Looking for some advice in propulsion engineering
This sub in my experience has some of the smartest people in the industry, so I figured this would be a helpful place to ask - What exactly is propulsion engineering? The differences vs what you learn in school vs what you practice in the field? For some background I'm a junior student at a top engineering school for aeroE with one of the best propulsion programs in the country. I've really enjoyed thermodynamics when I took it my sophomore year and am currently interning at a prime for materials engineering. I am looking at specializing in propulsion my senior year and curious to know what propulsion engineering is and the work it entails. I find both air breathing and rocket very cool, and would like to explore the possibility of working at a space company my next summer as well. I've got 0 rocket design experience (my research in school was primarily in AM/Carbon Fibers) so I plan on joining a rocket design club when I return in the Fall - things like fuel injectors, turbopumps I find cool but don't quite fully understand - I also don't really know the kind of work that rocket design clubs do so I was looking for some insight on that as well. I guess what I really wanted to ask is what work clubs do/delegate to entry level students without prior propulsion experience, and what kind of resources I could read up on/learn this summer to better prepare myself for the fall. I made it to the final round interview of a very large & prestigious space company (was rejected in the end) so I know my profile is good enough for internships in the summer and the coming semesters after the Fall.