Question about CFD career

lnk · October 9, 2012, 15:02

Hi

May I ask does company also hire master graduate to do CFD? I'm doing CFD internship in a turbomachinery company. Nearly all of my colleagues there are Dr.

Is it always good to start from doing Phd? Or usually people can learn more from industry?

CFD is really not easy thing. Why the salary is just so so? Most of my IT classmates learn less complex things but it's easier for them to find a job and have higher salary than CFD.

Thank you very much!

Best regards and many thanks,
lnk

cdegroot · October 10, 2012, 13:59

In my experience most CFD developers have PhDs whereas testing engineers or application engineers often have Bachelor's or Master's degrees.

My advice to you is: do a PhD if that is what you really want to do and if research and development is the area you want to work in; don't do it for the money or for potential job prospects. Often times it is more difficult to find a job as a PhD because you are considered overqualified for many positions, however, when you do find something it is usually a very good position.

lnk · October 10, 2012, 17:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdegroot

In my experience most CFD developers have PhDs whereas testing engineers or application engineers often have Bachelor's or Master's degrees.

My advice to you is: do a PhD if that is what you really want to do and if research and development is the area you want to work in; don't do it for the money or for potential job prospects. Often times it is more difficult to find a job as a PhD because you are considered overqualified for many positions, however, when you do find something it is usually a very good position.

Thank you very much for your answer.

1. May I ask what do you mean by testing and application engineer? My internship is to use commercial code software to simulate turbomachinery flow behavior. Is this kind of work classified as CFD application? This kind of work doesn't usually require Phd diploma?

2. I actually do not care a lot about money but I'm just wondering why it earns less than IT. Because you know, if it's harder work and less earning, less people will come to this business. The unbalanced labor market should have made the salary increasing.

Best,
lnk

cdegroot · October 10, 2012, 19:04

1. A testing engineer would be responsible for checking and assessing the performance of a CFD code and would work alongside the developers. Most often they do not have a PhD, but have good knowledge of CFD in order to understand how to test the code. An application engineer is somewhat like a consultant and would work with customers to help solve CFD problems. Sounds like you have done a similar type of work.

2. As for salary, it probably depends on the company and what is in demand at a certain time. Let's hope for the best in the future!

October 9, 2012, 15:02	Question about CFD career	#1
lnk Senior Member lnk Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Switzerland Posts: 118 Rep Power: 15	Hi May I ask does company also hire master graduate to do CFD? I'm doing CFD internship in a turbomachinery company. Nearly all of my colleagues there are Dr. Is it always good to start from doing Phd? Or usually people can learn more from industry? CFD is really not easy thing. Why the salary is just so so? Most of my IT classmates learn less complex things but it's easier for them to find a job and have higher salary than CFD. Thank you very much! Best regards and many thanks, lnk

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October 10, 2012, 13:59		#2
cdegroot Senior Member Chris DeGroot Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Canada Posts: 414 Rep Power: 18	In my experience most CFD developers have PhDs whereas testing engineers or application engineers often have Bachelor's or Master's degrees. My advice to you is: do a PhD if that is what you really want to do and if research and development is the area you want to work in; don't do it for the money or for potential job prospects. Often times it is more difficult to find a job as a PhD because you are considered overqualified for many positions, however, when you do find something it is usually a very good position.

October 10, 2012, 19:04		#4
cdegroot Senior Member Chris DeGroot Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Canada Posts: 414 Rep Power: 18	1. A testing engineer would be responsible for checking and assessing the performance of a CFD code and would work alongside the developers. Most often they do not have a PhD, but have good knowledge of CFD in order to understand how to test the code. An application engineer is somewhat like a consultant and would work with customers to help solve CFD problems. Sounds like you have done a similar type of work. 2. As for salary, it probably depends on the company and what is in demand at a certain time. Let's hope for the best in the future!