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mitztronic posted:By the way I work in the space industry so if anyone has any specific questions for that I can try to answer them (or ask someone at work who can!) I'm getting a masters in EE, and hoping to participate in work on satellite design projects after Spring 2012 (for a professor--this is in the academic realm). Classes that I want to focus on in my masters are fault-tolerant hardware, hardware testing, software involving error detection and self-checking checkers, and I also want to take two electromagnetics classes that the EE department offers. I'm really, really hoping to get involved with a certain professor's work at my school's astrophysics department. I've been told that area of focus (durable hardware/software) would be quite valuable for it, but I'm bummed that I won't have room in my schedule to also study microcontrollers which are a hobby of mine.
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May 30, 2011 22:48
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:54 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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May 30, 2011 23:46
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bengk posted:Hi, I just got accepted to a local Cal State for aerospace engineering as a transfer student and after reading through most of the thread I noticed that a lot of aerospace graduates have been having a real hard to finding jobs. That's got some truth to it, unfortunately. The AE market has been unsteady for the last few years what with Lockheed's contract woes, the Shuttle retirement and the recession in general. I graduated in 2009 with an AE BS and ended up going back to school for a MS after no luck on the job market, and most of my fellow AE's followed the same path. Getting an MS really helped though, both myself and everyone I know coming out of grad school have solid job offers lined up. If you're interested in aerospace then I would still encourage you to go into AE - it's a really challenging field with a lot of cool and interesting stuff. The thing they rarely tell you though is that outside of aerodynamics/orbital mechanics stuff there's a lot of cross-over with other fields that may not be covered in your standard AE coursework. For example, a lot of the entry-level "Aerospace Engineer" positions I've run into online have focused heavily on more EE topics like radio freqency systems or electronics. I'd recommend branching out a little from your core coursework into another field that interests you - something like modeling/simulation, RF, control systems, etc. A few extra courses outside your field can really help expand your skill set and make you much more capable in handling a wider range of jobs.
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May 31, 2011 00:12
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Awesome. I'm in OC actually so I'll definitely check out places around here and I'll look into that extra coursework. It's hard getting info like this. Much appreciated.
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May 31, 2011 05:08
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:54 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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May 31, 2011 16:46
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Heli0s posted:Not quite sure if this belongs in college advice or here, but I've read most of this thread and there's been tons of great advice so here goes. As far as math goes, I started college my first semester with Calculus (this was at junior college though). My high school math went something like algebra, geometry, and algebra 2. I enrolled in honors pre-calc my senior year and then dropped it to take statistics. There was a learning curve on the trig identities since it was my very first exposure, but I picked it up pretty quickly and realized what I did and didn't need. I have always felt behind in math, but I think this is true of almost everyone I met along the way to graduation. If you have more questions or want more specific answers to what you should be expecting, you can email me (thebeerbrewer AT g-mail). I graduated last year from the ME program at UT.
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May 31, 2011 23:43
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fatlightning posted:That's not what I was getting at. Small talk is fine, it lets the interviewer get to know you on a more personal level, but don't sit there for half an hour trying to talk about baseball. It's pretty ignorant to ask that question when you're at the company already, but in a world with craigslist it's entirely possible to get to the in-person interview without really knowing what the company does. So many job postings today don't even list the name of the company, all you can do is write to the job requirements and hope the phone interviewer isn't a complete rear end in a top hat and will at least tell you the company name. And recruiters are even worse about that. ApathyGifted fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Jun 1, 2011 |
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Jun 1, 2011 02:23
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mitztronic posted:By the way I work in the space industry so if anyone has any specific questions for that I can try to answer them (or ask someone at work who can!) Thoguh posted:Really? The industry is doing very decently right now. There are a lot of jobs out there. I get cold called by recruiters at least once a month with offers, and I'm only a mid-level engineer. We're also hiring a lot of new grads and I see the same at the other companies I work with. Do you guys have any openings for entry-level aerospace/mechanical engineers? Edit: And as a bonus, if I sent you my resume, would you be willing to pass it along to someone who makes the hiring decisions? ApathyGifted fucked around with this message at 02:30 on Jun 1, 2011 |
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Jun 1, 2011 02:26
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Thoguh posted:Really? The industry is doing very decently right now. There are a lot of jobs out there. I get cold called by recruiters at least once a month with offers, and I'm only a mid-level engineer. We're also hiring a lot of new grads and I see the same at the other companies I work with. I'm not completely up on the new developments going on but I was under the impressions that there aren't really any huge airframe contracts coming up soon. Possibly with the exception of the NGB which is apparently classified/TS/compartmentalized completely at this point. From what I've been seeing most of the money is going to RMIP type stuff and DMS issues.
