?s re:Switching to Career in Space Industry

[rocketfan9]

Hi there, everyone,

I was wondering if I could get advice on what it would take to switch careers and get a space-related job. I have a Master's degree in music and have been working in education nonprofit management for the last 4 years, but I feel increasingly motivated about finding an entry into a space-related field. Grew up wanting to be an astronaut, but caught the music bug and took it pretty far before deciding career viability and prospects were too low to continue in that field.

I've considered getting an MBA and trying to get a job in supply chain, sales, administrative management, or something else on the business side of a commercial space company. Preparing to apply for business school is where my efforts are going right now. Very interested in SpaceX and the work they're doing with Falcon 9, Starship, and Starlink. Also would be interested in exploring the policy/govt relations side, but don't have experience or a vision for what that could look like yet.

In addition to b-school prep, I've applied for several jobs over the last few months at Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Rocket Lab - administrative assistant positions, as well as a few other entry level things. My worries are that, even if I could get a non-technical position, it might not offer many opportunities for advancement. An MBA could help me get into a company at a higher level, which would be more desirable at this point in my career.

Would an MBA, especially if I could get into a decent school, be the best method to get into this industry?

Should I continue to look for entry level jobs with these companies, and are there others I should be watching?

Is there another path I haven't considered?

Appreciate any and all input, and this forum has already been a great help to my learning so far. Thanks!

[Coastal Ron]

I was wondering if I could get advice on what it would take to switch careers and get a space-related job. I have a Master's degree in music and have been working in education nonprofit management for the last 4 years...

Yes, not exactly what is needed for aerospace, but having a degree in anything is a good start.

I've considered getting an MBA and trying to get a job in supply chain, sales, administrative management, or something else on the business side of a commercial space company.

Where are you located? Specially, which metro area are you in? That determine a lot of your options.

My background is in manufacturing operations, and if you are interested at all in supply chain management then you should check out APICS, which is one of the professional certification and educational organizations for that arena.

Even in supply chain management there are a wide variety of jobs, all the way from warehousing (i.e. inventory control) to scheduling on the factory floor, to procurement, contracts and finance/accounting.

About the only advice I can offer is that you scout out job openings for the companies that you think you'd like to work for, and then look into what it would take to get the education needed to perform that job. Don't try to be a generalist for your first job, because that likely won't work. Companies are looking for specific skills. Plus you can't be a generalist without experience (I've been one), so you need to pick one field and focus on it - then you can move later on.

Preparing to apply for business school is where my efforts are going right now. Very interested in SpaceX and the work they're doing with Falcon 9, Starship, and Starlink.

Do you know how to weld stainless steel? If so you'd probably be able to get a job in Boca Chica tomorrow. But otherwise I think they are looking for people that already have experience in the fields they are hiring for - they can afford to be picky.

In addition to b-school prep, I've applied for several jobs over the last few months at Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Rocket Lab - administrative assistant positions, as well as a few other entry level things. My worries are that, even if I could get a non-technical position, it might not offer many opportunities for advancement. An MBA could help me get into a company at a higher level, which would be more desirable at this point in my career.

A couple of thoughts:

A. While you could apply to an "A Team" company and get hired, that should NOT be your goal. Your goal should be to get a job and LEARN. Until you work in a position you won't know if you want to dedicate your life to it - and you have already shown that you are not good at forecasting your future (sorry, that is the hiring manager in me looking at your resume).

B. Pick something, anything, to start, and focus on that. You need to spend a couple of years at something before you get good at it, and get to the point where you are more of a "hot commodity" on the job market. Employers have become very picky, so you need to have some real life work experience to wow them.

C. And while it would be great to work for SpaceX, your goal is to find a job you LOVE, regardless who you are working for. That should be your guiding light.

Would an MBA, especially if I could get into a decent school, be the best method to get into this industry?

Honestly, no. An MBA for a position that doesn't require an MBA doesn't make me want to hire someone, because I'm thinking they are over qualified and won't want to stay long.

Should I continue to look for entry level jobs with these companies, and are there others I should be watching?

If you can find one, YES! Take whatever job you can get to get started, because once you are inside of a medium to big company it is easier to get a job elsewhere in the company.

