Category: Future Career Opportunities

So You Want That Job at NASA?

If I had a dream job this would be the one. Being an Aerospace Engineer at NASA is one of the most difficult positions one could obtain, but I know if we work together, anything is possible. To work in a world-renowned government agency, there are a couple filters an applicant must bob and weave through. NASA’s top priorities are, of course, education and previous work experience in a related field, so a good place to start if you’re thinking of this career is to do the best you can in school mainly focusing on math and science.

Minimum Requirements

I know it can sound a little daunting especially seeing what the minimum requirements are then it’s like, well if that is the minimum, what do I have to do to make myself stand out to secure a position? To answer that question, I will give an example of a job description from USA Jobs for a NASA Aerospace Engineer and provide extra details that they’re subtly suggesting.

Dunbar, Brian. “What Is a Rocket?” NASA, NASA, 20 May 2015, http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-a-rocket-k4.html.

Aerospace Engineer (AST, Aerospace Flight Systems)

This career a typical high-level position among aerospace engineers at NASA. That being said, this is our goal that we will work up to over time. Although this is not where we are going to start right after college, we can build up some skills that this career needs from an early standpoint. There are hard skills and soft skills that we must learn to become competitive applicants but some examples include showing improvements in efficiency, proving leadership, and facilitating work flow. Once we build our skills, we are bound to get promoted. A good thing to look into before getting promoted is what are some of the new responsibilities you will attain.

The responsibilities of this career include “Provide day-to-day technical direction, coordination and integration to the team of Element LSEs to confirm a technically integrated vehicle system with the SLS Lead Systems Engineer (LSE)” (USA Jobs). All this means is that you’re the big boss who makes decisions based on your expertise. Now I’m not saying that you’re going to have the highest chair and just sign off on paperwork, you will also be on the floor working on projects. You’re essentially the manager that all other engineers look up to. Due to the high level of authority this position holds, there are additional special documents required.

One of these documents is a security clearance. This position holds the top security clearance at NASA titled, secret (I know it sounds spooky and awesome at the same time). According to the USA Jobs website, ” A special sensitive position security has the potential to cause inestimable damage to the national security” (USA Jobs). So pretty much if you were that one tattle-tale back in elementary school, we might want to brush up on that skill.

I was once told that if you can gain a security clearance, through a previous job, while you’re still an undergraduate at a university, government agencies are more likely to hire you. One way to do this is to simply apply for NASA’s undergraduate summer internship positions. They’re very competitive but if you’re lucky enough to land an internship, the possibilities are endless.

In addition, a resume and background check are required before receiving a formal offer. Your resume should be heavily project based and show, in detail, previous work experience relating to the position you’re applying for. NASA probably doesn’t want any delinquents working in their company, so just do your best to stay out of trouble.

Skills That You Can Work On Now

Hard Skills

  • Computer Programs: MATLAB, Solidworks, Patran, LabVIEW, Esprit, OrCAD Cadence, Python, AutoCAD
  • Hands-on Work, this is usually from working on projects in classes or clubs
  • Communication is key, since you’re mainly working in teams, being able to communicate what you want effectively is critical. Also given the NASA career above, you will most likely have to present ideas and findings to your boss whom might not be in your related field. Being able to communicate to anyone regardless of their background is undoubtedly the most important skill, I cannot stress this enough. Here’s a helpful link to increase those presentation skills.

Remember, we always have to start from somewhere. Each and every one of us are in a different stage in our lives. Some of us are just starting high school while others are taking their first steps into the “real-world”. No matter where we are at, we all can improve to become better aerospace and mechanical engineers. Working together is what we do best. For those just beginning their journey, shoot for the moon and even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.