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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is a great thread, very interesting. Any advice from the engineers here on your thoughts between a mechanical engineering focus vs an aero focus? My son will soon begin his second semester and will need to make this decision somewhat soon. He’s in a general first-year engineering program now, which is where all Eng students start at his school. He’s really unsure which way to go. Both are very popular and hard to get into at his school, but he should have a shot at either hopefully. And he’s interested in both, so he’s trying to weigh the pros, cons, etc and will spend some time talking to his Advisor. But I thought I’d throw the question out here.

And a note to those asking about engineering and difficulty - it’s tough. My son did really well his first semester (he’s at Purdue), but it was with A LOT of work. I assume it will only get more difficult! One thing I will say is that he felt very prepared and felt his NoVA HS did a good job getting him ready. [/quote]

I am an ME who worked (briefly) in the aero industry. In general, I recommend sticking to one of the main branches of engineering for undergraduate: civil, mechanical, electrical, materials/metallurgy and maybe chemical and industrial, and specialize in a more niche discipline (e.g., aero, nuclear, petroleum, ocean) for masters. The aero industry is extremely dependent on the government expenditures, which results in boom-and-bust cycles (more bust than boom). I joined the aero industry in late 1980s, and there was a massive contraction in employment in 1991-1992 ("the peace dividend"). A lot of mid- to late-career engineers were laid off. Having a ME degree allowed me to pivot to a different industry.

Now, if the degree is officially in mechanical engineering with an aero focus, that is OK. That usually means taking a few electives in aero senior year. If the degree is in aero, then there won't be room to cover all the foundational ME disciplines. Compare the mechanical versus aero curricula in schools with both majors (e.g., MIT, Texas A&M and UT Austin are the ones I am familiar with). People will say an aero can do most of what an ME does, which is true; however, I believe that having the ME designation helped me 1991-1992 when there were a lot of out-of-work engineers. I know of a few non-aero employers who do not like hiring aeros because they think, rightly or wrongly, that the aeros will go back to their industry when the times pick up.

[/quote]

I’m in aero and the 1990s bust was because the USSR went away. Nobody in my company thinks China is going to go away like that. We are expecting 20 years or more of strong demand. Only wild card would be if the US collapses like the USSR did.[/quote]

Then again, no one thought in 1988 that USSR was going to go away either.[/quote]

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