Engineering career change research - Phase 1
January 1, 2016 9:11 PM Subscribe
EE working in Naval Nuclear Power seeks a foot in the door of the Aerospace Industry. I've got no network in this industry. Would like to develop one. Not sure how. Is this even possible?
Do I have to go back to college? If so, what would that look like?
I'm 31, male, and free of familial obligations. 36k left in student debt. 31k in savings.
I struggled mightily through college. But I finished! Ended up with a 2.8 GPA, but I finished. That was a BS in EE.
I was lucky enough to pick up an offer working for DoD. They were hiring up all engineering disciplines. They took me in and trained me to operate and maintain nuclear power plants. That was almost 5 years ago. I've been doing that since. I'm pretty good at it.
This job has taught me a lot of valuable skills that I think would translate quite well to the aerospace industry. I understand that that industry may be in a bit of a difficult time currently, but I'm not so concerned with that.
How would one proceed getting a foot in the door of another engineering industry like that? In college, I don't think it'd be too hard. Out of college, does not seem so simple.
If more college is required, what would that look like for someone with my background/circumstances?
I'm 31, male, and free of familial obligations. 36k left in student debt. 31k in savings.
I struggled mightily through college. But I finished! Ended up with a 2.8 GPA, but I finished. That was a BS in EE.
I was lucky enough to pick up an offer working for DoD. They were hiring up all engineering disciplines. They took me in and trained me to operate and maintain nuclear power plants. That was almost 5 years ago. I've been doing that since. I'm pretty good at it.
This job has taught me a lot of valuable skills that I think would translate quite well to the aerospace industry. I understand that that industry may be in a bit of a difficult time currently, but I'm not so concerned with that.
How would one proceed getting a foot in the door of another engineering industry like that? In college, I don't think it'd be too hard. Out of college, does not seem so simple.
If more college is required, what would that look like for someone with my background/circumstances?
Response by poster: I do have a security clearance, yes.
posted by Team of Scientists at 9:25 PM on January 1, 2016
posted by Team of Scientists at 9:25 PM on January 1, 2016
Active duty or shipyard? It kind of sounds like you're a 2340 STE. I don't know how you'd transition to aerospace from a shipyard, nothing really matches very well. But I'd think most other engineering fields would be a little easier if you could get into one of the other 2300 codes or even non-nuke engineering first. At least then you could claim some experience that didn't sound so NNPP-specific, working on facilities and stuff.
posted by ctmf at 9:56 PM on January 1, 2016
posted by ctmf at 9:56 PM on January 1, 2016
You have a BS in EE and military experience? You're ABSOLUTELY qualified for jobs at defense contractors. Don't go back to school.
The only problem, as you said, is that the industry is in a down cycle right now. But you should be able to get something if you apply enough places. Where are you? Can you move to a major defense contracting hub?
posted by miyabo at 10:06 PM on January 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
The only problem, as you said, is that the industry is in a down cycle right now. But you should be able to get something if you apply enough places. Where are you? Can you move to a major defense contracting hub?
posted by miyabo at 10:06 PM on January 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I am free to move around a bit. Would that help?
posted by Team of Scientists at 11:52 PM on January 1, 2016
posted by Team of Scientists at 11:52 PM on January 1, 2016
Response by poster: Help in a job search, I mean. I was thinking a remote job search would be a viable option. What can I get out of being local?
posted by Team of Scientists at 11:54 PM on January 1, 2016
posted by Team of Scientists at 11:54 PM on January 1, 2016
One thing you can do, if cost isn't a big factor, is go to a conference in an aerospace or EE related field where there are lots of defense contractors in attendance. AIAA and NDIA host various conferences all the time in different regions, which I have found from my experience, are excellent networking opportunities. Contractors generally like hiring government people. I also second the suggestion that you don't need to go back to school. Best of luck!
posted by incolorinred at 11:02 AM on January 2, 2016
posted by incolorinred at 11:02 AM on January 2, 2016
Raytheon in Tucson is hiring a ton of EEs right now for aerospace stuff. They do extensive relocation for people to move to Tucson because there's not a lot of local talent. If you have a security clearance I think you'll be a shoe in. A lot of EEs being trained right now are foreign nationals who can have more difficulty getting clearance, so it's a big deal to have it already. If you have questions about living in Tucson feel free to memail me.
posted by permiechickie at 11:30 AM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by permiechickie at 11:30 AM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
http://www.spacex.com/careers/list
There's been some discussions of the hiring process on Reddit.
posted by Sophont at 10:34 PM on January 2, 2016
There's been some discussions of the hiring process on Reddit.
posted by Sophont at 10:34 PM on January 2, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by yarntheory at 9:24 PM on January 1, 2016