There are those out there that say a career in the space industry is very difficult to get into, especially when we’re talking about the qualifications and experience required for jobs such as astro-engineers, computer scientists, electronics/electrical engineers, material scientists etc.
And it is true. Unless you have graduated from university in a STEM subject, have great connections or are just lucky the road to a career taking you to the stars is very limited.
Or is it?
Two Years of Community College
According to Nova Space VP of Business Development, Miguel Alvarez, there are other ways you can access a career in the industry with only two years of community college under your belt.
In April, Alvarez — who has been at Nova Space since 2021 and is an aviation and astronautics expert with some 25 years of experience — shared his thoughts on the space industry at the 2023 Space Symposium.
“Everyone says space is hard, we need to stop saying that,” said Alvarez, “because that gives the impression and continues the misconception that people have that I need to be an astronaut, I need to be a rocket scientist, I need to be an aerospace engineer, or a PhD in order to do the work in the space industry.”
Alvarez believes it is the other way around.
“What they need,” he went on, “is somebody that has an existing discipline from any field: engineering, sales, marketing; bring that expertise into the space industry and simply get some knowledge of the space industry, for example, from our virtual program.”
Accessible
Nova Space’s objective is to improve the education and training of the space and aviation industries, contributing to humanity’s mastery of space and ultimately transforming the educational system in the United States into a system that prepares students for the 21st century.
“You can be a technician, a welder with a two-year certificate from a community college, take our program, learn some space and have a career that will get you close to six figures with a two-year certificate… Space is not hard, it’s accessible.”
Featured image: “There is a Place for You in the Space Industry”. Credit: Nova Space
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