NASA Jobs for Business Majors

[tatehunter]

Hi everyone!

I'm getting ready to graduate with a Bachelor's in Business Administration, and have started to explore career options. NASA is probably the coolest place I could ever imagine working, but without a degree in Engineering or Physics, I had been a little worried that this dream would have to stay a dream. Since realizing that NASA has all kinds of public relations work, social media content, and public relations positions, though, I've reignited the fire to make this dream a reality, and yearn to help in any way I can by assisting those within the administration, and by educating the public about the wonders of space. I deeply connect with the core purpose of NASA- to understand more about the universe around us and our place within it, and know that I would feel fulfilled to have the opportunity to contribute in any way possible.

So, what can a (soon to be) college graduate do with a business degree in order to become a part of the NASA Team?

Thanks for any input!

[Aida]

Hi there! Congratulations on wrapping up your B.S. BA degree. And you are right, just like any other entity, NASA has all the departments necessary to manage funding and their PR.
 
So, there are two ways to work at a NASA space center.  One is as a NASA government employee, and another is as a contractor. Like say working for Boeing. You could have an office at a Boeing building off-site, and then complete many tasks on-site. Most employees are contractors. Here is a list of contractors for the Johnson Space Center (JSC) to give you an idea.

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/people/contractorlist.html

There are big differences such as in office environment, benefits, and salary that you’ll want to be familiarize with. For example, government salaries are non-negotiable and they run by Grade Scale tables that varies on local cost of living, regardless of your GPA or experience. This is the one used for JSC in Houston.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2019/HOU.pdf

Two main paths to land a government position at NASA is either through a critical need opening via a job request at usajobs.gov (search NASA). Those usually have requirements of # years of work experience.

The second way is through the pathways program, which you can apply a usajobs.gov (search NASA Pathways). Pathways is a tunnel towards full-time government employment.

After completing 3 or more internships at NASA while pursuing a bachelor’s degree, or 2 internships during an advanced degree, the student is considered for the full-time position. (Double check the requirements since these could change from year to year.)

The job listings open sporadically for short durations, e.g. 5 days, so I recommend creating a profile and setting up a keyword email alert on the site to get notified if you are interested.

For example, I see there is a NASA Pathways program listing for an Administrative student (such as with a business major) for a GS 4-6 salary of $31K-$38K per year.

An FYI, doing internships through intern.nasa.gov helps with your resume but it does not really put you on the list for full-time civil servant consideration.

To summarize and answer your question. You could search for job listings now and choose from what is available. Or pursue an advanced degree and try to get into the pathways program that almost guarantees the full-time job placement (if you are a good employee and high priority  ). There may be other ways, but this is what I am familiar with.

Hope this gives some insight and feel free to ask more questions!