There I was, standing before a rocket launch site. The anxiety that I was feeling skyrocketed when I heard my teacher say “3, 2, 1,” WHOOSH!
My rocket reached an altitude of approximately 500 feet. I calculated this height shortly after the flight using math. Unfortunately, my rocket did not survive in one piece. Following the takeoff, it spiraled up awkwardly causing the nose cone to detach from the body. But I took this as a learning opportunity. As I see it, error offers one of the best chances to learn. It’s this lesson and so much more that makes me interested in aerospace engineering.
While I’m young, I believe that my interest in aerospace has pushed me in so many positive directions. It’s this message that I want to share with you. Personally, I don’t think enough students consider aerospace as a career. My hope is to change that by introducing you to much of what aerospace has to offer for students.
What is Aerospace?
Aerospace is a field that involves the sciences of the Earth’s upper atmosphere … and beyond. It’s composed of two subfields: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering.
The terms sound similar, but there’s a difference. Aeronautical engineering involves the study and exploration of Earth’s lower atmosphere and mid to upper atmosphere, while astronautical engineering focuses mainly on the exploration and study of the upper atmosphere and beyond.
What Makes Aerospace So Interesting?
Exploring Many Sides of Innovation and Technology
Within aerospace, you can find lots of different pursuits that may interest you. For example, aerospace is connected to software engineering, hardware engineering, mechanical engineering, and even chemistry.
Interestingly, major organizations like NASA and Boeing often look for skilled workers who have knowledge of all these areas because it’s necessary for understanding the environment within which projects will take place.
Exploration and Mystery
Since aerospace is such a wide field, you can also find areas that involve exploration and adventure. What I’ve learned is that humanity has only gone so far and there’s so much more to go. In fact, we have not even explored all the depths of our own planet yet! This is what makes the outer space realm so intriguing. There are infinite possibilities as to what is out there!
A Challenging Career
Being an aerospace engineer requires dedication to education and research. But, the challenge is worth it in my opinion. For anyone searching for a job that isn’t boring, aerospace is likely a good fit. It involves lots of thinking, rethinking, and a precise understanding of what you are working with and the science behind it. Since we don’t know everything there is to know about the field, you can test ideas, understand why they may not work at first, and then improve what you’ve created.
Because of this, aerospace is good for those who look for challenges. It’s really a field where you have the opportunity to discover the mysteries of our planet and beyond.
For Students, Aerospace Pushes You Toward Success Beyond the Classroom
I can honestly say that my interest in aerospace engineering has allowed me to learn many important lessons outside of the school classroom. There are so many ways that this has helped me.
Skill Building
At the end of the last school year. I approached my principal about starting my school’s first aerospace engineering club. To get started, I asked many of my peers to sign a petition of support to make it happen. Students were initially reluctant, but after sharing the cool things they’d learn, I got dozens of signatures.
Pursuing this initiative has helped me develop my leadership and organization skills. I’ve had to meet deadlines, organize people, and work with administration at my school. All of this has taken a lot of planning and I will continue to work to see it grow.
Creating Goals and Planning
I’ve also investigated what it takes to become an aerospace engineer, which has helped my planning and goal setting skills. Aerospace is a demanding field. To get into university programs that relate to it is difficult and requires a lot of proactive thinking. While researching aerospace programs, I’ve noticed that you must be successful in academics, extracurricular programs, and you have to demonstrate a personal drive to succeed.
Competitions / Competing and Events
Of course, one of the best learning grounds outside of the classroom is competitions. For me, competing in different events like rocket building competitions pushed me to learn more than I would for something like a test. In these environments, students look for ways to gain even a slight edge and it’s science that helps them get there. It’s really a great opportunity to learn while having fun.
At the same time, you get to meet new people. You get to collaborate and interact with people who might share the same interests and you can even construct a small community of peers that you can work on projects with in the future. I’ve learned a lot about how others approach problems and I’ve had great conversations doing so.
Time Management / Success Skills
Balancing school projects with events/clubs also helps build time management strategies. I know this isn’t unique to aerospace engineering, but it’s an important point. If you want to be successful, it is necessary that you manage and organize your schedule well. In any process, you must take small steps to help you accomplish large tasks. This is especially true when you have assignments and tests piling up at school and you can’t really afford to spend endless time on any one project.
Conclusion
Aerospace engineering is an exciting field to be a part of. It’s challenging, interesting, and full of potential discovery. I encourage more students to research it and join the community. See you there!
About The Author
Daanyal M. is a high school student and aspiring aerospace engineer. He founded his school’s Rocketry Club and started a software development business. Off the clock, he’s on the basketball court, aiming to dunk one day.