Technically, I’m an astrophysicist. I study space through telescopes. But, I’m on the team building Ireland’s first satellite EIRSAT-1, which means that I’m also a space scientist. Space scientists and space engineers have to combine astrophysics knowledge with engineering knowledge to get things to space. How will satellites get into space, and what kind of science will they do when they get there. I think I get the best of both worlds, because I see the science and the engineering of building and testing a satellite.
I first became an electrical engineer, but over time I got more involved in mechanical engineering, and that is what I do now.
In practice, engineers need to be good at different types of engineering at the same time. For example, cars are really mechanical, but they have a lot of electrical and electronic stuff as well. So a good car designer needs to know about electronics as well as mechanical engineering.
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