What an aerospace engineer really does
You check that aircraft designs meet their requirements, test them to prove it, and find out why they misbehave in the field.
FieldScience and engineering
Preparation (O*NET Job Zone)Considerable preparation needed
What the work involves
What fills a typical week for aerospace engineers, built from O*NET occupation data.
- Checking designs and analysis results against requirements and quality standards
- Building and running models and calculations for weight, loads, and performance
- Planning tests on prototypes and reviewing the data afterward
- Writing technical reports for other engineers, managers, and customers
- Investigating problems reported by customers and field engineers
- Meeting with the team almost every day to coordinate design, test, and production
What the days are like
What people in the job know
- It is very much a desk job. Most of the day is spent at a computer, not on a flight line. Spend time sitting: 61% continually or almost continually (O*NET Work Context)
- Long weeks are common, especially near test events and program milestones. Duration of typical work week: 73% more than 40 hours (O*NET Work Context)
- Every number you produce must be right. No one considers precision optional. Importance of being exact or accurate: 59% extremely important, 41% very important (O*NET Work Context)
- You work inside a team with structure and procedures, so your freedom is real but limited. Freedom to make decisions: 81% some freedom; Work with a team: 66% extremely important (O*NET Work Context)
- Much of the work repeats the same careful checks and processes over and over. Importance of repeating same tasks: 44% extremely important (O*NET Work Context)
How people get into it
A bachelor's degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering is the standard entry (80% of O*NET respondents say a bachelor's is required). New engineers usually start in a specialty such as structures, loads, propulsion, or test, working under senior engineers. Defense work often requires a security clearance, which means US citizenship.
The Firstday trial, easy to hard
Three simulated tasks at Arcwing Aerosystems, a fictional company, with AI coworkers who message you, react to your work and coach with questions. Nobody scores you.
What the trial can't show: The trial does not include CAD work in CATIA or Creo, finite element or computational fluid dynamics software, hands on time in a test lab or hangar, or flight test. It also cannot show the long cycle of certification with aviation authorities. Test data and models are provided, and you work as a junior engineer under a senior lead.
Reading about it is one thing.
Find out how the work feels to you before you spend on a degree, course or job change. Your first trial is free.
Other careers you can try
Job details on this page are built from O*NET OnLine, 17-2011.00. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.