Aerospace Engineering: What does It Entail?

[vincentlyx]

yeap it is one of the ranking criteria

not sure wat is the situation over at SMU and NUS side...

my personal feel is that NTU is shifting away from being a teaching and learning institute to become a research institute (at least for the engineering side). I not sure if any of you share this sentimental: NTU longer is a premier engineering institute in singapore but more of a premier business institute (NBS). I am sure that our focus will shift again once the medical school is setup, likewise with the establishment of the fourth uni.

haiz... should have quit school and go over to UniSim... it only takes me 2yrs to get the degree and the accreditation.

wondering if any of the Aero Grads this yr will be boycotting the convocation, just like what happen last yr.

 

[gohweihan]

yeap it is one of the ranking criteria

not sure wat is the situation over at SMU and NUS side...

my personal feel is that NTU is shifting away from being a teaching and learning institute to become a research institute (at least for the engineering side). I not sure if any of you share this sentimental: NTU longer is a premier engineering institute in singapore but more of a premier business institute (NBS). I am sure that our focus will shift again once the medical school is setup, likewise with the establishment of the fourth uni.

haiz... should have quit school and go over to UniSim... it only takes me 2yrs to get the degree and the accreditation.

wondering if any of the Aero Grads this yr will be boycotting the convocation, just like what happen last yr.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but am I right to say that the AE course here is geared more towards the maintenance aspect and not the designing aspect?

Also, I think it's no secret that NTU is in fact focusing a lot on research. One consequence of that is like what lots of us here said, that those who can teach but publish little gets axed.

But I think we have to look at the global aspect as well. Fundamentally, man's achievement in the various fields of engineering had surpassed it's capacity to be taught at undergraduate level. Most of the research output nowadays are not those that you would learn in classes.

In the past, universities can do research and still teach well because the gap is not that huge. But as research outputs gets greater, while the capacity of undergraduate courses stays constant, it's not hard to see why we don't get to learn the state of the art. Simply, there's too much state of the art to learn.

Ultimately, I think there would be a divergence in undergraduate and research tracks. We'll probably have one track for teaching the young minds, while another track to discover new things.

Anyway, what's with the AE graduates boycotting convocation?

 

[Selendis]

yeap it is one of the ranking criteria

not sure wat is the situation over at SMU and NUS side...

my personal feel is that NTU is shifting away from being a teaching and learning institute to become a research institute (at least for the engineering side). I not sure if any of you share this sentimental: NTU longer is a premier engineering institute in singapore but more of a premier business institute (NBS). I am sure that our focus will shift again once the medical school is setup, likewise with the establishment of the fourth uni.

haiz... should have quit school and go over to UniSim... it only takes me 2yrs to get the degree and the accreditation.

wondering if any of the Aero Grads this yr will be boycotting the convocation, just like what happen last yr.

They boycotted the convocation? What was their justification?

 

[vincentlyx]

yeap.. SUPPOSED to be towards the maintenance aspects.. MRO - maintenance repair and overhaul.. but thats not e case for now... the curriculum is definitely more for research and design aspects.

erm i dunno the exact details for the boycott la.. juz heard from senior..

aniway the publicity for this course is rather irony also... u can visit the MAE website... 1st Class Aero Grad in some banking industry. Heard this applies to many others also, majority din go into aero industry..

u all remb the person who Ris Low accuse of back stabbing her? Claire? she was from Aero also... now in some finance industry also...

 

[gohweihan]

yeap.. SUPPOSED to be towards the maintenance aspects.. MRO - maintenance repair and overhaul.. but thats not e case for now... the curriculum is definitely more for research and design aspects.

erm i dunno the exact details for the boycott la.. juz heard from senior..

aniway the publicity for this course is rather irony also... u can visit the MAE website... 1st Class Aero Grad in some banking industry. Heard this applies to many others also, majority din go into aero industry..

u all remb the person who Ris Low accuse of back stabbing her? Claire? she was from Aero also... now in some finance industry also...

So the curriculum is in line but below par compared to other universities around the world? And at the same time, this curriculum does not supply the required industry skillsets? I guess it sucks then to be in such a situation.

As for graduates from engineering going into banking and finance, you'll be surprised how many actually want to go into that sector in the first place for the pay and glamour. It does makes me wonder how much confidence I have in that sector considering the motive of their joiners.

