Space Careers

In this chapter

We explore how and why to network through organizations, symposia, and events for networking opportunities.

“Skill is fine, and genius is splendid, but
the right contacts are more valuable than either.”

—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Regardless of your current or future needs, networking is one of the most important activities for advancing your career. In many cases, it is not what you know, but whom you know, and it’s whom you know that can give you information few have. Statistics show that classified ads make up only 10–15 percent of all available jobs.

Prior to moving to Washington, DC, one of the authors met with an industry consultant. The consultant didn’t know of any positions within his organization, but he suggested that I contact three other people he knew and said to mention that he referred me. One of those three suggested talking to a small company down the hall, which was expanding at the time. This led to a job offer.

To network effectively, think about who might be a good contact. Your list should include the following: family, friends, college professors, college alumni, present and former supervisors, people you’ve met at industry events, and people you’ve met at social events.

1. Contacts provide valuable information about existing or upcoming opportunities, which are never published.

2. A contact may not be helpful immediately, but may become valuable in the future. Example: A recent graduate met an insurance broker at a luncheon. Three years later, the broker started a venture capital fund and invested in an idea the former student had. Remember: You never know who will end up where.

3. A company recruiter is more likely to hire someone who comes with a recommendation from a current employee. Networking gives you contacts on the inside.

You will need to tailor your questions according to the contact you are talking to—someone working in your area of interest, personnel manager, friend of the family, etc. However, the following questions are meant to help guide you in general for questions you may want answered.

• What sort of positions is your company filling today or expect to be filling in the future?

• How important is it for a person in a position of this type to have knowledge of the industry? (e.g., this would be more important for a job in public relations, media, legal, etc., than for the duties of a propulsion engineer.)

• What are the required qualifications and training for an entry-level position?

In turn, expect that the people you talk with will ask you the following questions:

• Where did you get my name? (It’s usually helpful to mention this in advance, as they may be more willing to meet with you, if they know who referred you.)

In order to keep track of the details of your networking experience, it is recommended that you take advantage of today’s technology to keep notes on the following. Your records should prove useful as well as providing you with discipline for the future.

• Name and title of each person you contacted

• The company and address

• How did you find this person? Who referred you?

• The date of contact.

• Your method of contact—via telephone, letter, at a meeting

• The context of your discussion

• Any follow-up that is required

Establishing a professional network online is a critical asset that you will rely on over time. Whether it’s to keep track of colleagues as they change positions, reach out to them to learn of opportunities, or to identify new relationships, an online presence is as important to an individual as it is to a business. And while it only takes a little bit of time to set up a profile, managing it will take a bit more, but from a networking perspective it is worth it. It is an integral part to identifying colleagues and keeping in touch as they move throughout their, and your, career.

Still keep in mind that a professional profile needs to be conservatively managed. As the saying goes, “think before you post.” As a professional, you need to always control your image because nothing on the Internet truly disappears. More and more companies are reviewing profiles of prospective applicants, whether LinkedIn, Facebook, or another site, to see what they’ve said about past employers and colleagues and to determine what level of professionalism they bring to the table.

Make use of LinkedIn Groups to connect with other alumni as well as to identify those working for a company you are interested in. Many of the larger organizations also post open positions on their LinkedIn page.

Now that you’ve determined what questions to ask and what information you seek, it is time to get involved and seek out people with similar interests. Much of the networking in an industry takes place at the following:

• Sessions at conferences and symposia

• Exhibitions at conferences

• Association events, including industry speakers, networking breakfasts and luncheons

• University alumni events

Conferences and their exhibit areas are usually sponsored by industry publications, associations, or technical societies. If you don’t have the money to attend, don’t worry. You can usually gain admittance to the exhibit area for free or a nominal charge.

Walking around the exhibit floor is a highly valuable networking exercise. In fact, if your primary purpose is networking, rather than expanding your understanding of a subject being explained by a speaker or presenter, the exhibit floor is where you want to be. Instead of sitting in a “classroom,” you are talking to people.

This does not mean you should avoid the sessions. If you are registered for the conference, and there is a speaker talking on the area in which you are interested in working, it is highly advised that you listen to the talk and approach the speaker after the session has ended. Session breaks are often the best opportunities to network.

