Most of the inquiries I receive from readers are about this topic. Below are all the posts I’ve written regarding getting a job as a writer for NASA or the space industry in general. If you have a question regarding how to do a specific task in a space-related job, use the search window in the right-hand column. Chances are I’ve covered it. If you have a job search question that you feel is not quite covered by the responses I’ve given to date, feel free to email me at bart_leahy at Hotmail.com. Don’t be too surprised, however, if my response to you ends up becoming a post as well. Happy reading!
Pursuing Work
The Basics
- How an English Major Got a Job at NASA (I honestly thought this would cover it; obviously I was mistaken)
- More Thoughts for English Majors Who Want to Work at NASA (part 2 to the article above)
- How I Learned Rocket Science (The Real Story) (how an English major figured out the way rockets work)
- How to Get My Job (provides more narrative about my specific path to writing at NASA and includes some space news sites that I follow)
- So You Want My Job…? (provides a list of the books/sites I read to help get up to speed on what’s happening in the space business)
- Know Your Path (this one isn’t about job hunting for NASA per se, but it does cover some of the things you can do if you have your sights set on changing your career)
- Alternate Lines of Work (types of future jobs for people who want to write in the tech world)
- Science or Engineering? (not sure if you want to write for NASA scientists or engineers? here are some thoughts)
- The Technical Writer as Advocate (I wrote my master’s thesis on space exploration advocacy, so this is somewhat related)
- Alphabet Soup and Working in the Technology Business (coping with the various acronyms used in the human spaceflight business)
- Space Writing Samples (Or: Why I Don’t Talk About Work on My Blog) (some insight into why I don’t talk shop on this blog and a list of articles I’ve written for the space industry)
- What Should You Learn to Work in the Space Business? (pretty straightforward–covers the topics that an aspiring space writer should be familiar with)
- Reader Response: What Should a High School Student Do to Be a Space Writer? (better for younger readers, but still good as a general reference)
- Reader Response: What Kind of Reports Do You Write at NASA? (more focused on specific on-the-job tasks, but good for setting expectations)
- English Majors in the Space Business, Revisited (offering slightly different insights from previous entries)
- Getting Smart About Space: A Reading List (offering a list of books that will help the aspiring space writer get familiar with the industry)
- Space Acronyms & Terms (provides an alphabetical list of commonly used acronyms and terms related to getting to and operating in space, focused on engineering and governance, not science)
Locations/Types of Jobs in the Space Industry
- What Kind of Technical Writer Should You Be? (covers some of the different types of tech writing careers out there)
- What is a “Space Writer,” Anyway? (similar to “What Kind of Technical Writer Should You Be?” but focuses specifically on the types of writing jobs that are available in the space industry)
- The Many Worlds of NASA, Part 1 (describes some of the organizational structure of NASA to give you a better idea of the different ways you could “work for NASA”)
- The Many Worlds of NASA, Part 2 (describes what types of work can be found at the different NASA centers and facilities)
- Writing for Space Outside of NASA, Part 1: NASA Contractors (first in a series of entries dedicated to describing/explaining the space business outside of NASA; this one, obviously, talks about working for NASA contractors vs. working directly for the agency)
- Writing for Space Outside NASA, Part 2: Entrepreneurial Space Launch (continuing the discussion about working in the space business, this time focusing on private-sector efforts to launch hardware into space)
- Writing for Space Outside NASA, Part 3: Other Entrepreneurial Activities (continuing the discussion about working in the space business, this time focusing on private-sector efforts to create and expand the space economy)
- Writing for Space Outside NASA, Part 4: International Space Efforts (continuing the discussion about working in the space business, this time focusing on space activities originating outside the U.S.)
Related Entries
Job Tasks
- Government Contract Types (describing the various ways government might choose to structure payments to a contractor)
- How to Decipher Government Solicitations (self-explanatory; also applicable to Department of Defense solicitations)
- Seven Tips for Effective SBIR Writing (covers my thoughts/tips on Small Business Innovation Research proposals)
- Marketing Language in Proposal Writing (how to add the “magic words” to ensure you’re selling your product/service, not just explaining it)
- Three Reasons the Future Needs Technical Communicators (talks about future careers for tech writers)
Additional Job Hunting Tips
- Five Tips to Make Networking Work For You (not specifically related to NASA, but it couldn’t hurt)
- Online Mentoring (how to get a tech writing job in general)
- Job Hunting: 8 Things You Can Do to Help Your Inside Game (this one also covers job hunting in general)
- Setting Up Your Portfolio (covers general portfolio advice)
- Setting Up Your Resume (covers general resume tips)