And if the accusations against Claire are true, I think she'll fit quite nicely in the finance industry. In fact, I think she'll be quite successful there too.

 

[vincentlyx]

actually i dun really much confidence to say that it is IN LINE... it just the feel (personally) that what i have learnt.. doesnt really apply to the MRO industry. the things taught are too theoretical... from the teaching style right down to the books used. I have more confidence in saying that i am more equipped for the future from my poly course rather than my uni course..

i think the engineering schools should do some statistics about where their graduates are going... seems like every other publicity material i see is relating the same thing. Engineering student in a finance industry...


whahaha.. ur last sentence is... dunno how to put it...

 

[kcxdes]

actually i dun really much confidence to say that it is IN LINE... it just the feel (personally) that what i have learnt.. doesnt really apply to the MRO industry. the things taught are too theoretical... from the teaching style right down to the books used. I have more confidence in saying that i am more equipped for the future from my poly course rather than my uni course..

i think the engineering schools should do some statistics about where their graduates are going... seems like every other publicity material i see is relating the same thing. Engineering student in a finance industry...


whahaha.. ur last sentence is... dunno how to put it...

Its quite normal for engineering grads to go into finance industry, i even know of people who enter engineering because they want to work in finance industry but don't qualify for NBS. I even heard of companies who prefer engineering to biz students occasiaonally.

 

[gohweihan]

actually i dun really much confidence to say that it is IN LINE... it just the feel (personally) that what i have learnt.. doesnt really apply to the MRO industry. the things taught are too theoretical... from the teaching style right down to the books used. I have more confidence in saying that i am more equipped for the future from my poly course rather than my uni course..

i think the engineering schools should do some statistics about where their graduates are going... seems like every other publicity material i see is relating the same thing. Engineering student in a finance industry...


whahaha.. ur last sentence is... dunno how to put it...

Well, the schools are just riding on the ambition of students. If they perceive many students as wanting to go into banking and finance after graduation, that's what they'll promote. After all by casting a wider net in recruitment, they have the potential to get better students (grade-wise), nevermind their actual purpose of wanting to study the course.

Another factor is that schools do realize that engineering isn't really bright a future in Singapore. It's not like the United States where engineers could ultimately get tenure in a company. Here, money and prestige (which is the de-facto benchmark of a successful person in Singapore) comes from the corporate world.

Anyway about the last sentence, just saying that people who can play the system (as what the accusations are) would ultimately be able to succeed in the corporate world since most of the time, its not what you know but how you package and present what you know (including the dirty laundry of others) that leads to success.

 

[gohweihan]

Its quite normal for engineering grads to go into finance industry, i even know of people who enter engineering because they want to work in finance industry but don't qualify for NBS. I even heard of companies who prefer engineering to biz students occasiaonally.

Ultimately the question is not whether they want to work in the finance industry, but why.

There's no problem with people really passionate about working in the finance industry and having the knowledge to back it up. But does the system allows for screening of such people? Or would the system survive under such people?

It's a matter of perpetuity. The banking and finance industry strive not by generating commodities, but by using others (people and industry) to grow itself. Ultimately if one traces the activities of the banks and financial institutions, it leads back to entities in industries other than the banking and financial industry. So since they don't have any real items (money is not a real item, it's just a currency of trade), they don't need engineers (in a classical term). But they need people with some knowledge in the engineering field, either to support them (e.g. infrastructure, especially their computer systems) or to identify and manage key areas to grow into. Moreover, it is often perceived that engineers are trained for problem solving, which banks need in order to grow.

The problem comes when these are compared with the real world. Are people hired by banks really possessing good problem solving skills? Are they capable enough of supporting or managing the areas that they are assigned? If yes, then that's good. But if not, then why are some of these people hired? Is it because they can present themselves better than other candidates while hiding their lack of knowledge? And is there a risk of hiring people who can only present but knows little (in our slang, smokers)? Won't these smokers want to maintain their smoke cover and support base by hiring people people whose aim to be in the industry is driven solely by money and prestige (and the corporate ladder)? Obviously there is no proof for all these, which is driven by observation of human behaviour.

Again there's nothing wrong with people wanting to work in the finance industry. The question is why, and are those whys sustainable in the long run for the industry, and the economy in general.

 

[kagaya81]

as a graduate student from NTU, i think i can give u some comment on the 3rd and 4th question.