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Jun 1, 2011 02:37
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Thoguh posted:Also, keep in mind that as an entry level (or intern/co-op) you aren't going to see many openings for "Aerospace Engineer". They are mostly going to be listed as "Systems Engineer".
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Jun 1, 2011 02:41
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Dang this is a long thread, but it's got a lot of good info. Here's a question for you guys, and aerospace engineers in particular. I'm thinking/planning on returning to school for an aerospace engineering degree. While I have a bunch of credits I will have to basically start from scratch. I can transfer the intro to chemistry class and calculus 1. I would retake calculus since I definitely need that and don't remember much of it. With the chemistry I did alright but of course I don't remember any of that either. Is chemistry something I need to know in the future or is just a course to give you a general science background?
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Jun 1, 2011 02:44
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grover posted:Would a degree in "Systems Engineering" be more versatile, while still qualifying you for all the classical "Aerospace Engineer" jobs? I was always under the impressions that a Systems Engineering degree is more useful as a Masters after you have some experience. Basically you end up going farther into the technical realm while if you want to go into management you get an MBA. Could just be where I work though. I don't know of anyone we hired out of undergrad with a Systems degree.
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Jun 1, 2011 02:49
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rockamiclikeavandal posted:Dang this is a long thread, but it's got a lot of good info. Chemistry is completely unnecessary for an AE undergrad.
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Jun 1, 2011 03:08
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You may have to take a materials science course, but that's so far removed from basic chemistry you just really need to be able to look up definitions if needed.
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Jun 1, 2011 04:33
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:54 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Jun 1, 2011 05:01
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Thoguh posted:Systems Engineering is worthless as an undergrad degree. It's more of a finishing school for engineers who want to stay technical, but don't want to spend their whole careers designing circuit boards or writing code. In whatever your undergrad is you learn technical proficiencies, and with an Systems Engineering masters you learn how to manage the complexities of technical projects that might have hundreds or thousands of individuals engineers working on discrete parts. It doesn't do any good to know how to properly decompose requirements and stuff like that if you don't have the technical background to understand what you are decomposing. This is the impression I get as well; some of my best managers have picked up systems engineering in addition to an advanced management degree. They know how to lead projects / teams without falling into the trap of being the pointy-haired boss. I don't know how appealing an inexperienced systems engineer straight out of college would be, I would imagine not so much so.
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Jun 1, 2011 06:23
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Systems Engineer is one of those things that tends to end up being a job title, not a major. I mean, an RF Systems Engineer is going to be an EE, a GNC Systems Engineer is probably going to be an aerospace engineer or an ME or something.
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Jun 1, 2011 07:29
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Thoguh I saw that avatar in my Amazon music newsletter and had to do a double-take 
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Jun 1, 2011 14:39
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:54 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Jun 1, 2011 15:01
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Kire posted:I'm getting a masters in EE, and hoping to participate in work on satellite design projects after Spring 2012 (for a professor--this is in the academic realm). Yes. Reliability of spacecraft is incredibly important. I'm not sure what you mean by fault-tolerance hardware... do you mean digital hardware? And by hardware testing, do you mean on the ground or in flight? The current digital technology of satellites is basically stuck in the late 80's, early 90's. The processors used on satellites are ancient technology (cant use the newer stuff for many reasons, most of which I don't know but are related to reliability). ApathyGifted posted:Do you guys have any openings for entry-level aerospace/mechanical engineers? What do you want to do? I see at least 3 positions open in ME and a couple in AE.
