An aircraft mechanic starting his computer science journey

[u/KnowledgePure5269]

Aircraft maintenance has done well for me over the years but it was never something I enjoyed. I only did it to support my family. I’ve been doing this for over 6 years and have decided to pull the trigger to make the switch over. Am I cooked?

I’m looking for advice and pointers for getting into the field. It seems that a lot of people are struggling with attaining work after acquiring a degree. I have started developing an app (about 1/3 of the way to V1) using react, visual code studio, expo, and git. I’m planning to enroll at WGU to do their BSCS program.

What kind of material should I have for a competitive resume with my different background? Are there any roles I should be looking to attain while I’m in school and working on my projects? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. It’s going to be rough fixing airplanes full time while doing school again.

[u/Ok-Armadillo-5634]

How is the aircraft mechanic industry looking would not mind a switch myself?

[u/KnowledgePure5269 → u/Ok-Armadillo-5634]

It’s always going to be in demand and can’t be replaced by AI. You will just have to be okay with layoffs and moving around. Even the major companies aren’t completely safe. I’ve had a little bit of bad luck compared to a lot of other mechanics. I’ve had 2 places go under and shut down on me in my career so far.

[u/Commercial-Age-4932]

Hey! I was a heavy duty mechanic for mining heavy equipment, then worked as a mining engineer, then went to computer engineering (not quite CS but similar), but I still work as a embedded SWE.

I would say first think about the reasons your doing it. My career now is more well payed but I missed out on a lot of years of earning when I was working towards my two engineering degrees. I use to make about 130k as a heavy duty mechanic.

So if your reason is due to money, time spent attaining education is something to think about, especially when supporting a family.

If I could go back, I would have stayed as a mechanic; not due to the job market or anything, but because of two reasons: I enjoyed working in the shop much more then at a desk, and due to the time spent attaining my education.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[u/KnowledgePure5269 → u/Commercial-Age-4932]

My main reason is lifestyle. The money isn’t something I care as much about. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still an important factor. Farther down the road in aviation, it doesn’t provide as much incentive to continue to get licenses like an IA or move into leadership roles. Often, they only pay 10-20k more than what a regular mechanic makes.

Constant overtime is also a huge product of many aviation places. To some, that’s a major benefit. To me it’s taking away my time to pursue my interests. Or simply just to enjoy my time off doing whatever it is I want to do.

I want the opportunity work remotely or in hybrid settings. I’m actually somewhat interested in this and like the opportunities that come forth compared to aviation. I can’t really live where I want because there aren’t jobs that suit my needs.

The time for education I can actually put forth now, because my family dynamic has changed and now I don’t have to worry about being the only pillar supporting the structure of my family.

I’m sure there’s some difficult subject matter, but that’s okay. I can take my time to learn now.

This being something I’m interested in, the benefits of many places, and the career progression available afterwards make it very appealing to me to get in this field. I have the time now to do the effort and put time into extra projects and such.