By Therese Jones
I am often sent students who want to transition into the space industry, having converted from an astronomy Ph.D. program (Berkeley), to a policy Ph.D. program with a focus on space (RAND, a non-partisan think tank), then becoming Senior Director of Policy at the Satellite Industry Association. As a crash course in how to get started, I compiled this “
Guide to the Space Life” to get students/young professionals up to speed on what it took me five years to figure out on my own! This post summarizes a few of the highlights of the document, but please see the full guide for more information.
Making the decision to transition out of astronomy was very hard, especially because I loved the people in the field. It turns out that people in the space industry are incredibly friendly and willing to go out of their way to support young professionals; many of the organizations and conferences listed provide great inroads into the industry. No experience in the space world? Not a problem—the
Space Generation Advisory Council is an international organization of young professionals under 35 that hosts events in the US and abroad, sends out regular opportunities, and has working groups that you can join to work on different space issues. The
Students for the Exploration and Development Space has chapters at colleges and even high schools, and supports a number of activities including rocket teams, satellite design projects, has an annual student-run conference, and is very well-connected to companies in the industry. No chapter at your school? You can also become an individual member or start your own chapter; they are great at supporting new chapters that are trying to get started!
