmospheric pollution or an improvement to an aircraft that might
ultimately allow the price of an airline ticket to go down. And of course,
the job pays pretty well. :)
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What are the disadvantages
of this occupation?
I'd say the biggest disadvantage is that it is a relatively small field,
and the number of companies in the field is getting smaller (lots of mergers
between big companies in the news lately). Also, this used to be a field
where America basically had 90% of the market, but now foreign companies
are catching up; this means that American companies are streamlining their
organizations in order to be competitive.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What advancement
opportunities are there?
There are plenty of advancement opportunities. I'd hazard a guess that
most folks actually only do pure engineering work for 15 or so years before
they move on to project management or organizational management. In project
management, you lead a team of engineers from the different disciplines
(electrical, software, mechanical, optics, orbital mechanics, etc.) to
produce a single focused product. In organizational management, you lead
a team of engineers from the same discipline to make sure that all the
projects are adequately staffed, the engineers have adequate tools, and
the engineers continue to grow/learn as the discipline changes.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Do many aerospace
engineers become astronauts?
Not very many people become astronauts, so not very many aerospace engineers
become astronauts either. It is a very competitive process to be selected
for the astronaut corps. The people selected are usually aerospace engineers,
medical doctors, or pilots. To learn more about the astronaut program,
please visit:
NASA
Astronaut Selection Program
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What are the fringe
benefits of aerospace engineering?
Good pay, good promotion potential, travel, respect from the community
at large, and you get to say that you are a rocket scientist!
BACK TO
QUESTIONS
Are employers evenly
distributed or are they concentrated in certain areas of the country?
There probably are opportunities for aerospace engineers in most parts
of the country, but there are certainly areas where opportunities are
easier to find. Places like southern California, St. Louis, Washington
state, etc., near one of the major aerospace employers probably have more
opportunities. Also, the Washington D.C. area has numerous federal contractors
which provide alot of opportunity. However, opportunities are certainly
not limited to these areas; there are employers, some larger than others,
in most major cities.
BACK TO
QUESTIONS
Who employs the
most workers: private industry, self-employed engineers or government?
I have no data to give you an accurate answer, but my guess would be that
private industry employs the most aerospace engineers. Additionally, the
large companies hire a large number of "job-shoppers", people who are
basically self-employed engineers for hire, who are hired when demand
is high and fired on a moment's notice. These people are paid high salaries
and generally have significant experience, and the risk they take is not
knowing whether they will be employed tomorrow. The government also hires
a significant number of aerospace engineers, but I think the number is
likely comparable to the self-employment category.
BACK TO
QUESTIONS
Is it possible
to work 20+ years in this job field?
Yes, many of my peers have worked 35-45 years before retiring! Of course,
they have learned many new skills over the course of their careers, and
I would say very few of them are doing exactly the same thing now that
they did when they started in aerospace engineering.
BACK TO
QUESTIONS
Describe
the benefits and compensation...…
What would you say
your salary range would be in high, medium, or low?
Compared to what? Compared to the population in general, I'd say aerospace
engineers are paid quite well. Amongst engineers, aerospace engineers
do fairly well. And among aerospace engineers, those of us who work for
the government probably do about average (if you only compare salary dollars,
but the benefits more than make up for that, in my humble opinion).
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What are the beginning,
average, and top pay one could expect to earn working in aerospace engineering?
Starting salaries these days (1999) are in the $38-$45K range. Average
salaries for mid career folks are $60K-$70K. Top salaries depend upon
responsibilities; higher managers and project leaders make six figures.
One thing to remember is that salary isn’t everything in terms of compensation;
you also have to factor in how many hours per week you will be expected
to work, whether you will have to work night shifts, whether you will
be expected to travel a lot, how much sick and vacation time you get,
whether your company will pay for graduate education, what the health/life
insurance benefits are like, and what the retirement benefits (401K, pension,
stock options, etc.) are like. In aerospace engineering, you can find
jobs that run the full range of possibilities in all of these categories.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
When new Aerospace
Engineers are hired at NASA what is the exact starting wage?
