Originally posted by: Capitalizt
I have a serious question... I've got a basic two year degree in computer networking which I really hate, and I'm looking to get a fresh start. I've always lvoed reading about science and theoretical physics but my real education in the area is zero. I would love to end up working for one of those companies you mentioned...
As a complete noob, where do you recommend I start? What are some must-read books? What courses should I start with when I go back to school?
Glad you asked! I'm willing to give you all the help I can. Here are my assumptions about your current situation.
1) You have enough time in your life to do everything you want, and you are not responsible for supporting a family yet.
2) You are willing to work/study for long, long hours.
3) You are under 30.
4) You have citizenship by the time you start job hunting. To be honest, for almost all of the companies, if you don't have citizenship then it'll be much harder, unless you work in a different country for foreign aerospace companies (ESA, JAXA, etc) or you go to a private company (Bigelow, SpaceX).
5) You plan on going into electrical engineering, computer engineering, or software.
You'll need education in engineering because those companies I've listed are in the business of engineering. The biggest degrees in demand from almost all of those companies is Electrical and Computer/Software. Hands down, if you have either of those degrees then they'll be more interested in you. This (in my opinion) is because so many EE and CE people go into consumer electronics/semiconductors/software companies, and most don't have any interest in aerospace/space/defense. I don't know if you're planning a 2 or 4 year degree. A 2 year technical degree may be able to land you a job as a test engineer or technician, but I would seek advice from elsewhere on that topic.
Reading books will not help unless you need them to pass a course or to build something. I suggest doing projects and getting books that will help you finish the project. For instance, see if you and a few buddies are capable of building a near space weather balloon (the book is in pdf on the link)
Near Space Ballon Instructions. I actually did this for a class, and all the companies LOVED what I did in it. It's mostly avionics work so I think you should be able to handle it. So get involved in student project groups that do really cool engineering projects.
Courses should focus as much as possible to actual application or projects rather than theory. "Hot" areas in EE/CE that defense companies are interested in are RF, Radar, and Optics, but you really should choose something that's of interest to you. VLSI/Semiconductors are more geared towards component/device companies, and not in the aerospace field. I focused more on controls, but I didn't emphasize it for my jobs.
Also, take as many prereq courses as you possibly can in a community college, it will save you a buttload of cash. You'll catch up if you need to later on if the teaching quality is bad.
Let me know if you have any other questions