23 Key Attributes Aerospace Engineers Need To Succeed In Their Career

by Ava Rodriguez

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Aerospace engineers perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. They may also conduct basic and applied research to evaluate adaptability of materials and equipment to aircraft design and manufacture. They may also recommend improvements in testing equipment and techniques.

The core tasks that aerospace engineers are likely to carry out include:

Direct or coordinate activities of engineering or technical personnel involved in designing, fabricating, modifying, or testing of aircraft or aerospace products.
Formulate conceptual design of aeronautical or aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements.
Plan or coordinate activities concerned with investigating and resolving customers' reports of technical problems with aircraft or aerospace vehicles.
Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment.
Analyze project requests, proposals, or engineering data to determine feasibility, productibility, cost, or production time of aerospace or aeronautical products.
Evaluate product data and design from inspections and reports for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, and quality standards.

In order to successfully forge ahead with their careers, analysts in a survey carried out by U.S. Department of Labor (via O*NET) have marked out the following as important attributes that aerospace engineers would need. These attributes have been selected from characteristics and requirements strongly associated with the occupation. They are

Abilities: Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance
Interests: Preferences for work environments. Occupational Interest Profiles (OIPs) are compatible with Holland's (1985, 1997) model of personality types and work environments. Six interest categories are used to describe the work environment of occupations: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. An OIP consists of six numerical scores indicating how descriptive and characteristic each work environment (or interest area) is for an occupation
Knowledge: Organized sets of principles and facts applying in general domains
Skills: These include basic skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate learning or the more rapid acquisition of knowledge. Plus cross-functional skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate performance of activities that occur across jobs
Style: Personal characteristics that can affect how well someone performs a job

We have listed out attributes which were scored 80% or more in terms of importance by the analysts.

Having a strong preference for investigative work environments. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 100%

Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 93.2%

Being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 92.8%

Being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 90.2%

Analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 90%

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 88.8%

Persistence in the face of obstacles.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 88.8%

Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 88.4%

Creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 88.4%

A willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 88%

Establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 87.4%

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 86%

Being honest and ethical.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 86%

Being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 85.4%

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 84.2%

Accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 83.2%

Being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 82.8%

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 82.4%

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 82.4%

Having a strong preference for realistic work environments. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 81%

A willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 81%

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 80%

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 80%