What a Fuel Cell Engineer at ZeroAvia Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Aerospace Industry
William, a Fuel Cell Engineer at ZeroAvia, learned that in a startup's fast-paced manufacturing environment, "you will always be behind schedule," and "failure is part of the game." The ability to embrace failure, learn quickly, and iterate is invaluable for success in this industry.
Industry Realities, Overcoming Challenges, Resilience, Hard Truths, Workplace Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
William Williamson
Fuel Cell Engineer
ZeroAvia
University of Houston, University of Houston - Clear Lake, University of Texas at Dallas, University of Alabama, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Future Studies, Engineering Management (MS,MS)
Psychology
Aerospace, Aviation & Defense, Energy & Utilities
Research and Development (R&D)
Honors Student, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Failure is common and expected in this industry, and the ability to learn from failures is crucial.
2. Working in a startup environment, especially in manufacturing, aerospace, or energy, often means facing delays and unexpected challenges.
3. Being behind schedule is often the norm, and effective time management and adaptability are essential skills to possess.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
You will never be ahead of schedule. If you work at a startup in manufacturing, in aerospace, or in energy, you will always be behind schedule. Failure is part of the game; you will fail.
If you are on schedule, you are late for something else. That's part of the pressure. I wish somebody had told me that failure is okay and it's expected.
The ability to fail quickly, jump back up, learn from your failure, and then use that to move more quickly is invaluable. So, it's very important.