I would concur with what everyone else has said, which is that in general, employees largely want the same predictable things like growth opportunities, competitive salary, engaging work, a workplace culture that isn't too stressful, etc. I think that, at this level of analysis, the industry will not be as big a driver as simple company-to-company variation. Within any given industry, aerospace included, there will be a broad spectrum of offerings by the various employers across these metrics. For example, at the aerospace forger where I worked previously, a substantial portion of our office staff, I'd say 50% or more, had previously worked at a competitor (who shall remain unnamed but everyone has heard of them and their reputation precedes them) and they left because that company's culture was a known meat grinder and it just wasn't worth the extra money to them. If you're looking to stay in aerospace but leave your current company, I would recommend talking to as many people in your network as you can who work at different aerospace companies and ask them what they like and dislike about their respective employers so you can see which one aligns best with what's important to you, and then apply there. I would think about this vertically as well as horizontally by the way - the blue chip companies like Boeing, GKN, Lockheed Martin, etc. are always going to be more bureaucratic and slow moving just on account of their size, organizational inertia, the liability for them associated with changing proven systems, etc. They may have specific R&D divisions within the company whose job is to be innovative but largely, this is the nature of the beast when you're high up the food chain. If you wanted something more fast-moving, you could work for a subtier supplier who makes a particular component or offers a particular technical service (castings, electroplated coatings, NDE, etc.) and you'll have more leeway to optimize processes so long as they still deliver an end product that is compliant with the OEM or end user's specification. The same goes even more so for startup companies, since their rulebook basically isn't written yet.
Going back to the industry level of analysis, it's true that some industries are going to be more conservative than others, and aerospace is one of them. Anything having to do with nuclear technology and military work is going to be similarly bureaucratic. Subsea oil & gas exploration is also up there. Basically anything where the impact of failure is extremely high and difficult to fix, and the specs were written decades ago and no one still employed at the company has tribal knowledge of why they were written the way they were so they ossify into gospel. If this is fundamentally not your cup of tea, you might be happier working in automotive, consumer products, petrochemical, primary steelmaking, mining, etc. - something where there's economic pressure to constantly evolve or become more efficient to remain competitive.
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Sean Piper
Metallurgical Engineer
Ellwood City Forge
Houston TX
7248248333
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-07-2023 12:56
From: Niklas Johansson
Subject: How should aerospace companies attract and retain talent?
There is a question that I often hear about in my surroundings (as a young engineer myself); "What should aerospace companies do to attract and retain young talents within an industry that may require growth over many years?"
Sadly (but also fortunately), working at an aerospace company can be tremendously interesting for young engineers but also daunting over how slow things can go. As for myself, I've experienced that my professional growth within aerospace has been slow and steady, but it is heading in the right direction! But the question comes back; will the grass be greener on the other side?
Best case scenario is to feel that you hit the jackpot by working within this industry, but what actions should be made in order to achieve this?
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Niklas Johansson
Engineer - Materials and Processes
GKN Aerospace Sweden AB
Trollhättan
+46700873815
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