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Alamo Colleges DistrictCareer Explorer

Aerospace Engineers

Part of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, in the Engineering and Technology pathway.

Bright outlookJob zone 4: considerable preparationO*NET 17-2011.00

What the work is

Perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. May conduct basic and applied research to evaluate adaptability of materials and equipment to aircraft design and manufacture. May recommend improvements in testing equipment and techniques.

On a typical day

  • Direct or coordinate activities of engineering or technical personnel involved in designing, fabricating, modifying, or testing of aircraft or aerospace products.
  • Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment.
  • Formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements.
  • Write technical reports or other documentation, such as handbooks or bulletins, for use by engineering staff, management, or customers.
  • Analyze project requests, proposals, or engineering data to determine feasibility, productibility, cost, or production time of aerospace or aeronautical products.
  • Plan or coordinate investigation and resolution of customers' reports of technical problems with aircraft or aerospace vehicles.

What it pays

$128,400
Median pay per year, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro
New workers start near $87,980
Experienced workers reach $178,400
  1. $88k10th
  2. $102k25th
  3. $128kMedian
  4. $159k75th
  5. $178k90th
Wage percentiles: 10th $87,980, 25th $101,950, Median $128,400, 75th $159,150, 90th $178,400

About 300 people do this job in the San Antonio area.

Job outlook

Alamo region (Bexar and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034. U.S. figures from the BLS for comparison.

+9.4%

employment change in the Alamo region, 382 to 418 jobs · U.S. +6%

26

openings a year in the Alamo region, from growth and people leaving · U.S. 4,500

382

employed in the Alamo region in 2024 · U.S. 71,600

Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree

Skills this career uses

The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.

  1. Critical Thinking4.6
  2. Science5.1
  3. Reading Comprehension5.0
  4. Operations Analysis5.0
  5. Mathematics4.8
  6. Writing4.5
  7. Speaking4.3
  8. Complex Problem Solving4.3

Education people in this job have

Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.

  1. Associate degree8%
  2. Bachelor's degree59%
  3. Master's degree33%

Job zone 4, considerable preparation: Usually a bachelor's degree, sometimes a strong associate plus experience.

Alamo programs that lead here

No Alamo program is mapped to this career yet. Many careers start from a transfer pre-major or a related program.

Browse all programs

Does this fit you?

Six questions rank every career here by how closely its interest profile follows yours.

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