My $0.02

[joek]

To expand on Coastal Ron's comments...

As hiring manager for many hi-tech companies over the last few decades... I don't care what your credentials are.  I don't care what school you graduated from.  I don't care what your GPA was.  I don't care what you did X years ago.  I want to know what you did in the last 2-3 years that is relevant to the job.

That said, if you are fresh out of school, the institution you graduated from and your GPA may count for more.  But never fear... a few years down the road and you have more than sufficient opportunity to prove your worth.

In short, would take someone who has shown substantive work and proved their worth in practice any day of the week over someone with a long list of degrees-certification who has not.  I think there is way too much emphasis on credentials and the perceived need to keep up with the 20-somethings (recent grads).

As Coastal Ron suggested, follow you heart.  If you are passionate about what you are doing, life is good.  If not, life will suck--and no amount of schooling or credentials will fix that.

[rocketfan9]

Coastal John - really appreciate the candor in your responses and the time you took to give me your thoughts. To answer a few of the things you brought up:

Metro area - currently in Kansas City, MO. Not really a space town, but if the right (well, at this point, any) opportunity came up, I'd be open to moving.
APICS - funny you should mention this, because I saw a couple job descriptions with APICS certifications and looked it up this afternoon before posting my questions. I'm not yet clear on how I would complete a certification if I wanted to go this route, or how it specifically would benefit my situation, so I need to read into it more.
Generalist vs. specific skills - this is really good advice. Thank you. I am scouting jobs, looking at required skills/experience, but I'm still in the fairly early stages. It's good to get your input on how I should be thinking about this process, and I can see how you'd be right about the fact that companies are looking for skillsets.

To the rest of your points, I'm afraid you're right. The last few years have been a bit rough in terms of developing a cohesive vision for what I want my future to be, and that shows in my experience. I don't want my next opportunity to be an offshoot or whim, and it also feels hard to start a new path after I've already done schooling and worked for a few years. Maybe that's just something I'll need to get over. Again, I do appreciate your responses. They've helped me get perspective.

joek - I value your input, and enjoying and feeling connected to the work is one of my primary reasons for wanting to explore this as a possible new career. Thank you for your perspective on the value of a credential vs. experience and skills.

[Coastal Ron]

Coastal John - really appreciate the candor in your responses and the time you took to give me your thoughts. To answer a few of the things you brought up:

The name is Ron, not John. Details matter, and those that interview you will notice things like this.

BTW, spell checker software will only find typos, it will not find properly spelled words that are used in the wrong context. For correspondence that matters, always proof read what you write before you send it. I remember the days before online resumes, and we used to throw away resumes with obvious typos and writing errors.

Metro area - currently in Kansas City, MO. Not really a space town, but if the right (well, at this point, any) opportunity came up, I'd be open to moving.

If you want to get into manufacturing then check out your local government to see if they have a list of manufacturers, or some sort of manufacturing organization/council. They could also help you understand what jobs are in demand in your local area.

I'm not yet clear on how I would complete a certification if I wanted to go this route, or how it specifically would benefit my situation, so I need to read into it more.

You'd want to wait until you found a job where you could learn the area of expertise before getting APICS certification. When you are graduating from high school it is good to follow your heart on what to study, but once out of college you need to be more strategic - make sure you understand the ROI on your additional education before you start it.

To the rest of your points, I'm afraid you're right. The last few years have been a bit rough in terms of developing a cohesive vision for what I want my future to be, and that shows in my experience.

I went to college to be an aerospace engineer, but it turns out I suck at calculus. After dropping out midway through I stumbled into a job in manufacturing operations, and it turns out I excel at structured information challenges. Life happens, and it doesn't always go in the way we thought it should. You are not alone.

You are lucky if the guesses you made in high school turn out to be right after you graduate from college, but you are far from alone if they don't turn out to be right. But now is the time to focus your efforts, and prepare for some stretches where you could be doing something that isn't too exciting, but it is building up your resume for the future. It is not uncommon.

I LOVE manufacturing, and America still does a lot of it, not only for aerospace but lots of other industries too. And American manufacturing companies are always looking for good people, so be one of those people.

I wish you the best of luck in your career!