At undergraduate level I studied Physics and Astronomy, and then did a research MSc as an optical astronomer, which I hated and drove me away from Physics and Astronomy as a whole.
I spent a few years working in IT Support before deciding to go back to University to study Spacecraft Engineering at Surrey University. Which was a wonderful course, that gave an incredible overview of how one builds a spacecraft. More than most of the Master programs I have seen in the field since, the guys at Surrey had very real experience building quite a few spacecraft, which shone through in the projects and courses.
After that I started a PhD in Southampton that had an industrial sponsor, who eventually ended up offering me a job to build spacecraft before I finished the PhD itself (which was a little complicated in itself), which I took.
After I started with them, I basically apprenticed under an experienced AIT engineer who was coming up to retirement. This is where I really learned a lot. If you ever get the chance to work under someone in the later stages of their career, you really can learn a lot from them.
That was at OHB Sweden, which was an excellent place to see a broad range of things in the industry. I go to work on multiple spacecraft and various stages of development, from proposal, to qualification, to final assembly and test, and to launch as an operations engineer. Really a super experience I am not sure I could have been luckier ending up there.
After that I joined a very small team building the ispace lunar lander, which I am fairly certain will remain the pinnacle of my career. Never have I worked with such a great team on a great project. Everything just worked between us, and a small team really achieved something spectacular (even if it ended up in a crater on the moon).
Now I am working in Ireland for a data acquisition system developed for flight and launch vehicles. Learning the ins-and-outs of ethernet communication and analog circuitry. So far my complete lack of understanding of electronics hasn't been a problem, somehow.
I spent a few years working in IT Support before deciding to go back to University to study Spacecraft Engineering at Surrey University. Which was a wonderful course, that gave an incredible overview of how one builds a spacecraft. More than most of the Master programs I have seen in the field since, the guys at Surrey had very real experience building quite a few spacecraft, which shone through in the projects and courses.
After that I started a PhD in Southampton that had an industrial sponsor, who eventually ended up offering me a job to build spacecraft before I finished the PhD itself (which was a little complicated in itself), which I took.
After I started with them, I basically apprenticed under an experienced AIT engineer who was coming up to retirement. This is where I really learned a lot. If you ever get the chance to work under someone in the later stages of their career, you really can learn a lot from them.
That was at OHB Sweden, which was an excellent place to see a broad range of things in the industry. I go to work on multiple spacecraft and various stages of development, from proposal, to qualification, to final assembly and test, and to launch as an operations engineer. Really a super experience I am not sure I could have been luckier ending up there.
After that I joined a very small team building the ispace lunar lander, which I am fairly certain will remain the pinnacle of my career. Never have I worked with such a great team on a great project. Everything just worked between us, and a small team really achieved something spectacular (even if it ended up in a crater on the moon).
Now I am working in Ireland for a data acquisition system developed for flight and launch vehicles. Learning the ins-and-outs of ethernet communication and analog circuitry. So far my complete lack of understanding of electronics hasn't been a problem, somehow.