No firm answer on this one, because many factors go into determining the
starting salary for each individual. But generally speaking, a person
graduating with a BS in engineering with no experience will be hired as
a GS-7, step 1. The GS salary tables can be found on the OPM
web site.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What is the whole
thing about grades (ie: GS-11, GS-12) in the US government? Which grades
are astronauts, and aerospace engineers like yourself?
The grades generally correlate with years of experience. A person with
a BS in aerospace and no experience would start as a GS-7; MS and no experience
a GS-11, and a PhD and no experience a GS-12. GS-13 is referred to as
"journeyman" which means that you are expected to independently perform
the duties of the job at that level. GS-14 and GS-15 are for senior engineers
and/or project managers. Since astronauts tend to be selected from senior
engineers and military, they are higher ranking.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Does where you
live make a difference for what salary you get?
Yes, salaries tend to be adjusted for the cost-of-living for that region.
Check out Monster
City Comparison to see the effect this can have.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Is there over-time
pay or ways to earn extra money?
This depends on the company you work for, and whether you are an exempt
or non-exempt employee. Exempt employees are paid a salary, which generally
means that you are paid a fixed annual amount regardless of how much you
work. Exempt employees are usually more senior. Compensation policies
for non-exempt employees vary from company to company. At NASA, engineers
are compensated for any extra hours we work by banking them as either
"credit time" or "compensatory time", and we take these hours as vacation
later on.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What are the average
hours one would expect to work per week?
It depends upon the company you work for, which I suspect is true of most
occupations. We do have a couple of people who work part-time, at 30 hrs/week,
and it is not unheard of for people in private industry to put in >80
hr/wk. The normal work week for folks in my division at NASA is 40-45
hours. Any time we put in over 40 hours we store in a vacation bank, and
we can take the time as leave later on. Nice benefit!
BACK TO QUESTIONS
When do you work?
What hours of the day are the jobs done?
At NASA Langley, we have a "variable day" schedule. We must be at work
between 9:00-3:00 each day, and we must work at least 40 hours per week.
Beyond that, the individual can modify their work shifts to accomodate
their personal schedule. Some people arrive to work at 6:30AM and leave
around 3:00, and others get in at 9:00AM and stay later. Of course, there
are times, when testing is going on or when we are traveling, for example,
when we may be required to work at night or for extremely long days.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
How much vacation
is there and when can you take it?
The federal government's vacation benefits are terrific. Employees start
with 13 days/year, and then earn 20 days/year (4 weeks) after 3 years
of employment. After 15 years of employment, employees get 6 weeks/year
of annual leave. Employees can "carry over" 240 hours of leave from calendar
year to calendar year; if they don't use all of their leave resulting
in more than 240 hours of leave on the books, they either lose the leave
or can donate it to people in need. Sick leave accrues separately. In
general, employees are expected to take the leave when it will minimally
impact the project(s) they are working; if the project they are working
on is so critical that they can not take their leave, the project can
arrange for it to be exempted from the 240 hour rule until the employee
can take it. For most employees this is not a problem.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
How long is it
before you can get promoted?
Again, it depends upon the company you work for. At both General Dynamics
and NASA, "fresh-outs" (people hired fresh out of college with no practical
experience) are hired on as a lower level engineer. At GD, this position
was called "Associate Engineer" and at NASA Langley, this position is
a GS-7 engineer. At both companies, the first year of employment involves
a significant amount of on the job training and performance evaluation;
if the year is successfully completed, it results in a promotion with
a salary increase. At GD, I was assigned to a senior engineer for the
first year and was promoted to "Engineer" at the end of the period. At
NASA Langley, new engineers work on a small research project of their
own for a year, and, at the end of the year, present their work to senior
managers who vote on whether to promote the candidate to GS-9. After this
first year, the competition for promotions at both employers increases.
At GD, all "Engineers" in an organization were ranked based on performance
and the top people were promoted; it normally took about five years to
be promoted from "Engineer" to "Senior Engineer". At NASA, there are smaller,
incremental promotions (from GS-9 to 11, from GS-11 to 12, from GS-12
to 13) that are competed amongst engineers in an organization; the speed
at which a person can obtain these promotions is based on performance.
At both employers, an engineer might remain at the journeyman (a way of
saying that you are competent to independently perform your work) level
engineering position ("Engineer" or GS-13) for quite some time, since
promotions beyond that level are fiercely competitive and require exceptional
performance.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Is further education
offered at where you work?
