Last semester, I tried to give a little insight into what it is like being an aerospace engineer here at USC, so definitely check that out but I also wanna point you guys into some other directions about what makes my major so coooool.
In my previous posts (here and here), I mentioned the classes i’m taking this semester and also some background info on what my senior design project is like. Outside of class, I think what really makes my major exciting are all the cool experiences I’ve gotten to do. First and foremost, it allowed me to have the opportunity to float by exposing me to a student project directly associated with my department. Second, through my involvement with student organizations and research, I’ve gotten a lot of invaluable hands on experience in machining, fabrication, data acquisition and testing, all of which I’ve used in class and in internships.
Finally, this is one of the best times to be an aerospace engineer. I’ve been told repeatedly from professionals and recruiters that within the next 5-10 years, almost 40% of aerospace engineers are going to retire. Not only does this means that there are going to be galore job opportunities, but also that, if you can prove yourself as an engineer, you can get some pretty cool projects to work on. Furthermore, what is most exciting to me is all of the space exploration that is happening. There are many private and government funded companies that are trying to essentially create a market for commercialized spaceflight so that vastly more people can afford its cost. And some of them have more lofty goals like trying to colonize a certain red planet. Heck, NASA has started doing research into seeing if WARP DRIVE is possible! As someone who hopes to one day experience a spacewalk, I am overly excited to become involved and develop such an industry.
