<p>hi all </p>
<p>I am going to apply to engineering school next year , I might major in EE or Che "not decided yet".
anyway , my dream was to work in the weapons industry since I was a kid.
so my question is :
can I as an EE or Che work in this field or not??
I really want to work for the Lockheed Martin , can I do that as an EE??
or you have to be an Aerospace engineer to be the major engineer in the project??
can an EE Eng work or specialize in Telecommunications engineering ??like Radars.</p>
<p>I have 1 more question:
I study about 7 to 8 hours a day now ,because my exam is 6 months later.
here in Syria you have to take the national Baccalaureate exam so that you can get the high school diploma and I can tell it's curriculum is really huge that's why I am studying that much,so I guess I can do that in college but some ppl say you can't study that hard as you are getting older and older and you will hate it!!! from your experience , did you notice that?? or it depends on the person??</p>
<p>I have talked a lot , sorry guys but there's no 1 else to ask :D</p>
<p>best regards;</p>
<p>I know EE’s a Boeing, Lockheed, & Northrop. So yes.
I also know a ton in telecommunications, so yes again.</p>
<p>BUT here’s the catch - do you want to work in the weapons defense in the US? (Assuming so, because you mentioned Lockheed). You’re in school in Syria… do you have US citizenship? If no, it will be near impossible to be hired by a company that does contract work for US defense systems, because getting security clearance will not be easy. Even if you are a citizen, security clearance could still be an issue because of the time you’ve spent in Syria.</p>
<p>Heck, my friends who have even slight connections to Canada of all places can’t get security clearances… I can’t imagine how difficult it would be for someone with Syrian connections.</p>
<p>
Yes, although your focus will be quite different - as an EE you would focus on control, communications, and sensors, while as a ChemE you would work on propulsion and payload.</p>
<p>
Of course! You can always check their webpage for employment opportunities.</p>
<p>
Generally speaking, the top engineer on a given project will match the princpal discipline of the project itself - an aerospace engineer for an aircraft, drone, or satellite project, an EE for a radar or communications system. If the line is blurry (for example, a dedicated radar satellite) it will usually be led by the discipline responsible fot he biggest risk or innovation.</p>
<p>
Absolutely. I did.</p>
<p>The biggest issue by far will be getting a security clearance. To work design for ANY US defense contractor you will need not only citizenship but a verifiable and clean background. Depending on your situation, that may just not be worthwhile. If you are a citizen now it might be managable, otherwise you might need to spend years in the US before they would even consider you.</p>
<p>
Study habits often change in college, but the direction and magnitude of that change varies substantially from person to person.</p>
<p>I agree with Johnson on this issue. It sucks, but not being born and raised in the US is a deal-breaker for security work. There’s pretty much nothing you can do except work in a different field.
Civilian aerospace work such as Boeing is still open to you, but you’ll need US citizenship to avoid trouble.</p>
<p>thanks a lot my friends.
your answers were really helpful for me.</p>
<p>cheers;</p>
<p>I should note that the US defense industry DOES hire foreign engineers to serve on sales and field support teams for those regions where they sell products. If you are a citizen of Syria you may be able to work in such a capacity across the Middle East, but it would not be in a design role.</p>
<p>is it impossible to be in the design team??
even if I had the US citizen ship??</p>
<p>For defense work, unfortunately yes it is. Security clearance tests are VERY thorough and any substantial contact with foreigners means you have no chance at obtaining clearance.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>There is a really great website on this that I recommend to people about security clearances that I think really helps understand what the situation is. </p>
<p>[Security</a> Clearance Secrets – About Military Security Clearances](<a href=“http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/security.htm]Security”>http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/security.htm)</p>
<p>
If you have US citizenship, it is possible but difficult - I know several naturalized citizens with security clearances working design on defense projects. However, in all the cases that I know it took years in the US before they had that opportunity, and may well have involved unusual circumstances.</p>
<p>So I think it is fine to have this aspiration, provided you can show that you have lead an unquestionable life and are willing to wait. And even then, I would consider this a longshot - have a solid back-up plan.</p>