Space Careers

The next three chapters take you through what are perhaps the most valuable lessons you can learn in your professional career:

• Identifying the opportunities and the resources that can assist your job hunting efforts

• Learning the value of networking and where to do it

• Taking the next step…words of wisdom from an industry executive on how to make a firm want to hire you.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.

—Steve Jobs
Apple Corporation

After completing your search for employment in the space industry, you will realize that the resources and knowledge you uncovered during your search are similar to those used when searching for employment in other industries—classified advertisements, industry publications, the Internet, etc.

Similarly, industry recruiters will give the same kind of advice to those considering employment in this business that they would to others.

• Today’s global economy stresses flexibility, the ability to adapt skills to different tasks. Employees who can handle a wide range of tasks will be in higher demand.

• Keep in mind that even when companies downsize or reduce staff, many are still hiring to fill needs.

• Small and mid-size companies have historically grown faster than large companies and do much of the hiring in an industry.

• It is usually easier to transfer from within a company than to get the exact position you want when first applying.

• If you’re on the outside of the industry looking in, it may not be as difficult as it appears to obtain a position within the space industry. Although the retail and space industries would appear to have little in common, an employee from the retail industry could bring in needed knowledge in distribution and marketing.

• Traits such as communication skills and the ability to work well in a group are highly desirable.

You’ve started to take the first step to getting a solid foundation on the industry by reading this book, but the space industry has a wide range of opportunities. After you begin to narrow your choices on what type of job you are interested in—for example, rocket engineering vs. telecommunications marketing vs. environmental monitoring—your next step is to identify companies, but more so, you should focus your initial research on:

What is the makeup of the company or organization (do you prefer big or small)?

Is it in R&D mode or does it market products and services?

Is it an established company, an entrepreneurial startup, or government organization?

What specific products/missions is it working on?

Company websites: Explore the site to gain a better understanding

Online Search: Type in the name of an organization or a project. You’d be amazed what can be online.

Survey Media Coverage: Can be a valuable source to identify current activities and names of key personnel.

LinkedIn (and competitors): Search for the company, review what is written (it’ll be a short synopsis), and make note of any people you know or contacts that you’d like to make. Make note of employees who went to the same university, previously worked at the same company, etc.

Industry Trade Publications

University Career and Professional Development Centers

Industry Associations

Internet and Print Classified Advertisements

PUBLICATIONS
Trade publications and those targeting industry “enthusiasts” can be a valuable source of information to give you a better understand of the topics, trends, and programs that have people talking.

While classified advertising in the industry’s trade publications have historically been limited, publications such as Space News, Via Satellite, Aviation Week and Space Technology, and Aerospace America, do contain a handful of job openings. The titles of other industry publications can be found by going to your public library and asking the reference librarian for Gale’s Directory of Publications or by reviewing an industry directory, such as the International Satellite Directory or the Satellite Industry Directory.

Local papers in cities with a heavy industry concentration, such as the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Florida Today, and the Houston Chronicle, usually contain more ads than the industry publications. A search in a recent high-technology supplement of the Washington Post revealed more than 100 space-related job descriptions from around the United States.

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
As part of their missions, most associations usually have a goal of educating members and the public. As part of this goal, many of them maintain a formal or informal mechanism for notifying members about open positions. Usually, the associations promote these in one of three ways: via advertisement in their member publication, via advertisement on their website, or via job fairs or posted job bulletins at their conferences.

With the diversity of skills needs and the activities and skills taking place within the space industry, a wide range of associations exist focusing on everything from specific technical disciplines to enthusiasts interested in promoting the exploration of space. Joining an association allows you to keep on top of the industry in your area of interest and provides you with the opportunity at conferences and meetings to network and meet others.

A list of associations and regular industry conferences can be found in Chapter 8: Networking.

INTERNET RESOURCES: GAINING A SOLID FOUNDATION ONLINE
The Internet is by far the best source for finding available positions and researching companies, with a vast array of resources to explore. Many companies, especially the larger ones, offer links from the main homepage to a database of open positions within the company. Additionally, many (but not all) are compiled by specialty sites devoted to employment opportunities. Some contain more information than others and many do not contain categories directly related to space employment. So you may have to be patient and type in a number of search terms beyond that of space, satellite, NASA, etc. So don’t be discouraged if the first site you evaluate doesn’t have any positions related to your keyword(s).

The employment sites with the largest number of unique monthly visitors (more than 20 million) are:

Additionally, many of the large print newspapers, near NASA or defense facilities with industrial hubs focused on space, still generate significant revenues from classified advertisements. Among these worth searching are:

University career services and professional development offices are another good source of job opportunities. While these offices are set up to help current students or graduates of the university, many allow limited use by the general public as a community service. Career services and professional development offices receive open position notices from many companies that have had success in the past hiring students or graduates from that university. In addition to announcing entry level positions, many firms will also submit announcements for more senior personnel.

