Trying to break into aerospace from ad tech/infrastructure development - heard amazing things about NASA's JPL too. Any idea how to break into the space, or recruitment firms to talk to?
I worked in DOD aerospace for 15 years and am glad to be out of it. Some of the projects I worked on were interesting but the pay was horrible... About half what I make now.
How did u make the transition?
Went to a career fair and put up a linked in account. Recruiters from the big companies immediately reached out. I certainly didn't accept any interviews but I guess I did well enough to get a couple of offers. Google's was by far the best. Got a 30 percent raise when I switched but that was just the beginning. 2.5 years later I'm making double what I was. I should have done this fine years sooner.
I spent 9 years at Raytheon and it was so difficult to get "slow" defense out of a recruiters mind. Ended up having to go the contractor route for my first gig for anyone to take me seriously. Everything move incredibly slow. No room for promotion and most of the people that stayed were there because they had no hustle to look elsewhere. Pay is low in comparison and not stock. NASA does cool stuff, the industry as a whole is driven by government spending/ cuts. I left when Obama took over.
Got it. That's exactly what I want to avoid - current job is great with super motivated team members, but pay isn't stellar, and I want to move to LA. I'll shop around to other industries too...
A friend said this is extremely frustrating. Work on something today, see it in production 5-10 years from now.
SpaceX?
That's a great idea too. I'm assuming even harder to break into than NASA though.
SpaceX is known for working people way too hard, and the pay is only marginally more than the primes. Definitely not tech money.
We do have many incredibly cool and fulfilling projects at NASA JPL but if you are not a scientist or engineer directly supporting one of those projects, you may feel like a second class citizen (I've been on both sides here.) The bureaucracy and management hurdles can be a major pain in the butt. But we do have pretty good work/life balance and it can be really fun if you are a space nerd.
Are you still at JPL ?
Whats the best way to get noticed by a recruiter? 10 yrs data science / analytics experience but in finance
NASA may be different than the primes, but I would not get into aerospace. Full of old folks who just want to put in their 9-5 and not try too hard.