aeronautical engineering

n32

lads, bit of advice needed here. i ve applied for an aeronautical engineering (BEng) course in the uk and I m wondering what are the job prospects for a graduate with this degree

Delta Kilo

Hi,

Im doing the same degree here in Ireland.

I had the same thoughts and fears as you before I started that it may be impossible to get a job once you graduate. Now that I have most of the course complete and work experience behind me I can tell you that the career prospects are good.

Firstly, while your speciality may be aeronautics, you are still first and foremost an engineer and can apply your knowledge to many different engineering disciplines. Its all the same theory, in fact the first two years of the course are shared with many other engineering disciplines. In other words everyone learns a core and then they add on specialist stuff depending on your course.

So that means when you graduate you could apply for positions in many engineering firms both in Ireland or abroad, or, and I know a few who have done so, transfer your skills to a different discipline such as accountancy. Engineering degrees arent easy to get but they stand to you when you have one and engineering graduates are held in high regard.

So, for specifically aviation careers, yes there are careers out there. Thing is, the average person doesnt know or understand the industry. Most people only know of Ryanair and Aer Lingus one an airline in trouble and the other not well known for hiring lots of staff!

But the reality is very different. Aircraft require a lot of technical paperwork to keep them in the sky, lots of things change, new service bulletins and airworthiness directives come out and issues have to be resolved. This all involves engineers in the background ensuring everything is in order. It requires a small army of technical people to keep them in the air.

And, Ireland is a world leader when it comes to Aircraft Leasing, from what I remember 17 of the top 20 aircraft leasing companies in the world are based in Ireland, due to our low corporate tax rate. Companies like GECAS, AerCap etc, that nobody has ever heard of because nobody needs to dry lease an aircraft!

Dont let job opportunities dictate your choice either, the opportunities are there of course but follow what you are interested in and worry about careers a little further down the line.

Also, the industry seems to be picking up, especially in other parts of the world. I think the deals signed at the paris airshow alone broke previous records. One airline alone ordered 200 aircraft from Airbus!

xflyer

A friend of mine graduated last year. After being distracted for a while with the pilot thing. He finally started looking for work as an Engineer and found himself with several offers here and abroad. So right now job prospects are good. There's even the option of a military career.

So go for it. There will be jobs. If you like to travel, Aeronautical Engineers tend to get sent to faraway places a lot.

Darius.Tr

What do you think about those other course in Ireland, like Aircraft Systems in Carlow IT and Aviation Technology in Dublin IT?? Because I cant do aeronautical engineering as it requires higher level maths...

5uspect

n32 wrote: »

lads, bit of advice needed here. i ve applied for an aeronautical engineering (BEng) course in the uk and I m wondering what are the job prospects for a graduate with this degree

I did Aero Eng in UL 2000-2004. I took the Academic route and followed that with a PhD in fluid mechanics. I'm now a Research Fellow at a major London University. I've also spent some time in biomed.

A typical aero eng course it really just a modified version of Mechanical Engineering. Where they study turbine blades in fluid mechanics you're studying aerodynamics or airfoils. Same maths different problem.

Engineering courses are maths and physics heavy and TBH won't really prepare you for a maintenance or leasing job. It will make you technically proficient tho and that will indirectly prepare you.

Several of my cohorts are now working quite happily in these areas. Others have gone into finance. The mathematical modding skills you'll pick up are surprisingly portable.

CatFromHue

ul has some good info on where its graduates end up.

the numbers shown reflect all the aero grads since the course started (were possible to contact them)

http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/Faculties/Science_%26_Engineering/Departments/Mechanical_%26_Aeronautical_Engineering/Courses/LM077/Profiles

http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/Faculties/Science_%26_Engineering/Departments/Mechanical_%26_Aeronautical_Engineering/Courses/LM077/Aero_Grad_Stats