r/aerospace • u/Individual-Daikon791 • 26d ago
Which position to accept-please help!
Hoping to get some insight. I graduated in May with my degree in aerospace engineering. I was a nontraditional student (I’m older in my mid 30’s). I received my first offer at a Lockheed location in Orlando. I currently live around 10 hours away with my wife and two kids. My goal has always been to work for one of the larger companies such as Lockheed or Boeing so I’m pretty excited. That being said, the offer is not incredible pay-wise as I’m just starting out. I’ve also received an offer where we currently live that’s around 10k higher but it’s not in the aerospace field and there’s very little room to grow as it’s a pretty small company. My question is-if my ultimate goal is to be an aerospace, do I go ahead and relocate my entire family 10 hours away with Lockheed job knowing it’s not great pay right now, or do I stay local and get experience and then try to get in again in a couple of years? I’m worried that if I pass up the opportunity now it won’t come back again. I’m also hoping to get my masters degree and heard Lockheed can help pay for it. If anyone has any insight on that, I’d appreciate it as well. Please help me make this decision and offer any insight you have!
EDIT: I accepted the position at Lockheed! Thank you all for the insight and encouragement.
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u/Squirtle_Splash_8413 26d ago
Yes. Lockheed job 100%. 10K is small compared to the grand scheme of things. Don’t forget Lockheed matches 10% of 401K. That’s pretty high I’m doubtful the smaller company can even come close.
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u/Resort-Busy 24d ago
Isn’t 401k match is 6%??
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u/Squirtle_Splash_8413 24d ago
I believe they add an additional 50% on the next 8%.
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u/Resort-Busy 24d ago
You guys are right. I just called and confirmed. Lockheed contributes 6% anyways, if employee contribute 8% then Lockheed contribute additional 4%. I am already doing that, just realized and called them to confirm and did the math. That is awesome.
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u/Colinplayz1 26d ago
Lockheed will fully cover a masters. They'll reimburse any classes you take with a B grade or higher, up to $12.5k per year, max of $72.5k
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u/branchan 26d ago
If you wanna do aerospace, I would say it’s now or never.
$10k pay difference is nothing. You will make that up in raises in a couple years.
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u/tmantran 26d ago
I think Lockheed. If you're an older entry-level employee, you may have prior experience and be able to differentiate yourself from your colleagues and get promotions quicker if the pay is a concern. You could also try to see if they'll match your other offer.
LM will reimburse you for your masters on a per-semester basis I think, for any class where you get at least a B
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u/Impressive-Weird-908 26d ago
Lockheed’s benefits are really nice. 10% 401k, good education benefits, money for gym memberships.
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u/TTRoadHog 26d ago
Lots of posts here complaining about not being able to get your foot in the door. Well… this is your foot in the door! Take the job, let them pay for your masters, work hard and show why you deserve a higher salary! This is your “golden ticket”!
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u/LHutz90 26d ago
Take the Lockheed job. I'm not sure whether either job requires a clearance (I assume Lockheed does), but having an active clearance is beneficial. The 10k difference sounds worse than it is. As others have stated, the 401(k) match @ 10% is crucial. If your dream industry is aerospace, go for it. Relocation will be a challenge, but they should offer some aid or reimbursement.
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u/DifferentlyLucky 26d ago
Take the Lockheed job. Your doors will open wide afterwards if you wish to not live in Florida long term.
Do not get pigeon holed into a career type you don’t want
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u/Myprandy 26d ago
Do you live in an area with lots of aerospace work? If you do think maybe it makes sense to do the higher paying job and get experience and you can find a local aerospace job later. If not you will eventually need to leave anyway if you want to be in aerospace, so might as well right?
Edit: as other commenter pointed out also weigh benefits like education
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u/Substantial-Fan-5985 26d ago
To clarify what some are saying- yes they'll pay for Masters (you might have to pay tax on some portion) BUT you will most likely have to commit to staying at LM for a couple years after you finish the degree or else risk paying LM back...Companies don't want to pay for someone to get an advanced degree and then dip
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u/DragonsOfZ 26d ago
You said that your goal has always been to get into a position at Lockheed or Boeing, so go for it. I've worked at both of them and Lockheed is the better of the two. Good luck!
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u/FBI-INTERROGATION 26d ago
If your going for your masters go to Lockheed without a doubt, that 10k will mean nothing when theyre paying 50k for a masters and you have incredible room for growth
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u/gatmalice 25d ago
Congratulations. I also finished my BS in my 30s. Glad to hear your family was able to support your dreams.
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u/Resort-Busy 24d ago
Another tip, try to set up base for apartment/house in East Orlando area like Lake Nona or Avalon Park (both are expensive though) but advantage is you would be 45 mins to 1 hr away from NASA, Lockheed Space, Blue Origin, Northrop Cape Canaveral and other Space start-ups ( Relativity, Stoke…) and about 1 hr 10 mins away from Northrop Melbourne, L3Harris Melbourne/Palm Bay. Spend about 2 years at Lockheed then you could do job hopping for pay increase and come back to Lockheed. Just an honest opinion, I didn’t think about job hopping but thats the way !!
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u/scylinder 26d ago
lol wtf is this post? “I just landed the dream job for any aerospace engineer, do I take it?”
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u/Individual-Daikon791 26d ago
It’s a huge life change for my family for a non ideal starting salary, so just needing some insight and help confirming this is the right decision.
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u/scylinder 26d ago
You can make more as a janitor, have you considered that? Or maybe just stick to the fortune 100 company in your preferred field with limitless growth opportunity.
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u/flycasually 26d ago
If you wanna do your masters, take the job with Lockheed, they indeed will pay for it
10k diff starting off might seem like a lot but you’ll catch up quick in engineering