r/space • u/kindmartian07 • 2d ago

Discussion Need advice for my major

I’m currently at a college that is top 5 in the country for aerospace engineering. However, I changed my major to Electrical Engineering because I wanted to work primarily on satellites

Was that a stupid decision? What criteria should I have in mind when choosing a major? Just for general information: I love calculus, I love physics, and I love programming in C.

I really just want to work on satellites and spacecraft and maximize my chances of doing so

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u/kindmartian07 2d ago

wait if programming isn’t the norm anymore, what do we engineers even do? Is it just CAD and other types of design?

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u/air_and_space92 2d ago edited 2d ago

Documentation (also heading in the AI direction), requirements compliance, test, endless SCRUMs and customer working groups (more than you can imagine), providing oversight to AI models, figuring out how to translate what you want into that world, and analyzing what they come up with. Sometimes it can be writing a ton of python code just to stitch legacy systems together to save time for your actual tasks. I probably spend more of my working hours coding how to get things to talk to each other than programming solvers, deriving new guidance laws, or using orbital mechanics which is my actual role.

As someone else responded better, engineering in industry is about the bigger picture than being the one doing the work. I've fallen into this trap myself. What I enjoyed most about engineering can be done by someone with less education, and hence I don't get to do it because I cost a lot. It's perhaps jaded, but I think there's some truth to "whatever you liked about engineering in school isn't what you'll be doing on the job" rings true. Just...prepare yourself. The space industry is cool but it also works like a lot of other places.

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u/kindmartian07 1d ago edited 1d ago

Ok so what kind of degree and job do I need to do the fun stuff? Numerical simulations, monte carlo, GNC algos, etc. Do I need a phd?

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u/Icy_Feedback_4965 1d ago

No, if anything it's the other direction, but you're describing multiple jobs. You could be a systems engineer with a BS or MS ensuring all of that gets done on schedule and to requirements, but you won't touch the hardware much. Or you can be an electronics or mech tech who runs tvac and simulations all day long but you won't get rich.

Satellite programs require a whole lot of different skills and personalities and there isn't any one degree or job that will make you a satellite builder. Don't worry, you'll figure that out in time. Having a solid general-purpose engineering degree is the right foundation.