ARE COMANIES HIRING ANY ENTRY LEVEL ENGINEERS

[sdsurfer]

Hi , i have a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and i can't find a job, everyone wants years of experience and security clearances, any suggestions would be helpful

 

[SWComposites]

Companies are always looking for stress analysts and structural designers. Where having you been looking and at which companies? For what type of jobs? Did you just graduate? Did you interview on campus? Try checking your spelling and don't type in all caps.

 

[wes616]

I guess it depends on what you are doing. We (commercial a/c interiors) just hired a new college grad.

Wes C.
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Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
they found them stuffed with explosions...
[/i]

 

[aeromatt]

Watch for the CEV contract to be awarded and look for ULA to get started. The big companies like LM, Boeing, Northrop, etc. have been know to need hundreds of engineers at any given time. The smaller companies will be very difficult to get started with because they don't have the resources to train you. The big companies look great on the resume because everyone has heard of them...

Don't get discouraged, the aero industry has not been this hot for 20 years - you'll find something.

 

[IRstuff]

It really depends on the state of the economy and the individual companies. Raytheon is in the midst of a relatively large reduction in force (RIF) in Southern California, but the economy is still pretty good, so other companies are picking up the slack.

In general, employment is relatively zero-sum stacked against economical growth in the sense that one company's loss is another's gain.

TTFN

 

[pyro]

The DoD is hiring if you're able to obtain a min Secret clearance. The command I work for has been consistently hiring around 75-100 new engineers/scientists per year for the past six years to compensate for our attrition rate and brain drain. The military sector has a huge gap in age levels due to hiring freezes in the 90s so the workforce is very top-heavy.

 

[whalesA3D]

What type of engineering position are you looking for? Design, R&D, Repair, Composites, Airline, Repair Station etc. What part of the country do you want to work in? If you are a recent college grad, unless you have an A&P or previous "hands on" experience then you have got a lot to learn. Unless things have changed, they don't teach repair in school. You are going to need to learn and speak fluent fasteners, sheet metal basics, composite technology, metal bonding, welding, material substitutions, tooling, learn to read and understand aircraft drawings, service bulletins, AD's, parts list, aircraft component configurations, learn how to design and substantiate repairs and the list goes on. Don't get discouraged, everybody here started at the bottom and worked their way up. You might want to consider a local repair station where you can learn some of what I listed. You will have to anyway sooner or later unless you want to stick with a clean sheet of paper for a job. The bad thing about this profession is it is feast or famine and when one door shuts if you are multi talented it's not that hard to find a job "somewhere". Good luck to you and welcome to the club.

 

[wes616]

This is just a general comment... as I was in this same position when i graduated from college...

Most college grads believe (and hold out for) work at a prime contractor, and they all think they should be part of the design team of the next B-6000 bomber fighter super plane (i know because i did)... so while WhalesA3D's idea to look for a job at a repair station is a great idea, most college grads would not think that designing repairs is "real" engineering (whatever that means)... I wonder if it's the schools that create this mentality, or if it's just the type of person that is attracted to aerospace....

Wes C.
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Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
they found them stuffed with explosions...
[/i]

 

[sdsurfer]

Thank you guys for the replies. I graduated with a B.S A.E specialty in aicraft structures (FEA, Composites, etc...). I always tought that most aero jobs are in the field of structures (i even taught my self Nastran/Ansys a little). My biggest problem is with the companies' websites like LM, Northrup, Boeing. They just want you to drop /apply for a position and wait for months for the phone call. Does the resume have to be written a certain way, i am even thinking of investing 200 dollars which i don't have in editing my resume. what do you guys think would that be a wise move ? or keep applying. your help is very much needed and most appreciated.

 

[prost]

sdsurfer:
First stop is the career counseling dept. at your university. You paid for their help, might as well make good use of their help. They'll give you lots of good advice about resumes, and be able to help you polish your resumes and cover letters; they'll also have lots of information about the companies you'll want to target (never go into an interview 'blind', knowing nothing about a company).

Hats off to you compositestress for going the extra mile for sdsurfer--it might not work out, but sounds like you are at least giving sdsurfer a shot!

 

[SWComposites]

Contact Hexcel Structures in Kent, WA. They need structures engineers.

Did you do on campus interviews? Did you get any offers or on-site interviews from them? The University placement office should be able to provide lots of free help with resumes, job searches, setting up interviews, etc.

Are you a US citizen? If not you may have a lot more trouble finding a job in an aerospace company.

 

[BoeingJets]

In the airline industry there are a variety of engineering jobs including Powerplant, Systems, Structures, Avionics, Interiors, Performance, Reliability, and Fleet Operations. Airlines such as Continental, Southwest, Jet Blue, American, and Alaska all have openings. If you love being around airplanes in a maintenance/operations environment and flying for free it is a fantastic job. However if you are hoping to do specialized research, development, design, or analysis then an airline might not be the best fit.

 

[aerodog]

Cessna in Wichita is hiring - not much surfing on the prairie.

Gulfstream in Savannah is hiring - You could try surfing on the Savannah River behind the container ships coming up river.

 

[YoungTurk]

Having recently navigated the same troubled waters, I'll pile my opinion on, though all of the above comments are spot on.

I graduated with a BS in Mechanics from a respected aerospace program. This was in 2003 when the industry was pretty low, and I couldn't get any of the major players (Boeing, etc.) to give me the time of day. This was exacerbated because I hadn't interned anywhere. Once I was thoroughly broke, I humbled myself and took a run of the mill research engineering job. Two and half years later that job petered out and I re-entered the job market.

I was surprised to find that many of the smaller aerospace players are hiring, even here in the midwest. With some basic engineering experience to discuss in an interview and solid education background, I found a good entry level aero stress job (interiors), and thats just the right place for me. There really is a TON to learn. I often wonder why that respected aerospace program I went to never mentioned Bruhn or Niu, for example.

So, to make a long story (somewhat) short,
-Stick with it, and don't be afraid to take a non-aero job where you can gain some applicable experience
-Use your college's career service, as mentioned. Those career fairs are hell, but thats what did the trick for me.
-Check with the smaller companies. You won't find these jobs on Monster.com so get to the career fairs or get out the yellow pages and start calling.
-I must've sent out my resume online 1000 times, with barely any response. One face to face meeting at a career fair and a good resume landed me an interview, and a job.

 

[unclesyd]

Here is a company that is supposed to really grow in the next few years.

http://www.eclipseaviation.com/about_eclipse/hot_jobs/

 

[ewh]

There is much I can say about a certain employer mentioned here, but let it suffice to say that there is good money working in very stressful situations.

 

[benjineer]

sdsurfer could you give me some insightinto pursueing my aircraft engineering degree. I am just starting my first year in college. I am also "from" s.d. Ha HA

 

[aeio540]

I'm an AE Major currently and to be honest, I'll take whatever I can get. I don't expect to be head of Boeing but to e honest, you have to start somewhere, which turns out is true of all jobs. I think it is similar to doctors. I've known doctors who make a ton of money. Others that have just gotten out of med school are workin' at your local county hospital and doing patch up jobs here and there.

 

[wes616]

Aieo540;

I had to laugh when reading your post. In some ways you have things very right...

... but understand that we all make choices based on our person... and that doctor that you may think is Rich, actually has very little net worth, while the one doing "patch up jobs" may lead a fullfilled life (and statistically speaking is probablly the wealthier of the two doctors).

Make your choices in life based on who you are as a person, not what you think will be the best (read most exciting / powerful / career) because you'll never know what the future may hold, but you probablly have an inkeling of self awareness and understanding of what will make you (personally) fullfilled.

Good luck!

Wes C.
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