Parkranger

Hey all, i decided to join the forums here as they seem like a great place to ask questions from multiple different people knowledgeable in this field.

I am making this post because i am at a crossroads for my next few years as to which field of aviation i should pursue, all I've known for the past 6 years of my life is that i want to work and build a career in this field, primarily UAS (Unmanned) applications but a general interest overall.

I currently am in the Army National Guard as a 15E or UAS maintainer, i received excellent training and sought to pursue a civilian job similar to what i had done in the army, this brought me to join a company called Exotic Metals after being turned down due to lack of experience by Insitu (created the Scan Eagle UAV for Boeing)

Exotic is a reputable company that supplies both Boeing and Airbus as well as Pratt and Whitney with specialty fabricated parts.

My biggest hurdle now is that i would like to eventually be part of the figureheads in aviation, for example working for a AAA company such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin etc.

My question is should use my GI Bill and State Tuition Assistance to attend a school specializing in aerospace (Embry Riddle, Technical schools etc) or should i go for my A&P license? My dream job would be to work on unmanned aircraft for Boeing because they are very close to where i live and seem like a great company.

From my understanding an A&P would help get my foot in the door but for unmanned would it be better to get a more specialized degree?

Other than this is it really as simple as researching and applying or does it take years and more training to land a job like this?

Thank you very much for reading and any advice is greatly appreciated.

bedrock

For unmanned aircraft, wouldn't robotics be a good degree field or something in the field of materials mfg? Why not actually interview people in the field you want to pursue? Technology is changing so fast, that academia is at least 5 yrs behind.