subject: How To Become A Airline Engineer [print this page] Airline engineering is one of the most prestigious and lucrative branches of engineering. In order to become an airline engineer, it is best to start preparing as soon as possible - from your schooldays, in fact. Here is an outline of the steps that lead to a successful career in airline engineering:At the school level. Engineers need to be excellent at mathematics and physics. Chemistry is also highly useful, but you can get by even if you are not stellar at it. Develop your knowledge and expertise of geometry, spatial reasoning, calculus and of course algebra. The competition for the best engineering courses is as tough as it gets, so you will need to be one of the best in your batch to get through. Prepare for the competitive exams by developing your concepts and solving papers - this will increase your speed of thought as well as writing. Solve papers within the allotted time, and do this for at least three months before the examination.At the college or university level. You may have the choice of a single Bachelor's degree, or an integrated Bachelors + Masters. Both have their merits as well as demerits, so choose according to the institution and the faculty. While you are at the university, you will be offered internships. Internships are A) an opportunity to get used to working in a job situationB) an opportunity to cultivate relationships with people in your industryChoose your internships carefully, and exploit the opportunity well. While looking for your first job. If you don't already have a job offer from one of the companies where you interned, this is another phase where you will have some hard slogging to do. The options you can exercise while looking for jobs are:1) Local papers, of the city where you want to work. 2) Job fairs. Held annually at the best universities or in central locations of major cities, job fairs are places where you can directly talk to company representatives to find out the job scenario. On-the-spot recruitment can happen - though rarely - but you will definitely get a chance to sit for an interview. Always bring along your resume and portfolio, and wear your best manner at such places!3) Business networking. Get in touch, and stay in touch, with the most important people you know in your industry. Cultivate friendships with them, while making sure not to appear like a weasel just out for advantage. Make sure that you are the person they will recommend when they see a job vacancy you are eligible to fill.4) Online job boards. Many major airlines rely on the Internet to get new recruits. While higher positions are usually filled up along the social grapevine, it is the entry-level jobs that are accessible to outsiders - and have the toughest competition. Airline engineering is a career of hard work and big rewards. With proper qualifications and some years of hard work, you can become a very valuable asset to an airline.