Many colleges and university career centers, along with more than 5 million employers participate in the NACElink Network, an alliance including the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The network is a national recruiting network and suite of Web-based recruiting and career services tools focused on new graduates entering the workforce. The site allow on-campus usage without a password and off-campus usage with a password, the system contains all the job postings that private organizations want to announce to members of that universities’ community. Each company specifies which universities it wants to have access to the specific announcements. One open position may be viewed only by Cornell and MIT, while another position may state Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Princeton, and the University of Maryland. Passwords and logon information can be received from the alumni or career services and professional development offices at each university.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES
Don’t forget a search at your public library. In addition to numerous books on writing résumés, interview skills, etc, the reference section of the library contains numerous publications and access to databases which are generally out of the financial reach of the average job seeker. Among these resources will be:

• Directories providing details on public, private, and non-profit organizations

• Information on the major employers in a given geographic area

Appendix B contains a list of organizations to aid you in your search. With nearly 2,000 organizations operating in the sector, it is only a small piece of what is out there. We’ve tried to provide a list representing larger firms, institutions that are doing significant hiring, and some that we expect you’d be looking for.

Before writing to an organization, we recommend that you call first or visit their website to learn more about the organization and its specializations and capabilities and to identify the appropriate point of contact for recruiting/personnel matters.

OTHER OPTIONS
Keep in mind that, in addition to direct employment, there are other options you may want to consider—specifically, temporary or contract assignments or starting your own firm.

If you are interested in evaluating an organization, evaluating an employment activity you are capable of performing but are unsure if you want a career in, or want to work short-term to see a different area of the world, you may want to investigate non-permanent employment. Also, if you are trying to work for a specific company that does not have a current opening, a temporary position can allow you to get your foot in the door. This approach allows companies to evaluate employees and their performances prior to hiring them on a permanent basis.

Contract employment positions are generally short-term assignments (three months to two years) for technical positions. These positions typically pay substantially better than direct employment, as they usually carry no benefits or any guarantee of having the contract extended for any period of time. It can also give you the opportunity to work overseas (more on this later). Needless to say, there is no job security as a contract employee.

Important note: Never work with a contract employment agency that asks for payment for their services. Reputable firms are paid by the organization looking for talent.

Additionally, many companies also make use of local temporary agencies to fill administrative, professional, or technical positions. Most of these agencies can be found in a search of your target area.

Remember: Although designed to be temporary, the job that you’re hired to do could lead to a permanent position with the firm if those around you are satisfied with your performance. This is similar to some of the reasons why cooperative education (COOP) assignments and summer employment are important to finding future employment (as mentioned in Chapter 6 on Colleges and Universities).

CJ Hunter.com / Contract Employment Weekly
The CJHunter.com website and its print publication:

Belcan Corporation provides engineering, staffing, and other flexible workforce solutions to clients around the globe. https://belcantechnicalstaffing.com

A market leading specialist in the provision of IT and engineering staffing, consultancy and business solutions. Delivers solutions to over 2,500 clients from offices in 60 locations. http://www.modis.co.uk/

Got a better way of doing something? Perhaps there is a technology that you developed or worked with and think is great, but no one at your organization wants to do anything commercial with it. There is something exciting about wanting to take control, be your own boss, and control your own destiny. And if you can change the world or challenge the status quo in the process, even better. Entrepreneurism is hot and new firms are being created by those who simply choose the option of stepping outside and setting up their own organization.

Many space industry ventures do not require billions of dollars to get off the ground. Office expenses for software and hardware have become so modest that it does not always require a vast sum to set up a business. Anyone with a computer and programming skills can create a computer or mobile app and bring it to market. Likewise, there are many people who offer public relations, marketing research, and consulting services because the cost and the effort to launch are manageable. If you’re an entrepreneur and have some experience, perhaps starting your own company is the answer.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is a federal program that was started as a means to ensure that small firms were able to get some of the vast amounts of research and development funding spent by the government. The SBIR competition was designed to set aside a pool of money for which only small companies could compete. Over time the program has grown to distribute almost $1 billion annually, given out by the eleven federal agencies. Among the agencies that have SBIR programs and space-related topics in their solicitations are NASA, the Department of Defense, and NOAA.

Companies that win (historically, about one in seven or eight) can receive up to $100,000 for a Phase I, six-month effort, which can be followed by a Phase II award of up to $750,000. Companies retain the non-government intellectual property rights for four years.

