Decisions Decisions Decisions

So, the time is coming to make some decisions. I have a couple different offers, many still waiting and some big decisions to make. Most notably….what do I want? Do I want to work for a big company or a small company? Do a little bit of everything or become really good at one thing? Big airplanes or small airplanes?

Well, first lets examine what options I have thus far.

1. AIRBUS – Flight Dynamics and Simulations

This is the department I currently am doing my internship in. Basically, it involves coming up with the model of how the airplane flies. So they use this model in the design phase to characterize and know how the plane will react before it ever takes first flight. Then, once flight testing starts, they adjust and analyze the model to understand why there is a different between how the aircraft actually flies and how it was predicted to fly. And finally, after the aircraft is certified they work with other companies to develop pilot flight training simulators. So it is a very interesting department. And it deals a lot with flight dynamics, which is one of my favourite subjects. So this job would be to work on the Aerodynamic model of the new airplane Airbus is developing, the A350. First flight should be 2011 with certification coming in 2013 (if all goes according to plan of course).

Pros

• It’s Airbus!!!! There are only two companies in the entire world that develop the big commercial airplanes (more than 150 seats) Airbus and Boeing. So, to be able to put on your resume you work/have worked at Airbus trumps all other things. Even if perhaps I gained more experience during my time at Soloy then here at Airbus, the first thing a potential employer will see when he takes that 10 second glance over my resume is AIRBUS.
• Airbus pays very well (including a nice year end bonus), has great benefits and of course just the general ‘French’ benefits of 7 weeks of holiday each year.
• I already know the department, the people, what exactly I would be doing. And I like the department and the people here.
• I would become very good in the Flight Dynamics realm of Aeronautics.
• Once your in Airbus it is very easy to move around. So after the A350 is finished I could more easily switch departments to Flight Performance or Loads or Flight Testing or many many others.

Cons

• Doing only one thing! This is definitely the biggest thing for me. I like doing a lot of things. I like learning as much about as many topics as possible. I like being very multi-disciplinary. This job is not that. And overall this is not Airbus. Airbus is such a huge company that they have their own departments for everything and everyone has their specific area. Now the good thing is, that as I said before you can easily change departments and do something different. But while your doing your job, you’ll be working in one area. So if you want to work in another area you must change your job. Where as I would rather have one job, where I can work in many different areas.
• The job would be for 4-5 years ish. Now, it is not a fixed contract, I could leave at anytime, however the moral obligation of taking the job would be that I would see through the A350 airplane program which will be at least 4+ years. It’s not the number of years in France that worries me, it’s looking at the job, what ‘experience’ will I have after these 4 years. It goes with the point above. I will have 4+ years of Flight Dynamics experience and some Flight Testing. But I will have limited experience in: Design and Modeling, Catia, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Certification, Performance, Loads etc… All areas that I’m interested in. This isn’t much of a problem if I just move to another department within Airbus as they are good about this sort of thing, but if I want to move on, apply elsewhere in the world…there’s not much there in my opinion.

2. AIRBUS – PhD Engineering Performance

I initially turned this offer down 2 months ago. But as far as I know they still haven’t found anyone and I’ve met the man responsible a couple of times since and he’s joked with me about whether I’ve changed my mind.

Basically, it’s an ‘Industrial PhD’ which means I would work at Airbus for three years on one specific subject of particular interest. I would work just like a regular engineer, get paid like a regular engineer, have all the ‘French’ benefits and at the end of the three years, present a thesis and voila Doctor Logan J The subject is quite interesting as it involves the safety and braking performance of aircraft on contaminated runways i.e. Ice, slush, snow, water. And to hopefully develop an automated braking assist system for controlling the aircraft on said runways. It’s of particular interest because the majority of the accidents stem from these conditions, aircraft sliding off runways in bad conditions.

Pros

• Biggest pro is getting a PhD AND getting PAID to do it. That doesn’t come around very often.
• And this work is about as multi-disciplinary as one can ask for as it will involve aircraft modeling, safety, certification, performance etc…
• And all the associated pros mentioned above about working at Airbus. Added that this one is already in the Performance department which is a very cool department. So a job after the PhD would be almost a given.
• PhD might make me more attractive to the astronaut program???
• Making all my friends call me Dr Jones or Dr Logan

Cons

• Biggest con is the subject. Although very interesting, it’s the aircraft on the ground during braking. Not in flight, which is where my interest is.
• I don’t know how much the ‘PhD’ will help my career and in some cases might hinder it. Especially for industrial companies in the US, they will see this PhD and ‘stereotype’ me as one of these ‘research’ type people, not an industrial type engineer. Plus the ‘feeling’ that since I am a PhD I could command a higher salary. All of which would be untrue from my point of view, but would automatically come across on a resume. (Or I just don’t mention the PhD on my resume and simply put 3 years of experience at Airbus)
• The confusion at family reunions when someone yells “Hey Dr Jones”, and both my and my dad turn and say “YES?”

