Career Treks On Demand presents a conversation with UNT alum Morgan Kainu. Morgan currently works as an Analog Astronaut and Anthropologist for the Research and Development Team at Radian Aerospace. Check out this interview to hear more about Morgan’s uniquely carved career path, which will be extremely informative for any students with an interest in anthropology and/or aerospace or students who are unsure how to create their future dream job.
- What does a day-to-day look like?
- I sometimes attend virtual conferences and report back with information (lots of space conferences like ISDC, IAC, Satellite, Space Symposium, etc.)
- I also attend Small Business Opportunity webinars and work to develop operational best practices with Stellar Amenities. This is often through attending the NASA Office of Small Business Projects (OSBP) webinars and connecting with the Small Business Administration (SBA).
- I also work on the management of our internal database for Stellar Amenities which involves some integration work from an old system to a new one.
- I double checked, and I’m allowed to mention my friend Matt Wise’s military experience as a Green Beret. It is publicly listed if anyone is interested.
- Most common Aerospace degrees I have come across (including most of my friends from SEDS that I just couldn’t think of on the spot)
- Aerospace Engineer
- Electrical Engineer
- Flight Test Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Materials Science
- Computer Science
- Physics (Astrophysics) or Mathematics
- Astrobiology
- Astronomy
- Planetary Sciences
- Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
- Civil Engineering (Quality Assurance)
- Finance
- Communications
- Biochemistry
- Behavioral Sciences and/or Human Factors and Ergonomics
- Programs
- 3D Modeling
- Blender
- SOLIDWORKS
- AutoCAD
If anyone is interested in gaining hands-on-experience within astronautics and aeronautics, I HIGHLY recommend the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences. You will receive professional certification for the courses you take. The network of people there are so incredibly supportive!
- A BIG big piece of advice that constantly pops up in many conversations with students in the industry: You don’t have to be good at math to work in the Aerospace industry! I know more people that have failed or truly struggled with their maths multiple times than not. Now they lead some of the COOLEST projects in the industry. It’s a learning process and it’s hard. It’s ok if it takes longer to understand. Your academic grade is not a direct indication of you ability to succeed.
