The Job Hunt

Finding a new job these days has proven to be a difficult task.  Aside from finding the time between my current job, current projects, and life in general to search for a job, there just aren’t many prospects out there.  For myself, I am looking for an opportunity in the aerospace industry.  I live in Pensacola, Florida, the home of Naval Aviation and the Navy’s Blue Angels.  We have a moderately sized airport, and plenty of small fields scattered throughout town.  The problem, however, is that there just isn’t any new jobs opening up very often that I am qualified for.  Because of this, I have begun to look outside of Pensacola. While I am still searching for a career path that keeps me home, I am open to a bit of a commute if the salary is commensurate to the daily drive.  This, and a tip from a friend, is what led me to attending the Panhandle Job Fair this past week in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

The job fair was only about the size of a high school gym, but it was packed with plenty of aerospace companies for me to choose from.  Among them, L3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, and BAE Systems.  The companies that I was most drawn to where Mobile Aerospace Engineering and Goodrich.  The services that these two companies provide to the aerospace community mirror the skill set on my resume.

Thanks to the job fair, I am now researching the opportunities available at MAE and Goodrich.  MAE, based and operated out of Mobile, Alabama, provides Periodic Phased Inspections and Maintenance on heavy jets including Boeing 747s.  They also perform major modifications to aircraft such as converting passenger jets into cargo jets for companies such as FedEx.  I have five years experience performing Phase Maintenance on heavy bombers thanks to the United States Air Force.  I understand the ebb and flow of a maintenance cycle, and I understand the attention to detail and commitment to high standards that work of this magnitude requires.  After talking with the MAE representative at the job fair, I am confident that I would be able to slide right into a comfortable, familiar atmosphere where I could really shine and possibly create a long term career home.  The only downside would be the commute from Pensacola everyday.  With the estimated salary however, I feel as though this can be overlooked.

The other company is Goodrich.  They have facilities in a number of locations, including Foley, Alabama.  Foley is a much shorter commute for me, and the job itself is still right up my alley.  Goodrich Foley assembles and maintains aircraft pylons and nacelles.  Looking at my resume, you would find that the majority of my experience is in nacelle maintenance.  The B-52H Bomber has four pods (pylons), each supporting two engines.  Each engine is covered by six segments of nacelle structure called cowling.  All totaled, that makes 40 separate pieces of structure per aircraft that requires inspection and repair every 450 flight hours.  Multiply that by 12 or more aircraft phases a year, and you can see how I have accumulated a lot of experience in nacelle maintenance over the past five years.  At this company I would most likely assemble brand new nacelle structures for various airframes.  Being able to create something with my hands and skills out of nothing, and getting payed well for it is a great prospect.

I plan on following up with at least MAE and Goodrich this coming week, and possibly looking into some of the other companies showcased at the job fair.  This was my first job fair, and I wish was able to have stayed for the many workshops that they had to offer.  Even without the workshops, this experience was very beneficial to me attaining my goal of continuing my career in the aerospace industry.

What would you do in my situation?  Could you handle a long daily commute?  Would you leave home for a job?  Share you thoughts with me.  Comment bellow, or send me a message on any of the social networks I am a member of.  Thanks for reading!