The space industry is home to dozens of organizations— professional, technical, and social—which provide information and bring together like-minded individuals. With more than a hundred events of different sizes and located around the world, they provide an excellent chance to network; whether it is a technology, i.e., the AIAA Space Propulsion Conference or the AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference; a focus point, i.e., The Hosted Payload and Smallsat Summit or the AAS International Space Station Research and Development Conference; or as part of a continuing education requirement, i.e., the American Bar Association’s Forum on Air and Space Law.

The easiest way to identify these opportunities is to keep track of the professional organizations that best relate to your area of interest. Even if you are not a member, details for many of these events will appear on their websites. What follows are some of the larger associations and groups and the major industry exhibitions that draw the largest crowds.

With more than 35,000 individual members and 100 corporate members, AIAA is the world’s largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. It offers a number of scholarly journals, technical book series, an aerospace library, and a database containing more than two million abstracts, sponsors nearly two dozen technical meetings each year, and hosts nearly 100 technical and standards committees.

AIAA
1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA 20191-4344
Tel: +1 (703) 264-7500
http://www.aiaa.org

Founded in 1954, the AAS has long been recognized for the excellence of its national meetings, technical meetings, symposia, and publications and for their impact on shaping the U.S. space program. Members have opportunities to meet with leaders in their field and in related disciplines, exchange information and ideas, discuss career aspirations and expand their knowledge and expertise. Among its activities are the annual Goddard Symposium (Washington, DC), the von Braun Symposium (Huntsville, Alabama), and publication of the Journal of Astronautical Sciences and Space Times magazine.

The IAF is an international space advocacy organization based in Paris, France, and founded in 1951 to foster dialogue among scientists around the world and support international cooperation in all space-related activities. Its 270 members from 64 countries around the world are drawn from space agencies, industry, professional associations, government organizations and learned societies. It is linked with the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) with whom the IAF organizes the annual International Astronautical Congress.

IAF
94 bis, Avenue de Suffren, Paris France 75015
Tel: +33 (1) 45.67.42.60
http://www.iafastro.org/

SSPI promotes the growth of the satellite industry by educating the public and end users about the contributions of satellites and connecting satellite professionals worldwide through education, knowledge-sharing and fostering professional relations. In addition to an annual gala and awards ceremony held during the Satellite ‘XX’ conference in Washington, DC, the group hosts regional speakers and networking events sponsored by local chapters.

SSPI International HQ
250 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10177
Tel: +1 (212) 809-5199
http://www.sspi.org

Founded in 1934, the ASPRS is a scientific association serving over 7,000 professional members around the world. The mission is to advance knowledge and improve understanding of mapping sciences to promote the responsible applications of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and supporting technologies.

ASPRS
5410 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 210, Bethesda, MD 20814-2160
Tel: +1 (301) 493-0290
http://www.asprs.org

Located in Washington, DC, with chapters in the National Space Club is a non-profit organization devoted to fostering excellence in space activity through interaction between industry and government, and through a continuing program of educational support. Awards are offered to recognize significant achievements in space science and enterprise. Scholarships and other education support are a major focus of club activity. It hosts the annual Goddard Memorial Dinner in Washington, DC, known as the “Space Prom.”

National Space Club
204 E Street, NE Washington, DC 20002
Tel: +1 (202) 547-0060
http://www.spaceclub.org

The National Space Society (NSS) is an independent, educational, grassroots, non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. Founded as the National Space Institute (1974) and L5 Society (1975), which merged to form NSS in 1987, NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen’s voice on space. NSS has over 50 chapters in the United States and around the world. The society also publishes Ad Astra magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space. Focused on exploration and development and the settlement of space.

National Space Society
1155 15th Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20005-2725
Tel: +1 (202) 429-1600
http://www.nss.org

The Planetary Society, founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman, is a membership organization of individuals with a goal to inspire and involve the world’s public in space exploration through advocacy, projects, and education. Areas of interest include searching for life in the universe, hunting for Earthlink planets, and scanning the skies for dangerous asteroids. Its flagship magazine is The Planetary Report, which features articles and photos to provide comprehensive coverage of discoveries on Earth and other planets.