Yes, yes, yes!! As you probably would expect, NASA strongly encourages
people to pursue graduate education, and they fully fund the tuition for
qualifying employees and pay them full salary while they are in school.
This is one of the most attractive benefits that NASA offers, and most
of the engineers that I know have taken advantage of this program. Beyond
graduate studies, NASA also provides ample opportunities for short courses
and professional development classes (like a training course in a specific
software package). In my specialty area of structural analysis, NASA pays
our primary software vendor to come to our workplace and teach three advanced
courses on how to use their software for specific applications each year.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Do you have to
travel? If so, how often? Do you get extra pay?
Yes, I do occasionally have to travel, on the order of 4-5 times per year.
However, the amount of travel is dependent on the particular project;
some projects involve partnerships with distant companies or foreign entities,
so they require more travel. In general, there is no "extra pay" for traveling;
if you are smart about how you organize your trip you might get paid for
some of the hours while you're on the plane, but usually this cannot be
arranged. While on travel, all of our travel expenses (including a per
diem rate for food) are reimbursed.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Do you get any
retirement benefits?
Most companies do offer retirement benefits, but I can only speak about
the details of the government's retirement system. Employees entering
federal service now are covered under the Federal Employee's Retierement
System (FERS), which is described at OPM's
FERS Overview. Basically, we get social security, a pension, and we
have an employer matched savings plan, called the Thrift Savings Plan,
which work in combination to provide a retirement annuity. Also, retirees
can continue to utilize health and life insurance options during retirement
if they have been continuously using them for a prescribed period prior
to their retirement.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Describe
the work environment...
In what kind of environment
is the work done? Indoors? Outdoors?
Some of each, but largely indoor. Most of the engineering work itself
is done at a desk, computer or in meetings. However, we do have to work
launches and tests, which are mostly outdoors.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What kind of organizational
structure is there in the standard workplace?
Companies and organizations that perform engineering work tend to be organized
either by projects, or by discipline. I was an engineering intern at McDonnel
Douglas, and there they organized by project. In the same organization
(division), there were people from all the technical areas or disciplines
(like mechanical designers, electrical designers, analysts, loads, weights,
hydraulics, etc.) that were needed to design and build the airplane we
were working on. There were people doing the same kinds of work in other
divisions where they were working on other airplanes. When I graduated,
I worked for General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division. There we were organized
by discipline, where all the people that did the same kind of work were
in the same organization, and we all worked on different projects or tasks.
This is also how NASA Langley's System Engineering Competency is organized.
My branch is a group of people who all do structural and thermal analysis,
and we are "matrixed out" to the many projects who need these services.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Have you had any
accidents while doing experiments, and do you consider this job to be
hazardous to your health at times?
Structural analysis has got to be one of the safest jobs around. The hazards
are eye strain, tendon problems (from typing!), and getting out of shape
(because you generally sit in front of a computer most of the day)!
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Is it possible
to work at home (like if you're sick)?
NASA has recently adopted a telecommuting policy that allows people to
work at alternate work sites (could be your home) if they can show that
they will be more productive by doing it (that's the whole point, as far
as the employer is concerned!). Currently, an employee can ask to telecommute
for a short-duration and/or for a specific task (like if the employee
broke their leg and can't drive, and would be on sick leave otherwise),
or they can ask to telecommute on a long-term basis for a short period
each week (like if they have a recurring task that would be more productive
to do away from the distractions at the office). In both of these situations,
the employee has to essentially draft a proposal for the arrangement they
want, and then they negotiate with their supervisor to reach an agreement
for a telecommuting arrangement that mutually benefits the employee and
NASA.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Do you consider
your working environment a great place to work?
Yes - you can't beat the federal government for work environment. We have
a variable day schedule (come in/leave when you want as long as you work
40 hours), if we have to work overtime we can be compensated in vacation
hours, we have on site daycare, 4 weeks vacation (maxing out at 6 weeks
after 15 years), and on a daily basis, I have state-of-the-art tools and
have total professional freedom on how to do my work.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Do you work alone
or near/with others?
