Career Path of a Guidance Navigation Control Engineer at an Aerospace Company
Ife's career path was somewhat unplanned, starting with a "second choice major" of aerospace engineering at the University of Texas, Austin, which unexpectedly became a perfect fit. Their journey included a research focus on "self-driving semi-trucks" during graduate school, an internship at Pelton Technology solidifying their interest in the field, and a transition to Boeing through "applying around" and demonstrating adaptability to different aerospace applications.
Aerospace Engineering, Internships, Career Pivots, Research Experience, Networking
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ife Ibitayo
GN&C Engineer
Aerospace Company
University of Texas at Austin 2017
Purdue University, MS in Mechanical Engineering
Engineering - Aerospace
Aerospace, Aviation & Defense
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Video Highlights
1. Ife's career path demonstrates that a strong foundation in aerospace engineering, coupled with diverse experiences such as research on self-driving semi-trucks and internships at companies like Peloton Technology, can lead to a successful career in GN&C engineering.
2. The importance of networking and making connections with professors and professionals in the field is highlighted by Ife's experiences in securing internships and jobs.
3. Ife's willingness to explore different aspects of aerospace engineering, from rocket science to advanced aircraft, underscores the value of adaptability and a broad skillset in a dynamic field like GN&C engineering.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
For sure. At least for me, I fall into the general camp of really falling into what I ended up doing afterward. I'm at quite a few levels.
In college, I actually ended up in my second-choice college for my second-choice major, which was aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. It turned out to be a perfect fit. There were a lot of things about that major that really resonated with me.
Towards the end, I decided to focus on the space side of it. So, in a way, I was doing a little rocket science, which was a little stressful but also a little fun.
From then on, I moved to grad school, where I was doing research on self-driving semi-trucks. That came from a professor reaching out to me and explaining what he was doing, and me thinking it was really awesome.
During that time, I interned at the company we were partnering with, Pelton Technology, which was specifically doing that work. That's when I realized I could actually contribute to something. That experience was pretty invaluable.
Lastly, after that, I transitioned into working for Rivian Flight Sciences, a Boeing company, in advanced aircraft. That was again by applying around and people seeing my background in aerospace. I said planes, they said satellites, and that was okay. That's how that ended up going too.
So, that's pretty much my story.
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