The Planetary Society
85 South Grand Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105
Tel: +1 (626) 793-5100
http://www.planetary.org

Founded in 1988, the Space Frontier Foundation is an advocacy organization committed to realizing the vision of a greatly expanded and permanent human presence in space.

SEDS, typically located at a university, is a non-profit organization of passionate and driven students dedicated to expanding the role of human exploration and development of space.

Among the hundreds of conferences, symposia, and events hosted by these and other space-related organizations, some draw the largest crowds.

Sponsored by the U.S. Space Foundation and held annually in the spring in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the policy-focused conference and exhibition feature a range of companies and organizations involved with the military, civil, and commercial space programs. The event draws a number of military officers involved locally with the U.S. Space Command, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, and the Air Force Academy.

Sponsored by the Satellite Group of Access Intelligence, the publisher of the industry trade journal, Via Satellite, the event is the premier event for satellite-enabled communications. The event offers technical sessions, symposia, and a exhibition area. Held in Washington, DC, usually in March, it attracts more than 12,000 visitors and a few hundred corporate exhibitors, which focus on satellite and component manufacturing and services related to the utilization of satellites for communications solutions and other applications.

Held in New York City, the CCW+SATCON incorporates several important vertical markets under one roof with an expo that features the latest satellite, fiber, broadband, wireless, and hybrid network technologies for government, military, broadcasters, telecommunications, enterprise firms, IP Networking, mobile communications, and emergency response applications.

Dedicated to the technical and business aspects of small satellites, the show draws more than 1,000 people, including many smaller organizations and universities.

Robert Goddard Memorial Symposium (Washington, DC)
von Braun Memorial Symposium (Huntsville, AL)

Two-day long space policy discussions, which are sponsored by the American Astronautical Society.

American Astronautical Society
6352 Rolling Mill Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22152-2370
Tel: +1 (703) 866-0020
http://www.astronautical.org

The annual conference of the National Space Society. The conference covers several broad areas of study related to building a spacefaring civilization, including transportation to and through space, technology needed to live and work in space, and Earth-based activities to advocate for or educate others about space development.

National Space Society
1155 15th Street NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20005-2725
Tel: +1 (202) 429-1600
http://isdc.nss.org

Drawing from its government, industrial, and academic users from around the world, this annual event, held in a different country and location each year, is the largest gathering of space professionals focused on human spaceflight, robotic spaceflight, exploration, and science.

Its mission is to promote the growth of space and space-related industry in Colorado.

The Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is the industry association of leading businesses and organizations working to make commercial human spaceflight a reality.

The Future Space Leaders Foundation is dedicated to the advancement of career development opportunities for the next generation of space and satellite industry professionals.

MSBR is an organization that encourages the growth and development of aerospace-related business in Maryland. Each month, the MSBR holds an event with guest speakers that represent a cross-section of top political, NASA, and DoD leaders.

3235 Atlee Ridge Rd, New Windsor, MD 21776
Tel: +1 (443) 340-4634
www.mdspace.org

SGAC works on the international, national and local level to link together university students and young professionals to think creatively about international space policy issues and inject the new generation point of view into international space policy creation.

Space Transportation Association is dedicated to supporting policies that advance robust, affordable space transportation for NASA, DOD, and commercial markets. The association’s corporate members are launch manufacturers and launch service providers. STA Breakfast Series hosts speakers and a forum to chat about issues.

Its primary activity is a monthly luncheon, which brings together a broad range of executives, government policy makers, lawyers, insurers, analysts, academics, and thought leaders involved in the business of space in the metropolitan Washington region.

c/o Longbottom Communications, LLC
2343 N. Vernon Street, Arlington, VA 22207-4056
Tel: +1 (703) 528-5492
http://www.wsbr.org/about.html

WIA is dedicated to expanding women’s opportunities for leadership and increasing their visibility in the aerospace community. The membership of women and men shares an interest in a broad spectrum of aerospace issues, including human spaceflight, aviation, remote sensing, satellite communications, robotic space exploration, and the policy issues surrounding these fields.

Yuri’s Night is a global celebration of humanity’s past, present, and future in space. Yuri’s Night parties and events are held around the world every April in commemoration of Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human to venture into space on April 12, 1961, and the inaugural launch of the first Space Shuttle on April 12, 1981.