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Jun 1, 2011 23:34
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BeefofAges posted:I stick to consumer electronics because they're pretty useless for military applications. It keeps my conscience clear. I drew the line at supporting Secure features and I'm genuinely surprised at the tone of the debate at significantly higher levels of "matters".
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Jun 2, 2011 00:38
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:54 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Jun 2, 2011 01:36
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I'm currently pursuing my BS in electrical engineering, and I know I want to attend grad school; however, I'm not exactly sure I want to study EE. What paths (in both real-world and academia) does the BSEE open for its holder? How difficult would be transitioning into mathematics, economics, actuarial science, etc., things of that sort?
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Jun 2, 2011 15:28
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"Oh, you have a EE....then you can do pretty much anything." - My Boss when I got hired. Anything math related you should be fine. I don't know enough about Economics/Actuarial stuff to comment though. You can also go for a MS is anything computer/software related. Or Physics.
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Jun 2, 2011 15:38
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Plinkey posted:"Oh, you have a EE....then you can do pretty much anything." - My Boss when I got hired. Haha, my boss said the same thing. They are having me "do everything" that our department does, even though people that have been here 5, 10, 15 years still do the same task over and over. I'm pretty lucky in that I asked to do R&D and they let me. Some pretty cool stuff, can't talk about it though :shh:
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Jun 2, 2011 16:40
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More questions from the confused business graduate: How much does eng. school rank play into job prospects? Obviously, all else being equal, getting a degree from a better school will give you more options but is there a ranking line which I dare not cross? Top 10, 20, 30, ...?
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Jun 2, 2011 22:00
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Bronze posted:More questions from the confused business graduate: I may be biased, but from what I've heard past the top 10-20 an ABET accredited degree is roughly the same. This isn't like law school.
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Jun 2, 2011 22:05
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Bronze posted:More questions from the confused business graduate: We've got a branch campus of WSU here in town, as well as a lot of govt contractors and high tech industry. They mostly recruit their engineers out of the local campus. I'd say that it depends on the area though.
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Jun 2, 2011 22:07
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RedReverend posted:We've got a branch campus of WSU here in town, as well as a lot of govt contractors and high tech industry. They mostly recruit their engineers out of the local campus. I'd say that it depends on the area though. Yea. That's the 'all else equal part'. I know first hand that networking is huge when it comes to landing a good job. I'd just like to know if I'd get crazy eyes from employers if I got a degree from a school past a certain rank. Bronze fucked around with this message at 22:16 on Jun 2, 2011 |
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Jun 2, 2011 22:13
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:54 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Jun 2, 2011 22:15
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Bronze posted:More questions from the confused business graduate: I'm at a generic state university for undergrad and I've worked along with people from Georgia Tech, Yale and Harvey Mudd during coops, doing the exact same work for the same pay. Granted I have a good GPA but nothing exceptional. Unless you are going to MIT or somewhere nearly as prestigious I would just go with wherever you get in-state tuition.
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Jun 2, 2011 22:15
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OctaviusBeaver posted:I'm at a generic state university for undergrad and I've worked along with people from Georgia Tech, Yale and Harvey Mudd during coops, doing the exact same work for the same pay. Granted I have a good GPA but nothing exceptional. Good to know. My local state school's engineering programs generally rank ~20th or better [link].