For solicitations listing the technical topics under this program, contact the Small Business Administration or any of the participating federal agencies.

The Small Business Administration offers guarantees of up to 80 percent on loans made by banks or lending institutions to small businesses. Those SBA-backed loans allow the financial institution to make riskier loans to new companies without a track record and without substantial collateral. Contact for this program is through your local bank or through the regional SBA Office (check your local listings). Not all banks participate or are familiar with the program, so you will need to inquire.

Many university business schools have established programs that can provide an individual or a company with a mentor—someone who has worked in or who has retired from industry. These mentors usually have extensive experience and provide advice on a variety of business-related topics, usually at no or minimal charge. Even if your local college or university doesn’t have a program, inquire whether anyone there is aware of someone who might be willing to assist you with advice.

While many in the United States would like to work overseas—in Europe perhaps—the opportunities outside the United States for an American citizen are limited—unless they have several years of technical experience in a needed discipline. To reduce unemployment, many countries have imposed strict rules and regulations that state how and when companies can hire someone from outside the country.

For instance, a French company must first offer the position to a French national and then to a member of the European community before it can be offered to a citizen of the United States.

Note that the United States has similar laws. Historically, however, it has been much easier for a foreign national to get a job in the United States than the other way around.

If you are determined to find employment opportunities overseas, we recommend trying these methods:

1. Working as an employee of a U.S.-based company assigned to an overseas office

2. Working with a contract employment agency that specializes in bringing in high-tech talent for short-term (usually up to two years) assignments

3. Contacting non-U.S. companies and government agencies directly to determine their needs and ask for their assistance

4. Searching the Internet

Though most positions usually go to citizens of the host nation, most of which are either government entities or funded by government entities, hiring of non-citizens is not unknown.

The following sites will provide you with information about a number of non-U.S. organizations and government agencies

*Space News* 1414 Prince Street, Suite 300 Alexandria, VA. 22314 Tel: +1 (571) 421-2300 info@SpaceNews.com www.spacenews.com	*Via Satellite* 4 Choke Cherry Rd, Rockville, MD 20850 Tel: +1 (301) 354-2000 http://www.accessintel.com/
Aviation Week 1911 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22209 Tel: +1 (800) 525-5003 Tel: +1 (847) 763-9147 www.aviationweek.com	*Aerospace America (AIAA)* 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500 Reston, VA 20191-4344 Tel: +1 (703) 264-7500 http://www.aerospaceamerica.org/

*Air and Space* Smithsonian Institution PO Box 37012 MRC 513 Washington, DC 20013-7012 Tel: 2026336070 http://www.airspacemag.com/ist/?next=/	*Ad Astra* National Space Society 1155 15th Street NW, STE 500 Washington, DC 20005-2725 Tel: (202) 429-1600 nsshq@nss.org http://www.nss.org/adastra/
*Quest: The History of Spaceflight* PO Box 5752 Bethesda, MD 20824-5752 http://www.spacehistory101.com	*Spaceflight* British Interplanetary Society London, United Kingdom http://www.bis-space.com/what-we-do/publications

www.space.com	www.universetoday.com
www.thespacereview.com	www.spaceref.com
www.spacepolicyonline.com	spacereport.blogspot.com
www.nasawatch.com	spacenews.com/thedownlink/
www.spaceflightnow.com	acuriousguy.blogspot.com

• Indeed.com	http://www.indeed.com
• Monster.com	http://www.monster.com
• Glassdoor.com	http://www.glassdoor.com
• Careerbuilder.com	http://www.careerbuilder.com

• Space Careers	http://www.space-careers.com
• Space Job Center	http://www.spacejobcenter.com
• Matchtech	http://www.matchtech.com/aerospace-jobs/

• Houston Chronicle	http://www.chron.com/jobs
• Washington Post	https://jobs.washingtonpost.com/
• Los Angeles Times	http://www.latimes.com/business/jobs/

Brazil / National Institute for Space Research	http://www.inpe.br/ingles
Brazil / Agencia Espacial Brasileira	http://www.aeb.gov.br/
Canadian Space Agency	http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/

European Space Agency	http://www.esa.int
France / CNES	http://www.cnes.fr
Germany / DLR	http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/
Italy / Italian Space Agency	http://www.asi.it
Russian Federal Space Agency	http://en.federalspace.ru/
UK Space Agency	https://www.gov.uk/government/ organisations/uk-space-agency

Japan / JAXA	http://global.jaxa.jp/
India/ Indian Space Research Organization	http://isro.gov.in
Korea / Korea Aerospace Research Institute	http://eng.kari.re.kr/