There are plenty of satisfying computer science jobs in the aerospace industry. While most people associate the aerospace industry with NASA and space exploration, there are many other career opportunities available. Continue reading to learn how your computer science major can get you a coveted aerospace job.
NASA Jobs
NASA began in the early 1960’s as the U.S. government’s official science and technology solution to air and space research. Most people don’t know, but there are actually 10 NASA centers located across the U.S. that employ over 18,000 people. Almost all jobs at NASA need a computer science background. According to NASA, 60 percent of their jobs fall within the engineering and scientific fields. This actually includes biology and meteorology jobs, both which heavily rely on computer science. Additionally, 24 percent of NASA jobs are administrative or management based, such as IT Specialist. Therefore, anyone interested in working in IT within the aerospace industry can work for NASA.
Aerospace Operations Technicians
These professionals use their engineering insight to operate and fix aircraft and spacecraft. This involves working with aerospace engineers to perform highly complex calibrations and tests. For example, they might install the equipment to be tested and record the test data. Every day, aerospace operations technicians use advanced computer software programs to run computer simulations to test out new designs. Computer simulations are becoming the new standard for testing designs because they are cheaper and provide real-time data. In fact, one of the newest specializations is 3D printing, which is a form of additive manufacturing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), aerospace operations technicians work in either private labs or manufacturing facilities. Actually, many are employed in electronic instrument manufacturing or engineering service facilities. These computer science jobs in the aerospace industry fully rely on computer science for all aspects of their work tasks.
Aerospace Engineers
Aerospace engineers are the backbone of the aerospace industry. Their primary function is to design, manufacture and test aircraft and aerospace parts and products. They could help create satellites, missiles or even spacecraft. As part of this, they oversee every stage of the production process. An aerospace engineer would most likely specialize in a specific process or technical area. For example, they might evaluate designs for engineering safety, redesign a part per the customer specifications or even troubleshoot malfunctioning parts to identify quality improvement opportunities. Aerospace engineers work in both the public and private sector. While everyone is familiar with the iconic NASA program, many aerospace engineers work for private manufacturers or national defense companies.
Military Jobs
Anyone wanting to apply their computer science skills to the field of aerospace will find many exciting career opportunities within the branches of the U.S. military. Aerospace researchers and engineers help build, maintain and create new aircrafts, launch vehicles and air and surface missiles. In addition to this, there are enormous amounts of tools and equipment needed to keep all of this going. For example, a military aerospace career might involve working with GPS, homing and missile guidance systems. On the other hand, it could also involve working on earth-orbiting satellites that broadcast secret military information.
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In the end, the aerospace industry offers diverse computer science jobs. For example, this could include anything from meteorology to aircraft design to parts testing. Don’t forget that computer science jobs in the aerospace industry aren’t just limited to working for the government, but also involve many major private companies.
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