Courtesy of Chad Anderson
Space is the place for people who want to work in an industry with countless career opportunities. A 2024 report from McKinsey & Co. estimates the global space economy will balloon to $1.8 trillion by 2035, fueled by advances in AI.
Chad Anderson, founder and managing partner of Space Capital, one of the first early-stage VC firms to focus exclusively on the space economy, told Business Insider that the space economy has plenty of technical career paths available. But he emphasized that many don't realize the enormous growth in commercial ventures is also opening up the space area to skills and talents that haven't traditionally been associated with it, like interior design.
The VC added that many traditional business roles — including human resources, marketing, and customer relations — can provide a great opportunity for newbies to break into the space field, which is good news for those who may lack key technical skills like engineering but really want to play a role in the space economy.
Anderson — who's invested in dozens of space ventures, including SpaceX, moon landers, satellites, and space tech, and founded Space Talent, an online resource for jobs in the space field and tech industry — shared his perspective as a VC on the top five careers in space that are on the rise.
Hands down, software engineering is one of the most important and promising career fields in the space economy, both now and in the future, according to Anderson — and you don't have to be an expert in rockets to be a developer at a space company.
"Everything is about software nowadays," he said. "Whether it's converting satellite data into new uses here on Earth, designing the next breakthrough rocket system, or building lunar landers and Martian life support systems — this is such a vast field, and it's full of exciting challenges and opportunities."
Direct-to-cellular radio frequency engineers are now in high demand, and Anderson said that the future looks "extremely bright" for this profession. He believes they'll play a critical role in the future of communications, the internet, and all technologies that rely on these connections.
"We're on the verge of a major change in telecommunications as satellites go direct to cellular instead of connecting through cell towers," Anderson explained. "This will enable universal access even in remote areas, and higher speed communications, and it also busts open the door for all sorts of technologies — from autonomous vehicles to robotics, IoT, and much, much more."
But he emphasized that before we can get there, many engineering challenges must first be solved.
Not all of the emerging space careers are high-tech. Anderson shared that the surge in human space travel — which is about to get even bigger thanks to SpaceX's Starship rocket and other vehicles — has created a new need for experts in orbital lifestyle, clothing, fashion, and more.
Specifically, expect heightened demand for orbital interior designers, space suit designers, space station industrial designers, and other lifestyle consultants for long-term tourism trips and crewed platforms.
"Next-generation space stations are being developed, and the interior space is going to look wildly different from what you've seen in the International Space Station — think organic, minimal, comfortable design," Anderson said. "This is an exciting new field that will define the future look of space travel."
The government is spending massive amounts on private space companies these days, as funding for space startups in the first quarter of 2024 more than doubled. Anderson said this means every space company needs to have a Department of Defense or NASA angle to remain competitive, which is creating a huge opportunity for business development professionals — particularly those with government experience.
"These are exciting roles that will create the groundbreaking projects of tomorrow," he said. "While sales is part of the job, it's also about building truly innovative solutions and long-term programs that can sustain human operations in space and reach new destinations like the moon."
Next-generation launch infrastructure is now being built with plenty of steel — and Anderson said that requires experienced welders to physically build out the spaceships and platforms of tomorrow.
With so much growth and development happening right now among launch providers specifically, the VC said this is a high-growth field for those with the talent — and he believes the area will continue to be hot for many years to come.
"When you think of welders, you probably think of building bridges or skyscrapers," he said. "But actually, these blue-collar workers are essential to the future of space operations."