Really some of each. Typically, aerospace engineers work in teams on projects,
so I spend alot of time talking to other people (like project managers,
electrical engineers, software folks, etc.) about their parts of the project
to see how it affects my part of the project. I also spend a significant
amount of time communicating my work to groups of people, either in status
meetings or at peer reviews. I also spend time alone actually doing my
work (in my case structural analysis) at the computer or my desk, and
during those times I might talk to my fellow structural analysts to get
their help with any problems I uncover.
BACK TO
QUESTIONS
Are you friends
with most of your co-workers?
Sure - are you friends with most of your classmates? Same thing!
BACK TO
QUESTIONS
Does the work affect
your family at home?
The government is an excellent employer, and is very family-friendly.
At Langley, we normally work about 40 hours per week, we are compensated
for overtime, we can telecommute, we have a flexible work day, we have
on-site day care and we have generous leave policies - all of these factors
translate into a very flexible work arrangement for managing your career
around family. Of course, the extent to which you can take advantage of
any of these items depends upon the project that you are working and your
level of responsibility; it is up to the employee to work with their employer
to develop a workplan that is mutually beneficial and takes into account
the employee's personal priorities.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What is your usual
work dress?
Casual at the working level. Jeans w/collared shirts (polos, for example,
but not T-shirts) are acceptable occassionnaly (especially for days when
we are supporting testing or working late shifts). Ties and panty hose
are reserved for presentations or visits with external customers. Dress
gets more "business-like" the higher folks are in management, but then,
that is largely because they have more interaction with external customers.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Have you found
the engineering industry to be male-dominated? If so, does this have any
effect of your career? Is there any information available about multicultural
aerospace engineers?
Yes, there are certainly more men than women in engineering, especially
among the old-timers. I can't really make a general statement about how
being a woman/minority in engineering has affected my career, as I'm not
sure in the long run it really has. At different times, depending upon
the people I was working with, I think I have either had it harder or
easier than my male counterparts because I am a woman. But then again,
I think that people often get preference (or not) because of some trait
they have, like where they went to school, who they play golf with, whether
they served in the military, or whatever. To me, being a woman is no different
from these other distinguishing characteristics - it's just a fact of
life. In general, I like to think that I and everyone I work with have
basically been judged on our ability to perform as engineers, and that
we have been rewarded in kind.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
How
can I get a job in this field...
What high school
classes would you recommend a student take to prepare for this occupation?
In high school, I would recommend taking the college prep track. This
would include taking AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP English
(composition), and public speaking if possible. Even if you do not take
the tests and get credit for these courses in college, it will provide
you with a solid foundation for your freshman year.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
What sort of college
degree would I need to work in this field?
Assuming you are actually interested in being an aerospace engineer, you
would need, at a minimum, a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering
or Mechanical Engineering. Other engineers working in the aerospace field
have Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering degrees. Here at NASA
Langley Research Center, most engineers also have Master of Science degrees,
and many have Ph.D.'s as well. Co-oping during your undergraduate years
is an excellent way to get experience, which will help when you look for
a job after graduation, and validate your choice of careers. Not to mention,
it pays alot better than flipping burgers!
BACK TO QUESTIONS
How exactly does
NASA find their job applicants?
Most hiring is done through the NASAJobs
web site these days. Jobs are advertised on this site and applications
are taken electronically.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Are there any special
requirements needed in this occupation (such as typing skills, etc.)?
Any special abilities required?
Successful aerospace engineers need lots of curiosity, problem solving
skills, organizational skills, written and oral communication skills,
people skills (as in leading and participating in teams) and computer
skills.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
How much communication
skills are needed or would be helpful?
You need to be able to communicate clearly in writing and in oral presentations.
Written communications are both informal and formal. A college class or
two in technical writing and public speaking would definitely be beneficial.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Are there any age,
sex, weight, height, or other physical requirements necessary for getting
this job?
There really are no physical requirements for being an aerospace engineer;
in fact, we have many engineers with disabilities and it is not an issue
for their job performance. There are no age or gender requirements either,
although you will find fewer women among the older aerospace engineers.
My aerospace engineering graduating class in 1988 was 10% female, and
I expect that number is higher today.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Were there any tests
or licenses you had to get before you became an aerospace engineer?
