Question
What are the job prospects of Aerospace in USA compared to software? Which specializations between aerodynamics, propulsion and structures are in demand?
Answer
You are making a big category error here. All of modern aerospace engineering is effectively a specialized kind of software engineering. Most of your work will involve programming if you get into the world. Sure, you may touch hardware, calibrate sensors etc., but the bulk of the action is on the software end. If you're trying to avoid software in the general sense, learn pottery or basket-weaving. If you're only trying to avoid consumer web and enterprise IT type software, then aerospace engineering may be for you.
Most of the interesting parts of the sector in the US are closed off to immigrants due to security clearance and citizenship requirements. If you really want a traditional aerospace career, prepare to do a PhD, spend some time in a non-security-clearance job (possibly unrelated to aerospace) for a few years while keeping your skills up to date, and then finally getting a foot in the door after gaining citizenship. It's an obstacle course where your chances of ending up at a place like Boeing or NASA doing interesting things is less than 10% by my estimate.
I'd suggest doing electrical or mechanical engineering instead, taking a few aerospace courses on the side, and developing a strong side interest/skill in the emerging civilian drone community and Maker movement in the US. You will be able to rapidly acquire and keep the skills up to date while being free to earn money in other ways and get a more generalized education. When the sector matures a little more, the opportunities will probably explode.
I would not aim to specialize along the lines of the old aerospace engineering (propulsion, structures, fluids, control). Instead, I'd focus on getting a general systems base and focus on very project-oriented education (actually building drones, swarms etc.) Lots of opportunity to do that in the US in graduate school. When I was in graduate school, it took large teams of graduate students and undergrads to build usable research drones. My friends at U. Michigan built one of the earliest fixed-wing drones (about 4 foot wingspan) with a lot of effort, and others while I was at Cornell built one of the early research quadcopters.
Today, things are mature and cheap enough that you can probably buy a simple drone to experiment with on your own budget within your first TA paycheck.
The main marketable skill you should be aiming to learn is general low-level (C/C++ at near-hardware level) programming. Learn just enough about the underlying aerospace theory so you can actually do aerospace relevant programming, but the focus should be on becoming a kick-ass programmer. Keep an eye on what companies like Airware and Insitu are doing.
Airware
Insitu Inc. - Insitu
That's where the real action is brewing. Not Boeing, Lockheed etc. (those will continue to be hugely important of course, but are not the growth sectors).
Space is also undergoing a renaissance, but is much harder to break into. I'd focus on atmospheric flight.
Most of the interesting parts of the sector in the US are closed off to immigrants due to security clearance and citizenship requirements. If you really want a traditional aerospace career, prepare to do a PhD, spend some time in a non-security-clearance job (possibly unrelated to aerospace) for a few years while keeping your skills up to date, and then finally getting a foot in the door after gaining citizenship. It's an obstacle course where your chances of ending up at a place like Boeing or NASA doing interesting things is less than 10% by my estimate.
I'd suggest doing electrical or mechanical engineering instead, taking a few aerospace courses on the side, and developing a strong side interest/skill in the emerging civilian drone community and Maker movement in the US. You will be able to rapidly acquire and keep the skills up to date while being free to earn money in other ways and get a more generalized education. When the sector matures a little more, the opportunities will probably explode.
I would not aim to specialize along the lines of the old aerospace engineering (propulsion, structures, fluids, control). Instead, I'd focus on getting a general systems base and focus on very project-oriented education (actually building drones, swarms etc.) Lots of opportunity to do that in the US in graduate school. When I was in graduate school, it took large teams of graduate students and undergrads to build usable research drones. My friends at U. Michigan built one of the earliest fixed-wing drones (about 4 foot wingspan) with a lot of effort, and others while I was at Cornell built one of the early research quadcopters.
Today, things are mature and cheap enough that you can probably buy a simple drone to experiment with on your own budget within your first TA paycheck.
The main marketable skill you should be aiming to learn is general low-level (C/C++ at near-hardware level) programming. Learn just enough about the underlying aerospace theory so you can actually do aerospace relevant programming, but the focus should be on becoming a kick-ass programmer. Keep an eye on what companies like Airware and Insitu are doing.
Airware
Insitu Inc. - Insitu
That's where the real action is brewing. Not Boeing, Lockheed etc. (those will continue to be hugely important of course, but are not the growth sectors).
Space is also undergoing a renaissance, but is much harder to break into. I'd focus on atmospheric flight.