Getting into the space industry as a Computer Engineer?

[irishScott]

So I'm about 1.5-2 years out from graduation (Computer Engineering major), figure it's time to start planning in earnest. In a nutshell: I have zero doubts about obtaining a decent job on graduation given I've already had a 2 year internship among other things, but I've been a space nerd since I saw Star Trek at age 4 and my childhood dream was to invent FTL space travel. Experimentation to date, however has taught me that I would be miserable as a physics major but love embedded programming/system design. Mostly due to the feeling of relatively direct control over the hardware.

Although I'm not very well informed about the technical specifics, any modern spacecraft, especially in the civilian sector, is going to be jammed full of instrumentation/low-level automated systems and, given that private spaceflight is a new thing and almost all such craft are custom built (with presumably custom-designed electrical systems), I can certainly see a place for someone with my interests.

Any general pointers? I understand that the industry is a fairly small one and that I most likely won't get into it over night (probably going to need a Masters at least), but I'm just trying to trace a general path from graduation to dream job. Any information, positive or negative, is welcome.

 

[deadlyapp]

I'd say look at the general aerospace companies first. Boeing, Lockheed, etc will all be looking for people of your major and if you have the qualifications (good grades and several internships) you probably wouldn't have a problem getting in.

 

[scorp00]

I work in aerospace with a comp engr and I hate it. These mega corporations treat their employees like crap, most people where I work hate their job too. It's painfully slow development with absurd testing requirements. It's real easy to get into there is a huge need. A BS is plenty, a masters isn't needed unless you want to manage.

 

[roguerower]

I'd say look at the general aerospace companies first. Boeing, Lockheed, etc will all be looking for people of your major and if you have the qualifications (good grades and several internships) you probably wouldn't have a problem getting in.

I would tend to agree except for what scorp said. Your big aerospace companies are so entrenched in their thinking and protocol that he'd end up as just another drone whereas there are the smaller start-ups where there's a better chance of having a direct impact on the software/hardware suite because they may be approaching things differently. Look at how long it takes one of those companies to go through R&D, testing, etc. these days versus 30 or 40 years ago.

People forget the test pilots who risked and sometimes gave their lives to push the boundaries, but today, risking a single persons life (even when they knowingly accept the risks) isn't tolerated. All of the different players from the 50s, 60s, and 70s were consolidated and there's no real competition. One program is won by Boeing, another by Lockheed, the next by Northrop-Grumman, and then the cycle starts over again.

He can always keep the big guys as a backup.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

seems like the same small company / big company trade-offs still apply. the opportunity to make a difference at a small outfit like spacex or virgin would be awesome compared to being 1 of 100 pencil-pushers at boeing (not that i would turn my nose up at boeing or lockheed).

 

[irishScott]

seems like the same small company / big company trade-offs still apply. the opportunity to make a difference at a small outfit like spacex or virgin would be awesome compared to being 1 of 100 pencil-pushers at boeing (not that i would turn my nose up at boeing or lockheed).

^^^ This. My aforementioned internship was with one of the big three mentioned. Not that I didn't enjoy it. People were nice and all, and I was an intern so I was obviously on the lowest rung (perhaps not the best perspective to judge from), but I definitely had that cog-in-the-machine feeling and a few of the full developers I worked with expressed similar feelings.

 

[Bignate603]

I work in aerospace with a comp engr and I hate it. These mega corporations treat their employees like crap, most people where I work hate their job too. It's painfully slow development with absurd testing requirements. It's real easy to get into there is a huge need. A BS is plenty, a masters isn't needed unless you want to manage.

I agree to a certain extent, but there are reasons for all of that testing. I do design work for turbine engine components and knowing what we put our engines through before we push them out the door is pretty comforting to think about when I'm flying.

If you want more freedom you can get more if you do military programs. In my experience they're more tolerant of risk to get a bigger reward. I'd imagine that some space contractors could be the same way. They'll have less FAA hoops to jump through which would reduce the annoying parts of the job.