None are specifically required, but you can take the EIT (Engineer in
Training) exam after you get your BS (which I did), and follow up getting
your PE (professional engineer) license after you have some experience.
Usually, there is at least one engineer on man-rated structures that have
their PE license. This is much more common in civil engineering.
BACK TO
QUESTIONS
What are the costs
involved in getting ready to get this job? Is some kind of
supervised work experience necessary for getting a job?
What are the educational
requirements to stay in the job? What are the educational
requirements for advancement? Do you know any
scientists that do this kind of job (aerospace engineer)?
Do you join a union
to get this kind of work? Give
my thoughts about my job… What don't I like? Hard to say. I think the things I don't like about
my job are things that are common to nearly all white-collar jobs- like
being stuck inside on a nice day. Sometimes the bureaucracy also gets
to you (needing to know the right form for mailing a letter, for example),
and this is something you run into at any large employer. But mostly,
my group’s secretary keeps the rest of us straight on all the forms and
procedures, and she saves our sanity. What is the most
interesting thing about your job? What has been the
most satisfying achievement so far in your career? If you could choose
any job would you pick the job you have now? Why or why not?
Is this what you
thought you were going to be in high school? In college?
Do you have a job
or a career? Explain. What are some surprises
about your career that you did not anticipate? Do you think recent
graduates have the right attributes to be successful engineers? Are they
lacking in any way? Let's
get personal.… What courses did
you take in college? What degrees did
you earn in college? Do you plan to get more schooling?
After college did
you find a job quickly, in Aerospace? Did you work, in
Aerospace, before joining NASA? How did you come
to work in NASA? How long have you
been working at your profession? What do you plan
to do when you quit (or get fired) from this job? Do you have some thing
to fall back on? Have you moved up
any steps since you have begun (for example going from a worker to a manager)?
Give
advice to future aerospace engineers... Are there any scholarships
for the aerospace engineering field? Are there opportunities
for internships or co-op positions at NASA Langley? Do you have any
advice for anyone looking to go into the Aerospace Industry?
When you get to college, co-oping during your undergraduate years
is an excellent way to get experience, which will help when you look for
a job after graduation, and validate your choice of careers. Not to mention,
it pays alot better than flipping burgers!
And lastly, don't do aerospace if you're not having fun - you'll be working
for 30-40-50 years, 40 hours each week, and you need to enjoy whatever
it is that you'll be doing! Would you recommend
this career to others? How could I become
an Astronaut?
Basically, the price tag on getting ready to be an aerospace engineer
is the cost of a Bachelor of Science program. This varies depending upon
the college/university that you select, and whether you start at a community
college or at the university level.
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QUESTIONS
Work experience is not strictly necessary, but, like any field, it certainly
is helpful! Employers look quite favorably on co-op experience coupled
with solid academic credentials when recruiting for new engineers fresh
out of college.
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There really are no "requirements" in the job, just that you take classes
as necessary to stay current. This usually includes short courses (week
long classes on specialty topics, such as software packages) or selected
graduate classes.
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Again, there really aren't any educational requirements for advancement,
but the engineer who makes an effort to stay current in his field, which
is partially accomplished by taking classes, will naturally be more competitive
for advancement.
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We have a couple of people in our group who majored in physics or math
in college, and then went back and did graduate work in engineering (which
included a bunch of prerequisites at the undergraduate level) before starting
work as an aerospace engineer. The problem is that there are certain basic
engineering courses that are necessary, really fundamental, in practicing
any flavor of engineering, and you generally don't have room in your course
schedule to take these (there are quite a few) when you choose another
major. But the folks who have this non-traditional background do bring
a different point-of-view to their project teams, which is often quite
valuable.
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There are some aerospace engineers in unions. At NASA, the engineers at
some centers (although not currently at Langley, so I don't know much
about it) belong to a union for professional federal employees. However,
when I worked at McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) and General Dynamics,
the engineers were not unionized. In any case, you can not be required
to join a union as a condition of employment; the union represents all
employees in a certain job classification, regardless of whether or not
all those employees belong to the union, but only pays strike benefits
to members.
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What do
you like and what do you dislike about your job?
