Need Advice for Landing a Job in the Space Industry
I'm a US based, self-taught software engineer with 3 years of professional experience. I mostly have experience creating automation programs using Python and PowerShell, interacting/building APIs, creating GUIs, and building websites (typically with Next.js). I'm really passionate about Space Exploration and would love to get a career in the industry where I could play even just a small part in advancing our spacefaring technology. I'd appreciate any advice that anyone currently/previously in the industry could offer, companies you'd recommend, the best way to apply to these companies, or even languages/tech stacks I should focus on learning to have a better chance with my career path. This is the first time I've looked into actually working in the space industry, so I don't have much prior knowledge of what tech stacks/languages are currently the industry standard (or ones that the industry is transitioning to). Thanks to anyone who takes the time to leave a helpful comment; it truly means a lot! Obligatory TOC: $95k #airline #aviation #spaceflight #spacex #nasa #blueorigin #startek
When my daugher was completing her MS-AE she was contacted by several contracting companies for work at NASA: KBR, Booz Allen + all the usual defense firms such as Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, etc. The Aerospace Corporation is a large company with employees throughout the US that works on space mission for commercial and government clients. Many, but not all, of the positions will require you to get a security clearance, which means you must be a US citizen.
I'm a US citizen, and I shouldn't have any issues with getting a security clearance.
Spam apply SpaceX and tell them you’re passionate. Teams are growing and need people who are passionate. Some team will pick you up. Edit: don’t be discouraged if one team says no. Different teams have different priorities and looking for different things in a candidate; to the best of my knowledge doing poorly on one team’s interview does not preclude you from other SpaceX opportunities.
Thanks for the advice and the encouragement! Do you have any suggestions for things to emphasize on my resume or on the online application to improve my chances on getting an interview at SpaceX? Also, have you enjoyed your time working at SpaceX? What's been your experience working there? Thanks again for taking the time to reply!
Honestly just whatever the job req asks for that you are comfortable with. Be ready to talk about the full stack in web development: the whole pipeline and how everything connects, at least from a high level perspective. Taking a second look, I think you might wanna take a look specifically at application software positions.
Concur. Also hit up people in your network for informational interviews and read up on the industry. My experience was that working hard at getting hired was very good prep for ramping and delivering on the job.
Absolute agree. SpaceX recruiters don’t put stuff on the req randomly. They communicate with the managers/teams through the interview to vet the right culture and technical fit, the stuff they say you need is the stuff you actually need for the job.
Honestly I don't have anyone in my current network (LinkedIn or anywhere else) that works in the industry. I haven't been great at networking in the past, but it's a skill that I've been trying to learn and improve recently. Do you have any advice on how to make those network-specific connections and build those relationships? Besides reading up on the industry and reaching out to people, what steps did you take to learn/utilize some of the tools/languages/etc that were required for your current position? Did you contribute to open source projects? Thanks for the tips in your last reply!
My company is recruiting for space development jobs. Please take a look. https://www.psware.com/careers/
I'll do that right now! Thanks for sharing!
I applied for a ton of positions at Performance Software. Do you have any other suggestions that could help me with getting hired there? Thanks a ton for telling me about them! They seem like a great company!
Let me know if are interested in National labs.
I hadn't considered it before, but I can see myself enjoying that! Do you mind if I message you about it?
For a second I read it as “need advice landing a rover in space”
No, not yet. With any luck, that'll be my next post!