Top 5 Aerospace Jobs

You should have been born with wings, your friends always said. Jobs in aerospace let you take to the skies — or at least design the craft that do. Whether a hands-on job designing and creating humankind’s flying machines appeals to you, or you prefer to tackle the logical thinking portion of getting large metal contraptions off the ground, these top five jobs in aerospace will leave your mind soaring with potential career possibilities.

1. Aerospace Engineer — Airplanes, space shuttles — nothing is too tricky for you to build. Your job is threefold: designing the product, creating it, and testing it. Some days are spent in your office, poring over blueprints and equations, while others find you in the field, watching the latest plane you designed take off for the first time.

2. Aviation Safety Inspector — A malfunction in a plane can lead to disastrous results. Your detailed knowledge of how planes work lets you check each aircraft before takeoff to ensure that it’s in proper working order. If you find problems, you note them in your report and flag a maintenance crew to whip that plane into shape again.

3. Aerospace Products and Parts Manufacturer — Strong and durable yet light and flexible — that’s the description of an airplane’s parts. Staying airborne with hundreds of people inside is one of the astounding things about planes. As an Aerospace Products and Parts Manufacturer, you work on the assembly line, crafting each part of the plane’s skeleton to exact specifications.

4. Aerospace Auditor — The watchdogs of the aerospace field, Aerospace Auditors see that companies follow all safety and legal guidelines. It’s not just about playing by the rules; it’s about ensuring the safety of all who fly on a company’s planes.

5. Aerospace Computer Scientist — Computer science jobs in aerospace offer a diverse range of opportunities. If you enjoy designing games, you might find work creating flight simulators for soon-to-be Pilots. If programming is more your style, you could develop the software the Air Traffic Controllers use to direct planes into the runway. Thanks to the complex technology that planes rely on to function, your skills are always in high demand.