3) What is the prospect for an aerospace engineering gradute to switch to a non-aerospace engineering, or even non-engineering career, look like?
Actually not really matter. whether u r holding with a mechanical engineering cert or an aerospace engineering cert, the main factor is whether the company wanna hire you or not. some of my frens who are graduated with mechanical engineering cert are also working in aerospace industry. of cos if you graduated from aerospace engineering, you MIGHT have a higher chance to get a job in aerospace industry. for switching to non-engineering career is not a problem also, many students who graduated from engineering course are working as financial consultant, stock trader, real estate agent or other job also. Actually the companies outside just wan to see if u have a degree cert or not, sometimes they really dun care which course you are from .

4) How is the graduate school entrance for the graduates from this course?
As long as you have an honor degree with 1st class or 2nd upper, you can apply for post graduate study already

 

[Selendis]

as a graduate student from NTU, i think i can give u some comment on the 3rd and 4th question.

3) What is the prospect for an aerospace engineering gradute to switch to a non-aerospace engineering, or even non-engineering career, look like?
Actually not really matter. whether u r holding with a mechanical engineering cert or an aerospace engineering cert, the main factor is whether the company wanna hire you or not. some of my frens who are graduated with mechanical engineering cert are also working in aerospace industry. of cos if you graduated from aerospace engineering, you MIGHT have a higher chance to get a job in aerospace industry. for switching to non-engineering career is not a problem also, many students who graduated from engineering course are working as financial consultant, stock trader, real estate agent or other job also. Actually the companies outside just wan to see if u have a degree cert or not, sometimes they really dun care which course you are from .

4) How is the graduate school entrance for the graduates from this course?
As long as you have an honor degree with 1st class or 2nd upper, you can apply for post graduate study already

Thanks for answering my questions!

 

[Genjutz]

wah this thread really good info..

Thanks to TS and forum mate input. Hopy you don't mind if I hijack abit.

I like to ask seniors if you have classmate from POLY?
how do they fare in exams?
are they struggling alot in the first term?

and know anyone that went through ITE,POLY than Uni?
how do they fare?

especially returning NSF.. 1st sem sure buang?

**PS, I'm refering to Mechanical Engineering

Many Thanks =)

 

[vincentlyx]

i am from poly! hahah... SP aeronautics dan NTU aerospace.

depends on individual ba...

1st yr sem1+2 is quite easy la... all the foundation stuff. but depends on individual again. Me and a fren (also poly) had no problem but the rest abit jialat.

oh.. u are direct entry to yr 2 mech? i got alot of frens who do well.. but those dun do well also equally alot.

if u are from poly and was from mech engg last time... dan my question to you is: do you really wan to continue studying mech engg? Answer this truly and honestly to yourself.

Majority of people who dun do well is because the heart say No but dan the brain juz say Yes. I personally feel that the above is the deciding factor to whether u do well a not. It is based on what i have seen and strongly applies to Poly students (be it from ite or from sec sch).

 

[Genjutz]

Icic thanks for your comments ar.

Ya, direct 2nd year.

Actually I also dunno if i'm really interested in Mech anot. I just feel like any engineernig is about the same to me.(beside bio engineering and chemical ones)

the rest like Architecture, Mech, Aerospace, Marine Engineering, Naval Architecture is about the same to me.

What I mean same is that they all study "the about same concept" only in different areas.. some land some sea some machines.

But what i'm worried about is the Math, Thermodyanamics and Mechanics stuff. because all I forgot already.. really need to catch up.

Especially after NS.. who will still remember sia. =__=

 

[vincentlyx]

Yoz TS,

my advice is not to constraint yourself to only ENGINEERING courses. You need to have abit of confidence in your engineering diploma, which is actually sufficed for most frontline engineering jobs like licensed aircraft engineer.

you can consider trying other types of courses like business. b4 i grad from poly, i actually had a talk with my lecturer. he actually adviced me to go for a biz degree. at first i tot its quite crappy but now i am already regretting it. for me at least, i am scoring way better in the non-engineering types of courses and also my minor in business.

unless you are so confirm that you want to be an engineer next time else i would recommend having a 2nd thought on other genres. most of my frens who grad with a engineering degree are progressing to non-engineering industries i.e. banks, insurance, property, hotel etc.

