What Does it Take to Be an Aerospace Engineer?
Aerospace Engineer Example Perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. May conduct basic and applied research to evaluate adaptability of materials and equipment to aircraft design and manufacture. May recommend improvements in testing equipment and techniques.
Daily Life Of an Aerospace Engineer
- Direct aerospace research and development programs.
- Design new or modify existing aerospace systems to reduce polluting emissions, such as nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, or smoke emissions.
- Evaluate biofuel performance specifications to determine feasibility for aerospace applications.
- Formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements.
- Direct or coordinate activities of engineering or technical personnel involved in designing, fabricating, modifying, or testing of aircraft or aerospace products.
- Evaluate product data or design from inspections or reports for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, environmental regulations, or quality standards.
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Qualities of an Aerospace Engineer
When polled, Aerospace Engineers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Science: Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Types of Aerospace Engineer Jobs
- Flight Dynamicist
- Airplane Designer
- Space Engineer
- Systems Engineer
- Wind Tunnel Engineer
Is There Job Demand for Aerospace Engineers?
There were about 69,600 jobs for Aerospace Engineer in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 4,200 new jobs for Aerospace Engineer by 2026. There will be an estimated 4,600 positions for Aerospace Engineer per year.

The states with the most job growth for Aerospace Engineer are Wisconsin, Utah, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Washington, West Virginia, or Kansas. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Aerospace Engineer Salary
The average yearly salary of an Aerospace Engineer ranges between $71,640 and $164,210.

Aerospace Engineers who work in District of Columbia, Hawaii, or Virginia, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Aerospace Engineers in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $115,820 |
Alaska | $112,890 |
Arizona | $107,230 |
California | $125,540 |
Colorado | $124,070 |
Connecticut | $106,790 |
District of Columbia | $138,480 |
Florida | $105,460 |
Georgia | $114,160 |
Hawaii | $121,100 |
Illinois | $108,520 |
Indiana | $95,390 |
Iowa | $110,770 |
Kansas | $105,540 |
Kentucky | $98,650 |
Louisiana | $117,170 |
Maryland | $127,330 |
Massachusetts | $119,700 |
Minnesota | $113,350 |
Mississippi | $110,760 |
Missouri | $114,570 |
Montana | $91,940 |
Nebraska | $115,120 |
Nevada | $91,850 |
New Jersey | $115,850 |
New Mexico | $114,340 |
New York | $115,420 |
North Carolina | $100,080 |
Ohio | $112,480 |
Oklahoma | $92,460 |
Oregon | $109,250 |
Pennsylvania | $108,300 |
Tennessee | $88,180 |
Texas | $122,570 |
Utah | $105,320 |
Virginia | $127,390 |
West Virginia | $90,710 |
Wisconsin | $85,880 |
What Tools & Technology do Aerospace Engineers Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Aerospace Engineers may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Python
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Project
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Microsoft Visio
- The MathWorks MATLAB
- Linux
- Microsoft Visual Basic
- Extensible markup language XML
- UNIX
- National Instruments LabVIEW
- C
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Practical extraction and reporting language Perl
How do I Become an Aerospace Engineer?
What education or degrees do I need to become an Aerospace Engineer?

How Long Does it Take to Become an Aerospace Engineer?

Where do Aerospace Engineers Work?

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those interested in being an Aerospace Engineer may also be interested in:
References:
Image Credit: Michel Villeneuve via Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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