What do I like? My work is different every day, and changes from year
to year. This is necessary for me since I get bored easily. The work is
challenging (which keeps boredom away). You get to work on things that
really make a difference to people; it might be a space instrument to
measure atmospheric pollution or an improvement to an aircraft that might
ultimately allow the price of an airline ticket to go down.
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As a NASA aerospace engineer, I get to work on all kinds of projects that
are in the news, like shuttle and space station, and everyone on my street
wants to know about what I'm doing at work. It is really nice to work
on things that people have an interest in, and to work on things that
even kids think are interesting (no offense, but high school students
are pretty tough critics!).
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It's hard for me to choose just one thing. I'd say in general, I have
gotten alot of satisfaction when a project that I have worked on launches
and works. I also get a real charge out of analyzing some hardware, and
then having my predictions verified through test data. It's sorta tells
me that I know what I'm doing as an analyst.
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Yes. I really haven't had a day where I've wished I could be doing something
else, and that is actually a major accomplishment!
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In high school, I toyed briefly with the idea of going into commercial
art. When I realized that engineers also could capitalize on their ability
to "see" and draw in 3D, I decided to switch pursuits since engineering
paid better and seemed to be more of a sure thing. However, when I was
in high school and even the first part of college, I had no idea what
an engineer actually did all day! I didn't find out until I got an intern
job at McDonnel Douglas (now Boeing).
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Definitely a career. I differentiate between the two this way: having
a job means that you are working only to earn money, having a career means
that you are also working towards some personal goals, which means that
the nature of the work changes and grows as you do.
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When I was in high school and even the first part of college, I had no
idea what an engineer actually did all day! So in that sense, you could
say that everything about my career was something I did not anticipate.
I didn't find out what an engineer actually did at work until I interned
at McDonnel Douglas during college. There was one thing about that intern
job that I remember really struck me as being different from the other
minimum wage jobs I held at the time, and that was that in my engineering
intern position, I received hardly any supervision. They paid me to use
my brain to figure out how to accomplish a task, whereas in the minimum
wage jobs, someone was always telling me exactly what to do and how to
do it. I didn't really understand the difference until I lived it; having
someone trust you to think through a problem and come up with a solution,
and help you if you needed it, was a breath of fresh air.
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I think today's graduates are well prepared for their engineering careers.
If they have any deficiencies compared to earlier grads, I would say that
perhaps there is too much dependence on the computer and computer methods.
The ability to make assumptions and sort of see the essence of a particular
problem is more difficult when people routinely use complex CAE analyses
to evaluate hardware. Engineers need to be able to do both the complex
computer analyses, and also really understand the physics of a problem
and explain why things behave the way they do.
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What made you choose
the Aerospace Industry? Were you always interested in Engineering? Did
Math and Science always interest you?
I was always good at math and science and it was easy for me... so choosing
engineering when I got to college was a natural. Before college, I can't
say I was "always" interested in engineering. I had a killer Barbie collection
til the eight grade, but at the same time I really only liked the math
and science classes. I chose aerospace engineering over other flavors
of engineering because I could relate to aircraft and spacecraft better
than diesel engines or bridges.
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To some extent, the courses you take varies depending on what college
you choose. I went to Virginia
Tech (graduated in 1988, requirements have changed), and there we
had to take (for the BS):
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Do I plan to get more schooling? Maybe, yes, but don't tell my husband (school
takes alot of time away from family if you do it after you already have
a spouse, house and kids)! In 1997, I took a position in engineering management,
and I am considering going back to school to learn skills that will help
me in this area.
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Yes, I had several offers from which to choose. I graduated #3 in my class,
so that combined with being female in a male-dominated field made the
job hunt easy for me. Also, the aerospace industry was hiring pretty steadily
then.
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Sort of. I worked for General
Dynamics, Electric
Boat Division doing structural analysis on the
Seawolf submarine for 2.5 years prior to joining NASA. I had double
majored in AE and OE (really water behaves the same as air, as far as
control surfaces are concerned -subs just fly through it). I enjoyed that
work a lot - I got to do alot of hands on work with the guys who actually
built the subs, which is a real education after you've spent 4 years in
a classroom studying theory.
