Engineers in the Schools

Today I visited South Cobb HS in Austell, GA in order to give the science students a little insight on what it's like to be an engineer. If you didn't know, it's National Engineers Week from February 15-21, and Mother Lockheed has charged us with hitting the streets to spread the joys of engineering.

Consider the source, right? Here I am, practically with an MBA degree in my hand (80 more days 'til graduation!) and a pretty good idea of what it's like outside those engineered-wood doors. As I was filling out my semi-canned powerpoint presentation, I looked for some of the accomplishments I was proud of as a full-blown aerospace design engineer. After weighing whether I should brag about the 1000+ fastener wing assembly drawing I did for JSF, or the time I put the Marine C-130 Overhead Avionics Rack (affectionately known as the Hog Trough) into 3D space, I decided that neither would stack up more favorably than what was presented during National Midwifery Week. And looking through some of our promotional material, I came across a video which, even if it doesn't get you all verklempt like the USA winning the gold medal in the 1980 olympics, it pretty much explains why I'm still sitting in my cubicle at LM while my classmates are accepting jobs at consulting agencies and investment banks.

If you were to understand the inspiration behind, "A Letter to Kelly," you would probably get why I've pursued a career in aerospace, a journey spanning coast-to-coast and back again.