Aeronautical Engineering

The typical skills developed by Imperial Aeronautics students during their degree are highly valued by employers and include:

• Problem-solving
• Analysis
• Project management
• Teamwork
• Communication skills
• Ability to learn fast
• Working under pressure

It’s good to reflect on your abilities and consider what skills you can evidence and which skills you may need to enhance. Use our Self reflection webpages to help you understand and document your abilities.

During your degree you will have many opportunities to develop and learn new skills. Employers will want to see what you have been doing to develop your skills and knowledge outside your course while you have been a student. Experiences such as student societies, part-time work, volunteering and sports can develop your skills and will be valuable additions to your CV. Work experience can also help develop skills and help you decide what career direction you want to go in and become more competitive in future job or further study applications.

As an Imperial student you can participate, or take a leadership role, in a wide variety of Students’ Union activities where you’ll develop many skills. You also have free access to LinkedIn Learning and can use this to develop or improve your knowledge and abilities with software tools and skills through instructional videos taught by industry experts skills.

You can learn and develop the skills required to be successful in the job or internship market. For example, you will need to know how to create a strong CV, write a good cover letter and perform well in interviews. We can help you to learn these skills. Start with the Applications and interviews section of our website, and by attending our skills training and workshops.

When you understand your skills through self reflection it’s a good idea to then learn about the range of career areas that might be of interest. Our What do Imperial graduates do? webpage contains our Graduate Outcomes data which gives examples of employers and further study options of previous graduates. You can search the data to find what Aeronautical graduates went on to do immediately after graduation and you may also find it useful to explore Imperial College LinkedIn – “Aeronautical” where you can explore the career paths of our Aeronautical Engineering alumni as their careers develop over time. However, don't feel limited by what others have done, but instead, follow your own interests.

To help you begin we have listed some of the career areas that Imperial maths students often go into which is taken from our What do Imperial graduates do? Graduate Outcomes data. Our Exploring options resources can help you to learn more about these sectors including desirable skills, responsibilities, professional development and salary expectations across different roles and industries. You can also meet employers from many of these areas through Careers Service events and fairs which are advertised on JobsLive and in our weekly newsletter. 

• Banking/finance
• Civil service/government
• Consulting
• Data Science/AI
• Financial services
• Healthcare analytics
• Insurance
• IT/technology
• Operational research
• Retail
• Risk
• Start-ups
• Teaching/education
• Telecommunications
• Trading

You may be interested in something not on this list and that is fine – graduates go in many different career directions. Many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here. But you can use the list above as a starting point to explore and add other ideas as well.

A professional body, association or society seeks to further a particular profession and the interests of individuals engaged in that profession. The body maintains an oversight of the knowledge, skills, conduct and practice of that profession and can offer accreditation or chartership. You can often use professional bodies to access training or networking events and explore related career options.

Below are some links to professional bodies that deal with various areas related to Aeronautics. Many offer student membership which can give you access to job listings and careers information while offering great networking opportunities. Some memberships may even allow you to register your CV to vacancy matching services or to be viewed by other members of the community.

• The Association of Consulting & Engineering 
• ADS 
• Careers in Aerospace 
• Composites UK 
  
• The Design Council 
  
• The Engineering Council 
  
• Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) 
  
• Royal Academy of Engineering
• Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) 
  
• Women’s Engineering Society 
  

Aeronautics & Space:

• Careers in Aerospace Royal Aeronautical Society, search employers of all sizes
• Space Careers UK companies of all size in the space sector
• The Satellite Applications Catapult advertise space-related internships

Automotive / Motorsport:

• Automotive Supplier Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders website you can search find manufacturing, design, and supplier SMEs
• The Motorsport Industry Association is a trade association with a useful member’s directory to find organisations
• The Motorsport Industry Association Careers Guide contains useful advice and resources to explore careers in this sector
• Motorsport UK is a membership organisation, where you can filter through organisations connected to motorsport by category
• The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders membership can be searched to find companies of all sizes involved in vehicle manufacturing
• The Motorcycle Industry Association has an member list of manufacturers and other motorcycle organisations

Design:

• Design Directory specialist design engineering companies
• Dexigner explore design companies

Engineering consultants and suppliers:

• Association of Consulting and Engineering search engineering consultants by specialism

Energy specific organisations:

• The Energy Institute membership directory contains companies from sustainable, renewable and traditional energy industries, and more
• Wind Europe represents the wind industry and you can look through their large network of companies

Research SMEs:

• The UK Science Park Association contains a members list of science parks where you can find information on the SMEs based on these specific science parks. Good for research experience

Robotics:

• Automate UK robot manufacturers and software organisations
• The International Federation of Robotics members list contains an extensive list of robotics companies

Career planning often takes time and can sometimes feel overwhelming. It’s a good idea to set aside a small amount of time on a regular basis to maintain momentum. Below are some things to get you started:

• Sign up to the Imperial Careers Newsletter by checking the relevant box on your personal profile on JobsLive
• Learn about the application timelines for applying for further study, work experience and graduate employment
• See our what's on pages to find out about the different types of events that we run, including: workshops, careers fairs, career talks  - and hear from alumni and employers about different types of work.
• Learn the skills that will help you succeed on the job market in the Applications and interviews section of our website, and by attending our skills training and workshops

If you feel stuck with your career planning, you could book a one-to-one appointment to talk it through with a careers consultant. Mark Allen is the careers consultant for Aeronautical Engineering but you can see any of our consultants for your first appointment.