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When I was with GD, my husband was with the Navy, and he was transferred
down to the Norfolk, Virginia, area. I had job offers at GD's competitor,
Newport News Shipbuilding, and NASA, and chose the NASA job. At the time,
I was really awed at the idea of working for NASA, so I went for it, despite
the fact that the salary was lower. I've never regretted it - working
here is terrific!
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Since 1988.
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Right now I have no plans to quit or get fired from my job! However, if
that were to happen, there are many different industries that need structural
analysts specializing in finite element analysis, which is my specialty.
I could look for the same type of work that I do now elsewhere in the
aerospace industry, in the automotive industry, civil engineering, or
really any industry that needs to make sure that their product will not
sustain a structural failure in its expected environment. Heck, even toys
have to be analyzed before they are made to make sure they wont break
when kids toss them across the room!
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Yes, in 1997 I made the move into engineering management after dabbling
for 2 years in the lower levels of project management.
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What do the future
employment opportunities look like?
Aerospace products are one of the few markets where the US has a large
chunk of the market share, so from that perspective, the outlook today
is quite good. The commercialization of space and the oceans will likely
be a defining characteristic of the next century, and aerospace engineers
will have a substantial role in this endeavor.
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If you train and
study to be an Aerospace Engineer what are the chances of actually working
fo NASA?
The minimum requirements to be considered for a position at NASA are US
Citizenship, and a >2.9 grade point average in a
qualifying degree program. NASA, like most other companies, has periods
where they do alot of hiring and periods where they don't do much hiring,
depending upon the economy and, in our case, the President's philosophy
on government (big vs. small). However, even during periods when NASA
is not hiring, there are numerous positions with contractors doing work
that directly supports NASA, so finding a job that works on NASA missions
should be achievable for the good student. I would also recommend participating
in the cooperative education program either at NASA or another aerospace
firm; having hands on experience is highly valued by employers.
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QUESTIONS
What interests
and abilities would help me as an Aerospace Engineer?
Successful aerospace engineers need lots of curiosity, problem solving
skills, organizational skills, written and oral communication skills,
people skills (as in leading and participating in teams) and computer
skills. There are no physical requirements; in fact, we have many engineers
with disabilities and it is not an issue for their job performance.
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What colleges
do you recommend?
I would recommend that you look at the annual survey put out by US
News & World Report on the top colleges in engineering, and see if
you can identify a school that has a good rating and meets your geographic
and financial requirements.
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My scholarship knowledge is a bit rusty, but I can share what was available
when I started college in 1984. For freshman year, my college actually
offered the best selection of merit-based scholarships, inside the engineering
department. There were also National Merit Scholarships if you scored
well on the SATs. After that, I had good luck with professional societies,
particularly the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics or the American Helicopter
Society. Also, many companies sponsor merit scholarships for dependents
of employees.
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Yes, Langley does have a co-op
program for engineering students. Phil
Hoffmann (mailto:p.b.hoffmann@larc.nasa.gov) is currently our Cooperative
Education Program Coordinator here at Langley. There is also a NASA program
called SHARP
where high school students can intern here for a period during the summer.
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Prepare yourself academically in high school by taking the college prep
track. I would recommend taking AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Physics,
AP English (composition), and public speaking if possible. Even if you
do not take the tests and get credit for these courses in college, it
will provide you with a solid foundation for your freshman year. My husband’s
grandfather was the Dean of the College of Engineering at Catholic University
and the Chairman of American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and his
advice to engineering students has always been, "When in doubt, take more
math." I tend to agree! The other thing to work on is extra-curricular
activities; these were really important on college applications, and having
a developed hobby and/or outside interests will help you balance your
tough academic course load in college and your work life in the years
after.
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Recommending a career to someone else is risky, I think. I can say that
so far it has been a great choice for me. Each person has to look at their
own talents and interests and make a choice that is right for them. If
you really enjoy technical challenge are willing to work hard then you
might be very satisfied in aerospace engineering.
BACK TO QUESTIONS
Astronauts tend to be either (1)medical doctors (actually a Mission Specialist
flavor), (2)pilots (from the armed services, usually), or (3)technical
specialists (another Mission Specialist flavor). The technical specialists
that become astronauts usually have PhD's, and they normally come from
a research area, like structures or materials. You can find out more about
qualifications, duties and the application process for becoming an astronaut
at NASA
Jobs - Astronauts.