3. ALTRAN – Consulting in Flight Performance

Yesterday I had an interview at Altran which is a subcontractor for Airbus. And they had a couple of positions that could be of interest to me. The first is that Altran is bidding on being the consulting firm for the Performance department at Airbus. And if successful will form an Engineering team to do so.

Pros

• It’s working with Engineering Flight Performance, which is one of the most interesting departments at Airbus.
• The subcontractors are a much smaller team and as such the jobs are much more multi-disciplinary then at Airbus. This is the most attractive thing, as this is the thing I search for the most. I want to be able to do many different things and they offer that.

Cons

• The pay of a subcontractor is obviously less then at Airbus. Not by a gross amount but probably 2000Euro’s per year less. Give or take. Benefits are practically the same. Performance bonus is a bit less I think.
• Once you’re at a subcontractor it will be basically impossible to get a job at Airbus. Airbus has made it a policy not to hire from subcontractors now. In the past subcontractors would hire new people, they would gain experience and then Airbus would ‘poach’ them. Now Airbus is trying to build a stronger network with their subcontracts and give the subcontractors a better chance at retaining their premier talent.

4. Altran – Consulting

I don’t know what I’m allowed to say of this…but I wasn’t told anything confidential I think, but either way I’ll leave the company name out. But basically Altran is going to do some consulting with a company making a space plane. That is all the details I know.

Pros

• The job would be very multi-disciplinary as well. With modeling and CFD and structures and everything. The company is very small and would be working on a small design team for this plane.
• I am REALLY interested in the space plane concepts. I’ve been looking for jobs with Virgin Galactic/Scaled Composites or one of the other companies that is working on this. However all of these companies are very small right now with small engineering teams so it’s virtually impossible to get on.
• Thus the experience from a contract like this would be really helpful.

Cons

• One BIG con. It’s not in Toulouse….it’s in a very small town about 150km south. I don’t know. Part of me does not want to move again, especially to some small town where I know no one and still don’t speak the local language well. That aspect doesn’t sound very appealing to me. It’s one thing to move to a new big city where the are tons of things to do, groups to join, sports to play, places to meet new friends new people. It’s another to move to a small town with not a lot to do. This is the biggest thing on my mind. Although it should be noted the town is quite close to the mountains, so it’s be great for skiing and not THAT far from Toulouse to come back on weekends….

5. Soloy

I haven’t contacted them or anything, and perhaps they are full and wouldn’t even take me back. But I’d be lying if the thought wasn’t in my head about contacting them again.

Pros

• Exactly what I liked was the multi-disciplinary work there. Doing many different things in the course of one day, one week, one month. Small engineering team where I knew everyone and could quickly gain the confidence of those around me and be given more and more responsibility.
• Just one non-stop Seattle –Edmonton flight home and 3 hours away from Portland where I have lots of relatives. And close to the Grandparents, thus I get to spend more time doing stuff with them.

Cons

• The only thing Soloy lacked was much ‘Aerodynamic’ or ‘Aircraft Design’ Which is what I really like to do. Since they just modify existing aircraft, there isn’t much in the way of the aircraft design. To be honest: work wise that is the only thing it’s missing that I want.
• I didn’t like the town of Olympia that much. It is possible I could live up in Seattle and commute which would give me much more ‘things’ to do/join. Luckily I would be going in the opposite direction of the dreaded Seattle traffic. But it’s still a bit of a commute each day….something like 40 miles + depending on where I lived.

6. Sit and wait some more. I’ve sent a ton of applications all over the place. USA, Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, etc….With some very interesting jobs with UAV’s or the US Space Program etc…So hopefully I will hear back from some of these and perhaps I get an offer I can’t refuse and that makes my life simple

I would say right now I'm leaning towards number 6. I've still got some time. It's a shame that I may have to close some of the above doors as they will not want to wait while I wait for something 'better' to come along......