Aerospace Engineering
By: Joshua Showalter

Did you know the most famous of the early aerospace engineers are Orville and Wilbur Wright? Most people know they are the first to create a working aircraft. Aerospace engineering is the application of science and engineering to the machines operating outside and within the earth’s atmosphere. The path to becoming an aerospace engineer is a hard one, but those who survive the difficult lift-off emerge with an above-average degree of career satisfaction. The education they need, the jobs they can specialize in, and the roles and benefits they receive are what I will be informing you about. Education is very crucial for success in this career. Physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, materials science, and statistics and engineering courses provide the base for anyone thinking of being an aerospace engineer. Three of the best universities for aerospace engineering in the US are: Fulton School of Engineering, Arizona State University, Michigan Engineering, Detroit, and Cockrell School of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin. Many interested people may need to relocate to California, Washington State, or Texas, where the majority of aerospace work is done. New Aerospace Engineers begin work as graduate trainees. Their performance, academic background and best talent are taken into consideration to place them in the best area for training in the maintenance of aircraft, missile or satellite. Aerospace engineers have access to a very wide variety of jobs they can specialize in. There are two major branches that make up aerospace engineering. First there is aeronautical engineering; this the application of science and engineering to the machines operating inside the earths atmosphere. Next there is astronautical engineering; this deals with the machines outside of earth's atmosphere. There are also many tributaries of these two branches. Aerodynamics, propulsion, dynamics and control, aerospace structures and materials, satellite applications, and orbit mechanics are examples. Aerospace engineers play a very important role in our world and get many benefits from choosing this career. They make air travel possible, develop the satellites in space, allow our cars to receive better gas mileage by increasing the aerodynamics, and much more. There are unlimited opportunities for them. Every year there is a demand for about 5,000 Aerospace Engineers world wide and roughly only 600 are able to qualify. People who do qualify get a very generous salary. The starting salary in the government or public sector is in the range of $18,000 to $25,000 in addition to allowances. In private sectors, it is approximately $20,000 to $30,000. Engineering graduates with a degree in management get a starting salary from $30,000 to $50,000 per month plus allowances. As we have learned aerospace engineering is a hard career to pursue, but it does have it's perks in the long term. I talked about the education needed, the jobs they can specialize in, and the roles and benefits they have. After learning about this career maybe you will think about pursuing it or thinking about a different career you want to fulfill.