FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS, I have worked with many amazingly talented individuals to help make humanity a multi-planet species. However, if we are to achieve this long-term goal, then we desperately need WAY more people joining the space industry.
I came into the space industry as an "outsider", meaning that I was not a NASA or large aerospace company employee, scientist, astronaut, or engineer. In school, I studied Economics and then went to law school. After graduation, I served in the US Marine Corps and then co-founded an Internet startup in Silicon Valley. That's it. That's all I was bringing to the table when I first looked at breaking into the space industry in 2002.
Although I had always wanted to play a part in moving humanity to offworld communities, I simply did not think I had anything to offer the industry. It seemed cold, foreign, and foreboding. It was completely intimidating, and I was completely overwhelmed.
However, one of my first mentors encouraged me, saying that my being an outsider was precisely the kind of fresh perspective the industry desperately needed. Since I had seen this kind of dynamic during my tenure in the Silicon Valley startup scene, I actually believed him.
So ... I took the plunge.
After 20 years of working in this industry, I can unequivocally say that my mentor was exactly right. More importantly, that need for fresh thinking is still there. And growing!
Yes, we still need more scientists, engineers, and, of course, astronauts. However, the booming global private space economy actually has a much greater need: "NON-SPACE PEOPLE"!
We have an immediate and global need for talented, dedicated, and passionate professionals in these (and many other) fields:
Marketing, sales, business development
Finance, legal, regulatory, HR, IT, facilities management
Board governance, executive management, fundraising, M&A
Project management, supply chain management, delivery systems
Manufacturing, plant automation, robotics
Software development, AI/ML, data analytics
etc.
If this describes you, then please consider joining our effort.
It doesn't matter if you've never worked in the space industry, if you don't understand orbital mechanics, or if you don't know what type of fuel rockets burn or how satellites work. As long as you understand your specific field, I can guarantee you that you can learn everything else you need to know in order to succeed.
Also, it no longer matters where you live. The private space economy is already quite global and continuing to expand. Almost every country on Earth is becoming part of the world's space ecosystem, and the rapid wide acceptance of "digital nomads" means that ANYONE can be a part of this greatest of human adventures.
One final thought on raw numbers:
Estimates place the current global space workforce at roughly 1 million people. If we wanted to get merely 1% of humanity working on helping us become a multi-planet species, then we would need to grow the workforce by 78x.
Bottom line: there is plenty of room for you, so ... what are you waiting for?!