career planning


Set Systems over Goals for yourself in 02026

Whew, the end of this year came rushing into me faster than I expected. My goal was to get at least one blog post every month and I wasn’t perfect. Squeaking in for December on the last day of the month! What can I offer you to be a constructive help as we leave 02025 […]


5 reasons why every future or current rocket scientist should learn AI

As I write this in August 2025, almost every day I see something in the news about AI (artificial intelligence) that makes me excited to be alive in this point in history. Or very nervous. Or often, both. It might be a cliche to say that AI is the most disruptive technology humanity has ever […]


Starbase as an official city means rocket scientist unique jobs

Historic news from this month, widely reported in many news outlets, such as ZeroHedge, is that Elon Musk’s Starbase Is Now A Real City. This is exciting news for SpaceX and their audacious efforts to bring Starship reusable rocket operations into a full tempo. But let’s think bigger picture here. Starbase as an official city […]


Getting laid off sucks. Here’s what I did next.

Getting laid off sucks. Usually. Sometimes it is actually immediately seen as a good thing. But when I got laid off from Boeing in the summer of 2014, I did not initially see it as a good thing. There have been some major layoffs in the aerospace world recently. Last week, Blue Origin announced it […]


Setting your systems, not goals, for 02025

As we wrap up the year 02024, I have some brief thoughts that will (hopefully) benefit anyone who wants to enter the world of aerospace and aviation in their years ahead. These thoughts are about setting your systems, not goals, for 02025. In case you are wondering why I wrote the year with 5 digits, […]


Astro sMarta gives inspirational lessons from the remote land of Macedonia

Suppose you dream of being a “rocket scientist” of some kind… doing great things in the world of aerospace or aviation. But you live in a remote place where nobody you know has ever done this. If you can relate to this, I want you to meet Martina Dimoska. She lives in Macedonia which is […]


SpaceKids Global competition to become a space journalist

There are many pathways to become a “rocket scientist.” One career out there related to rocket science is a space journalist. How can you become a space journalist if you are a kid 8 to 12 years old? If you know a child in the USA, the SpaceKids Global organization has a fantastic competition open […]


The Biggest Mistakes When Trying to be a Rocket Scientist

What are the biggest mistakes people make when trying to be a rocket scientist? Let’s make one thing clear. By “rocket scientist” I don’t just mean the stereotypical and precise example of people who work on rocket engines. I mean anyone and everyone who works in a space company. Or people at an aviation company. […]