A JD is a law degree. The best program manager I knew had an engineering degree and a JD. He left aerospace , got into electronics, is now retired with megabucks. You need to know the law if you contract with the government.

Technically you will be limited with a BS. I am as high as I can get, 2 BS and 1 MS. I would need to be publishing and filing patents to get any higher technically. However, one of our VPs only has a BS, but he is an inate leader. Eight years ago he was my supervisor.

+1

Now that I am finally able to go back to school for a masters I am making the switch to Civil/Environmental.

$$$ and a stable job are two important things you need to concider when planning your future.

Instead of taking advice from those who are lucky enough to have AE jobs I suggest researching how many aerospace jobs are available in your area. You might be suprised by what you find.

Actually, with all the manufacturers in the Wichita area, the majority of WSU AE students have a job lined up at the beginning of their senior year. Raytheon and especially Cessna are hiring engineers, Cessna is planning on hiring something like 3-400 over the next four years or so. The GA and light jet market is strong right now.

Well, up here in the PNW they're outsourcing everything they legally can to the BDC in Moscow or getting their "risk-sharing partners" in Japan to take over whatever they're willing to.

There will be work here for the next couple of years but it likely will not be the good stuff...just more offload coordination. Luckily, most of the off-loaded stuff comes back in need of serious attention to make it right. Unfortunately, upper management views this as training time that will go away over time. They're half right of course. Depends on how long the bleeding lasts.

Good motivation for getting the MBA I guess, cover my ass for the future.

Please do not rely on Bombardier for any part of your future. I have worked for them (Boeing/McDonnell as well) and all the scuttlebutt is that Bombardier will sell Learjet and be out of Wichita in a few years. They almost closed down one of the lines 2 years ago until the union caved in, but they have been quietly moving all possible to Montreal. Tucson has closed down EVERYTHING but the maintenance shops and sent everyone packing.

Look to the future. Are they going to be using sheetmetal or composites in the future? Probably both but they will need more people in the advanced materials and that would be a good focus. Also any computer info you can bone up on always helps.

Joe A

Matt:
I was in the Air Force as a machinist when I was a kid, got out, worked for a race car guy, built engines for a few years, went back to school and got my BSME when I was 36. I got an HVAC job when I was still in the last couple of years of school.

Anyway, when the recruiters came to school, the aerospace guys were fighting over me, literally, because of my background. I turned down a job at McDonnell (across the street from Disneyland), and another at Aerojet General, among others, ended up in the HVAC business instead. Good thing, as the aero industry died (very early 90's). The industry seems cyclic to me, and is fueled by the military, and is a tough business.

I would urge you to bail on the AE and go for the ME...much more flexible. And, learn some electronics, because that is what will drive markets forever. Don't worry about learning software; that's what draftsmen are for in the real world.

Engineering is not knowing all the answers, but knowing where to look to find them.

Good luck!
Pat

I appreciate you guy's advice, in some ways I wish I had sought it earlier. It's too late for me to bail on the AE, it would put me too far behind, with a 16mo. old child and a wife it's just not an option. I know that it is a very cyclical market, but I would like to think that if I am good at what I do, there's enough jobs in the small city of Wichita to keep me employed. Again, probably another good reason to go for the MBA.

Joe, I hadn't heard that about Bombardier, that explains why there's almost no positions available in Wichita. Did you hear they're planning on just selling off Learjet, or moving it's operations to Canada?

Learjet has been for sale for about 2-3 years now and they thought that they had it sold to a overseas company (rumoured to be in Japan) a while back then things fell through at the last minute.

Bombardier builds a good jet but they run a crappy company. Hire like mad, then lay 60% off and expect them to come for back for the same job a year later. They have done this in Tucson and Wichita for years and the smart people finally went to Boeing, Cessna and so on.

They are moving all positions that they can back to Canada. Its a Canadian company so they will keep the juciest contracts up there. All completions have been pulled from Tucson and Wichita as well, and moved guess where? Course they could not make deadline and sent handfuls of experienced people from the two bases to try and teach the Canuks how to do it on time.

Who knows how it will all pan out but you can do better than with Bombardier.

JoeA

Thanks Joe. It's obviously still down the road a bit, but for some reason I am leaning towards Raytheon. I think it's the fact that they seem to have really taken the leap towards composite construction, one of the few in the light jet market. Or it could be my grandpa's Bonanza has made me pre-disposed towards Beechcraft.

I did aerospace administration as a major and minored in business adminstraion. I had some buds and have known some people to do the AE thing. The industry is in the tank. Especially starting out with no experience. I love aviation, but I decided after 1 1/2 years of job hunting to give it up for now. After that I had a real job in no time. I had a good GPA and a nice resume' but it didn't seem to help. Most of the "professional" entry level aviation jobs paid chump change. The only people I know with aviation related degrees that are using them went military with the exception of one. That is just my 2 cents on the matter. I wish you luck in whatever career you choose.