For Quadmama: Employment Prospects

Quadmama asked the Tarot Queen: Here is my question for the tarot cards: Hubby was recently interviewed for a new job and was the number one candidate. Unfortunately the project facilitating his employment was put on hold. While we're not putting all our eggs in one basket, so to speak, is it reasonable to hold out hope that this job will come through soon/eventually?

Well, let's just check that out, shall we?

Past - Nine of Swords (reversed) - Reversed, this is about worry and stress, anxiety and doubt.

Present - Knight of Wands - This card talks of journeys, travel, adventure, perhaps not a physical one, but a journey nonetheless. There is also mention of thoughts on a career change.

Future - V The High Priest - Servitude, revelation, initiation, achievement through moral character and insight.

OK, my gut reaction is that things have been kind of touch and go, stressful, either because your husband doesn't have the job he wants or is out of work, that he tried something different or took a chance and now you're waiting to see if it pays off. The third card (a higher arcana) indicates your patience may be rewarded. However, I'd like to pull another card or two to see what they say.

I pulled a Queen of Cups (reversed) which talks about self-indulgence, frivolity, changes and a fortune read. Hmm. I'm not sure what to do with that.

I also pulled the King of Pentacles which is about being adept at business, well-organized, responsible and industrious.

Hmm, I'm not sure about the Queen of Cups. It comes across as someone other than your husband, another influence, a friend or family member who's frivolous or self-absorbed. But the cards as a whole appear favorable toward your husband getting a position of responsibility.

However, just one more card...Page of Swords - authority and management, advanced notice and early warnings, be ready. I don't advocate taking tarot and the like as more than a distraction (no planning your life around it; it's for fun), but I have the say I think the cards are promising.

Best of luck.

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For Aron: How I Became a Rocket Scientist

Aron said: Hey, you work at NASA, that is really cool. One day you have to write an article on how you landed that job. I dream of leading a space habitation effort with NASA, maybe you could provide a roadmap on how to get that job. If answering this won’t put your job in danger, how much red tape exists in NASA?

OK, there are three part to this: First, how did I come to work for NASA?

Well, that’s rather a long story. First off, unlike you probably are, I never intended to be an engineer. I’d always wanted to be a writer. I also, however, wanted to eat, so I was going to go to college to get a degree to pay the bills. If you’d asked me if I was going to be an engineer my senior year of high school, I would have laughed long and hard. I didn’t even like math–except word problems. Anyway, I needed scholarships and I did a blanketing of scholarship applications.

So, along with an academic scholarhip, I got offered several other scholarships. However, if went into engineering physics, I could take both the scholarship from the engineering college and a scholarship from the physics department. It was a tough major and, once in, I was unwilling to let it beat me so I stuck with it until I graduated. That, and it turns out it ended up suiting me quite well. Who would have guessed

Now, NASA at the time was actively recruiting (as were a number of NASA contractors) so they came to the campus and interviewed prospective students, including me. I was all excited by the opportunity and really wanted NASA to call me, but they were slow and the then Lockheed Engineering and Science Company called me first. By the time NASA called (they work slower, so you know), I’d already been hired. So, no mystery. (My career has been about that planned and more interesting, but you didn’t ask it).

Part 2: Hiring is probably fairly slow at the moment; however, I’ve heard rumors that hiring for “fresh outs” might become pretty hot. There are, additionally, several options to increase your chances. First, you could get involved in a college that has on-going space activities, like University of Colorado or the California Institute of Technology (which co-operates JPL) and try to get involved. If that’s not an option (we can’t all go to a university actively involved with space), you might try one of the programs like internship or volunteer programs that NASA does. If you can’t manage that, there’s always the direct route, like applying at NASAJobs or one of the many space contractors. Some of the commercial space companies might also be worth checking out.

Third part: Is there a lot of red tape at NASA?

Short answer is yes.

The long answer is red tape is part and parcel of any government job. On the one hand, that can be a hassle. On the other, red tape can also be a lifesaver. Many of the safety requirements, for example, call for tests and verifications from parts manufacturers, perhaps inspections, that their processes meet requirements and are consistent. Irksome for a vender, but counterfeit parts or parts that aren’t made from reliable processes have frequently caused problems for launches or hardware in space, like the tin-plated relays that cost the redundant string for four satellites and the whole shebang for four more. So, yes, lots of red tape, but not always a bad thing.

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