19 ms·

Any advice as to getting hired with SpaceX?

jxm262 12y ago
I had these posts bookmarked because I was curious myself. You may have already googled these, but thought I'd share. I'm a web developer myself but would love to work here someday :) http://www.quora.com/Can-I-get-a-job-at-SpaceX-after-graduating-from-a-low-ranked-engineering-program http://www.quora.com/Can-I-get-a-job-at-SpaceX-after-graduat... http://www.quora.com/How-did-you-get-an-internship-at-SpaceX-1 http://www.quora.com/How-did-you-get-an-internship-at-SpaceX...
- slackpad 12y ago
  SpaceX has a lot of open positions for web developers. It's kind of a misconception that it's all embedded work here or that you need an aerospace background. The web work is a little different because it's usually internal-facing but there are a lot of interesting problems. Definitely check it out.
  - jxm262 12y ago
    Thanks for the response. From my perspective, SpaceX is probably the coolest company on the planet right now :) I looked for web dev jobs a while back (that's when I bookmarked those quora posts). Unfortunately, I'm staying in my current location for about another year so won't be able to move. Any tips on what sort of people they're looking for? Particularly what technical areas they look for in a web position? The discussions I've seen online are all related to the product engineering side of things.
    - slackpad 12y ago
      On the front end it's pretty cool since you are targeting internal tools you can assume modern browsers and use the latest frameworks and tech with zero legacy support to worry about. We look for people who have full stack experience and can be flexible and help out on any area of a large web application (including a some ops and continuous integration). Communication skills are super important - usually these projects are on small teams that need to work well together and support people within the company who use the tools. We also try to make sure people are good with details and are thorough in their ability to properly build and test their stuff - these tools are critical for the success of the mission so they are every bit as important as the code on board the vehicles.
      - jxm262 12y ago
        Thanks for your detailed response!
mikesorrenti 12y ago
I would be happy to chat, get in touch: msorrenti at spacex dot com That extends to any other HNers :)
- cipher0 12y ago
  HNers with US citizenship only I presume?
  - jlhonora 12y ago
    I guess so, every job listing at SpaceX I've seen is US citizen only. @mikesorrenti please prove me wrong :)
    - ma2rten 12y ago
      Would that not be illegal? Or is SpaceX required by law to do so? The law prohibits employers from hiring only U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents unless required to do so by law. http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/inquiries_citizenship.cfm http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/inquiries_citizenship.cfm
      - TorKlingberg 12y ago
        They are probably required to. Space launchers and intercontinental ballistic missiles are pretty much the same thing after all.
      - grhino 12y ago
        SpaceX is guiding rockets into space which I'm guessing is a lot like guiding missiles. SpaceX is probably required by law to guard some, if not most, of their technology.
      - pound 12y ago
        there may be a need for clearance.
      - deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]

I had these posts bookmarked because I was curious myself. You may have already googled these, but thought I'd share. I'm a web developer myself but would love to work here someday :) http://www.quora.com/Can-I-get-a-job-at-SpaceX-after-graduating-from-a-low-ranked-engineering-program http://www.quora.com/Can-I-get-a-job-at-SpaceX-after-graduat... http://www.quora.com/How-did-you-get-an-internship-at-SpaceX-1 http://www.quora.com/How-did-you-get-an-internship-at-SpaceX...

slackpad 12y ago
SpaceX has a lot of open positions for web developers. It's kind of a misconception that it's all embedded work here or that you need an aerospace background. The web work is a little different because it's usually internal-facing but there are a lot of interesting problems. Definitely check it out.
- jxm262 12y ago
  Thanks for the response. From my perspective, SpaceX is probably the coolest company on the planet right now :) I looked for web dev jobs a while back (that's when I bookmarked those quora posts). Unfortunately, I'm staying in my current location for about another year so won't be able to move. Any tips on what sort of people they're looking for? Particularly what technical areas they look for in a web position? The discussions I've seen online are all related to the product engineering side of things.
  - slackpad 12y ago
    On the front end it's pretty cool since you are targeting internal tools you can assume modern browsers and use the latest frameworks and tech with zero legacy support to worry about. We look for people who have full stack experience and can be flexible and help out on any area of a large web application (including a some ops and continuous integration). Communication skills are super important - usually these projects are on small teams that need to work well together and support people within the company who use the tools. We also try to make sure people are good with details and are thorough in their ability to properly build and test their stuff - these tools are critical for the success of the mission so they are every bit as important as the code on board the vehicles.
    - jxm262 12y ago
      Thanks for your detailed response!

mikesorrenti 12y ago

I would be happy to chat, get in touch: msorrenti at spacex dot com That extends to any other HNers :)

cipher0 12y ago
HNers with US citizenship only I presume?
- jlhonora 12y ago
  I guess so, every job listing at SpaceX I've seen is US citizen only. @mikesorrenti please prove me wrong :)
  - ma2rten 12y ago
    Would that not be illegal? Or is SpaceX required by law to do so? The law prohibits employers from hiring only U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents unless required to do so by law. http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/inquiries_citizenship.cfm http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/inquiries_citizenship.cfm
    - TorKlingberg 12y ago
      They are probably required to. Space launchers and intercontinental ballistic missiles are pretty much the same thing after all.
    - grhino 12y ago
      SpaceX is guiding rockets into space which I'm guessing is a lot like guiding missiles. SpaceX is probably required by law to guard some, if not most, of their technology.
    - pound 12y ago
      there may be a need for clearance.
    - deleted 12y ago
      [deleted]