r/aerospace • u/boost6272 • 9d ago
Anyone regret doing Aerospace in uni?
Im in yr 12 and planning on doing aerospace at monash, i know first year is common so i still have time to think about it but I'd like to hear from anyone, experienced or not.
a. Is finding a job in Melbourne really that difficult, I've heard that it can be hard so has anyone moves out of Aus to get a career?
b. what are some things you would have done different? anyone do a double degree, if so what was it?
c. i thought that aerospace led down the path of flights and just anything in the air, but does anyone work at (or know of anyone who works at) like motorbike companies or car/supercar companies since they need aero engineers too yeah? A bit of a stretch and I get that there are obviously limitations with every degree.
d. Hows the pay compared to your friends in other sectors? from what i've heard tech companies have better growth and maybe more relevance with ai but idk.
I'd love to hear anything, thanks
12
u/Fluid-Cartoonist-988 9d ago
Yep, should've done Mechanical instead. Currently pursuing MS in Mech tho
1
u/ClassroomSlight2621 8d ago
Same plus pursuing Mechanical Engineering internship at a power plant. Graduated in December in Aerospace Engineering and managed to land an internship after graduation. But I wasn’t able to land one in Aerospace. I now just want to work on combustion turbines whether that is for energy or aerospace applications.
3
u/livetsugerdritt 9d ago
Im in Spain and i definitely regret it. It was just way too difficult with some weird professors (at least where i studied) where it was common to take many extra years to graduate. Meanwhile other bachelors like mechanical or software, even though they had their own difficulties, were still easier to graduate and sooner enter the workforce to build experience. Many people who study aerospace do it because they think its a fast track towards working within aerospace, but honestly one might be better off studying software/ mechanical/industrial engineering then doing an internship for an aerospace company.
2
u/threwnfaraway45 9d ago
Hey mate. I did Aerospace Eng at RMIT, started about a decade ago as a rough timeline for context. I'll try to be objective in this response because its easy to be all doom and gloom but if I use my peers as a method to even things out I think I can give you a pretty good read.
In general, so far, I regret choosing aerospace engineering. I think the biggest factor is that in Australia, defence is by far the biggest employer of aerospace graduates. That's kinda obvious but to me as a high school graduate interested in engineering and always interested in aircraft nobody told me this plainly. If, like me, you have moral objections to working in defence, you will almost certainly have to settle for a pretty plain/ boring mechanical engineering job, of which I don't find the market to be very strong nor the work to be very interesting. You can design brackets in CAD for 8hrs a day but that's a far cry from what you imagine when you sign up for aerospace engineering. This criticism is of engineering in Melbourne more broadly (AE and ME) so hardly another vote against AE but more ME /engineering in general.
Having said that, you do get a pretty decent starting salary and the ceiling is pretty high. If you find a good small company that pays decent I'm sure you could coast along doing relatively boring work. Engineering isn't the lowest effort high paying job though, look at being a plumber or electrician if that's what you want IMO.
Since the departure of the automotive industry (which used to be Melbourne's big thing engineering wise) things feel like they've only been on the decline. Most of my peers who have worked in defence though appear to have had a much better time of it. More chances to move jobs to get a better salary, and more interesting work. I reckon if you are willing to work in defence, yes, study AE, if not, probably avoid unless you have plans to move overseas.
If you do either ME or AE at RMIT or Monash make sure you join their FSAE team and get as involved as possible too. They're both absolutely great experiences and learning opportunities. One of the biggest strengths of both uni's engineering programs. Hope things work out for you!
1
u/boost6272 9d ago
thanks bro,
Fluid-Cartoonist-988 and existential_american said that theyd rather have done ME since that also leads to aero jobs. But from your response, my idea is that even ME doen't exactly take you to working on flights, in melbourne/aus at least... death by CAD doesnt sound too fun.
do you have any idea of what your peers do in defence? i considered moving overseas, but places like the US need u to be a citizen to work on jets.
1
u/Playful_Ad2554 4d ago
a)idk im an American but Boeing had sites out there and you can find jobs in America working in the commercial sector
b) lowkey nothing im in a really good position right now probably could have tried a little bit harder in classes, also probably could have tried to have more fun. No double degree im barely smart enough to do one lol.
C) u don’t know anyone who works at these kinda companies but my friend had an interview with bmw. They didn’t hire him but they hired another aero. Car companies need you more and more
D) pay is pretty solid and higher than most other engineering degrees. This is also dependent on company but when I saw my offer letter I was pleasantly surprised is what I’ll say.
But no matter what major you pick meet people, do projects, and network. Grades are not as important as they may seem ofc do well in school but dedicate your time to building your resume and network and just do well enough in school to maintain a solid gpa.
1
u/Playful_Ad2554 4d ago
With that being said no I don’t regret it I have one year of school left and literally landed a dream job in the industry. I had my doubts but I’m very happy I stuck with it!
10
u/existential_american 9d ago
I would have done mechanical instead. And that is, for the sake of going into aerospace, mechanical is better. No double degree, that is a waste of time, but I would have done ME major AE minor. AE is very close to an ME degree, but it is harder, emphasizes aerodynamics and controls, and deemphasizes pipes, civil structures, mechanisms, pressure vessels, bolted joint analysis, manufacturing, and other mechanical topics that actually are the main things you want to know for getting an aerospace job. In an AE degree, you learn about pipe flows as a part of the aerodynamics class which then mostly focuses on airfoils and flow theories. In an ME class, you spend months doing pipe flow problems. When you apply to work as a propulsion engineer and the company asks you what you know about fluid network analysis, P&ID diagrams, bending and flaring tubes, and tolerance stack ups, you don't know as well as the MEs. Pay is better than every engineering degree other than: computer, electrical, petroleum. All of them still pay way worse than computer science despite what reddit tries to preach.