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Jun 2, 2011 22:25
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mitztronic posted:What do you want to do? I see at least 3 positions open in ME and a couple in AE. Literally anything. That's not a desperation statement either, I'm cool with any facet of engineering as a career. I do have 5 years of working with Solidworks for structural design and FEA analysis, a bit of systems design and a fair amount of documentation work if that narrows anything down. Otherwise, I still consider myself entry level, so I'm expecting to have to do the bitch-work anyway. Thanks for even looking in the first place, btw. Edit: I've got platinum, so if you need to take this conversation to PM for any details I can accomodate. ApathyGifted fucked around with this message at 03:15 on Jun 3, 2011 |
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Jun 3, 2011 03:11
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ApathyGifted posted:Otherwise, I still consider myself entry level, so I'm expecting to have to do the bitch-work anyway. If you've been working 5 years, why do you consider yourself entry-level? You are limiting yourself. 5 years is lots of experience. A company is never going to believe you're not the right person for a job if you don't. I am moving soon and could only find positions for 3-5 years of experience, and I've only been out of school for 9 months. I applied for the positions, never brought up that I was less experienced than they were looking for, and the only time they mentioned it was in salary negotiations. A company's job listing is written to find the perfect person. It's not a perfect world, and companies know it's unlikely they'll find a person that exactly matches their posting.
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Jun 4, 2011 13:42
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I'm 18 and just got a paid internship at a really reputable machine shop place that makes some awesome stuff for Lockheed Martin/Raytheon. CEO is a standup guy and I'm meeting him on Friday to figure everything out. Anything I can do in a week to make sure I don't completely look like an idiot and fall flat on my face once I get there? Pretty excited right now.
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Jun 5, 2011 09:35
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Looking at going into engineering at Uni next year, I'm final year high school in New Zealand right now. I'm thinking of doing electrical which is a four year degree. Also probably rather branch off into electronic (like circuits etc) instead of the power station side of things. What kinds of jobs will I be looking at (realistically and otherwise) upon graduation? I'm not too interested in doing postgrad work, I'd sooner get out there and start earning to be honest, although something like optics (another definite interest), would probably require a postgrad course if I didn't do physics straight up, right? A final question, how much starvation, hard work, sleepless nights and panic approaching assignment deadlines should I expect through my Uni years?
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Jun 5, 2011 11:23
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Heli0s posted:I'm 18 and just got a paid internship at a really reputable machine shop place that makes some awesome stuff for Lockheed Martin/Raytheon. For me, the first two years weren't so bad. Mostly just problem sets for calc/physics/chem, etc.. Then in junior year when you start to really get into your specific classes there pretty much won't ever be a time when you don't have 1-5 projects going on with all the regular problem sets being assigned on top of it. Feels good once you finish, though.
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Jun 5, 2011 23:13
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Heli0s posted:I'm 18 and just got a paid internship at a really reputable machine shop place that makes some awesome stuff for Lockheed Martin/Raytheon. You didn't really tell us anything. What kind of internship? Engineering? Are you a freshman in college or still in high school or what? What are you doing there? Being a CNC programmer, fixture designer, etc. is a very very good way to get job offers. Read my other posts in this thread for more info.
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Jun 5, 2011 23:37
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RedReverend posted:We've got a branch campus of WSU here in town, as well as a lot of govt contractors and high tech industry. They mostly recruit their engineers out of the local campus. I'd say that it depends on the area though. Most of the local graduates I know of, only get hired as engineers if they already have had an internship/existing job at one of the local companies. Or inside contacts. Entry level engineering jobs have gotten a lot harder to find in this locale. I don't mind doing other jobs, but that makes it that much longer towards getting a PE.
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Jun 6, 2011 06:51
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Lord Gaga posted:You didn't really tell us anything. What kind of internship? Engineering? Are you a freshman in college or still in high school or what? What are you doing there? We'll see exactly what I can do when I get there. I'm just out of highschool, heading to college in august, so this is a summer thing. Right now I figure i'll read up on 5 axis CNC machines and some other cool stuff the shop has so I can at least ask some interesting questions when I get there. I can do some solidworks stuff but I doubt I'll be designing anything. Same thing for basic mill/lathe work. Any advice on what I should ask for in terms of pay? Really just going into this to get some experience but I guess the shop monkey gets paid. Minimum wage?
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Jun 6, 2011 08:58
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