 

[kcxdes]

Yoz TS,

my advice is not to constraint yourself to only ENGINEERING courses. You need to have abit of confidence in your engineering diploma, which is actually sufficed for most frontline engineering jobs like licensed aircraft engineer.

you can consider trying other types of courses like business. b4 i grad from poly, i actually had a talk with my lecturer. he actually adviced me to go for a biz degree. at first i tot its quite crappy but now i am already regretting it. for me at least, i am scoring way better in the non-engineering types of courses and also my minor in business.

unless you are so confirm that you want to be an engineer next time else i would recommend having a 2nd thought on other genres. most of my frens who grad with a engineering degree are progressing to non-engineering industries i.e. banks, insurance, property, hotel etc.

Actually i would say some people will rather take engineering degrees because besides engineering field, they can choose to go to none engineering fields especially the financial side. However a degree in biz will decrease such versatility and you are confine only to the biz sector unlike others who have their core as well as the the biz sector to consider.

 

[siandiao]

Yoz TS,

my advice is not to constraint yourself to only ENGINEERING courses. You need to have abit of confidence in your engineering diploma, which is actually sufficed for most frontline engineering jobs like licensed aircraft engineer.

you can consider trying other types of courses like business. b4 i grad from poly, i actually had a talk with my lecturer. he actually adviced me to go for a biz degree. at first i tot its quite crappy but now i am already regretting it. for me at least, i am scoring way better in the non-engineering types of courses and also my minor in business.

unless you are so confirm that you want to be an engineer next time else i would recommend having a 2nd thought on other genres. most of my frens who grad with a engineering degree are progressing to non-engineering industries i.e. banks, insurance, property, hotel etc.

firstly, minor in biz is tailored to be bloody easy. and i'm not exaggerating on the word bloody. So do not use biz minor as a yardstick for what you perceive as NBS students. Should one day they impose the same standards as normal NBS students to biz minor, you'll regret taking biz minor.

2ndly, as weihan mentioned before, don't blindly follow the crowd. in fact, be different from the crowd. I chuckle when I see so many of those "elites" JC students chiong BnF, only to come out being insurance agents/salesmen/<insert chapalang career>, because the financial world is too bloody competitive. Somemore in their biz course, they had to compete with others not only on academics, but projects, and sometimes CV portfolio (yes, some asses do take it so far tt they plot against other CCAs just for their own benefit), yet they come out is what I mentioned above.

While engine students, go in wif avg grades, come out easier to find job relative to biz.

While I'm not saying die die dun go biz, thing is, dun dumb dumb blindly go biz, just becoz the hype is there. It's over-saturating, just like the life sciences hype 10 years ago

 

[rustty]

siandiao kor kor!

 

[vincentlyx]

oh.. okok let me elaborate abit further..

my intention is not to belittle the toughness of the NBS modules but rather to say that the modules are more interesting and i (personally) found an interest in them. And this have drawn me away from my main specialisation. Coming from poly POV, it actually gets boring after awhile when u discover that the course you are in doesnt supplement much to what u have learn from poly (applies to aerospace la). The NBS modules are something new and fresh to me at least.

The reason i am saying to try another course is because it adds on to your poly diploma. Unlike JC students who come from a very general background, poly students come from a specialised background. Hence, i say you need to have some confidence in your diploma. this is especially so for the poly diplomas nowadays. The quality of it is definitely much more substantial than those 5 years back. Imagine that some top sec sch students choose poly as their next level of education. You dont really get that in my time!

Engineering Diploma + Degree in Biz = Can bring you to more places.

You might want to consider UniSim also. It provides a faster track to e working world. Personally, i feel that i am learning alot of crap modules in NTU that does really apply to the working world. Taking my Aerospace course for example... you wont have much use for it unless u want to be a researcher. The UniSim Aerospace engineering course definitely is more comprehensive than the NTU one as it equips you with the necessary engineering knowledge and the management skills. And if you are interested to be a researcher, then from there you can advance into a masters or PHD to further into the field.

Blindly or not blindly.. thats why i ask what you wanna do next time. The engineering diploma can get you to most places alreadi. Your uni course should supplement your diploma either by enhancing what you have learn in the diploma (provided its your life goal to get into that industry) or providing you another wpn in war (like a double degree thingy).

 

[Selendis]

Just for an update, I have been accepted into NBS, which was my first choice btw (Aerospace Engineering was the fourth...)