💡 Why it matters: Aerospace engineers design the wings, engines and structures that let vehicles fly, and new aviation and space projects keep creating roles for them.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Africa's growing aviation and space plans are creating new roles for engineers trained locally and abroad.
- United States: Jobs for aerospace engineers are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦3M – ₦7M
- Mid-career
- ₦8M – ₦20M
- Senior
- ₦20M – ₦50M
≈ ₦667k – ₦1.7M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Design and test aircraft, rockets or parts
- Use computer models to predict how air flows over wings
- Choose strong, light materials
- Work with other engineers to solve technical problems
- Run tests and improve the design
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Maths and physics
- Problem solving
- Creativity
- Computer modelling
- Teamwork
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Engineering degree followed by a postgraduate degree in aerospace abroad
- Join an aviation company or research centre as a graduate trainee
- Entry is through WAEC or NECO (secondary school exam) results and JAMB (UTME, the national university entrance exam)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Aerospace engineer degree apprenticeship (study and paid work together)
- Graduate schemes at aerospace companies and research bodies
🇺🇸 United States
- Internships and co-op programs at aerospace companies and NASA
- Associate degree in engineering technology, then transfer to a bachelor's
🇨🇦 Canada
- Co-op programs with paid work terms at aerospace companies
- College engineering technology diploma, then university
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Work hard at Maths and Physics
- 2Get into an engineering degree such as mechanical or aerospace
- 3Learn CAD (computer drawing) and simulation software
- 4Do internships with aviation or research bodies
- 5Specialise in design, structures, engines or flight testing
⏰ A day in the life
You start by running a computer test on a new wing design to see how it handles wind. After discussing results with your team, you tweak the shape and build a small test model. You finish by writing up what you found.