Jump to content

Life Decision


G'th

Recommended Posts

So, recently, after 5 years of not particularly knowing what I wanted to do with my life, I finally came to a decision.  And given what it is, I felt like I ought to share the decision with you guys.  TL;DR, I've made the decision to (Try) become an Astronaut.

I do want to preface this by saying that I am not bragging in explaining how to I came to this decision, even though its more than likely going to come off like that. 

Ever since high school I was always plagued by the question of what to do for a living, namely because I suffer from multipotentiality. I can quite literally do and excel at almost anything, and this caused lots of problems beyond just the indecisiveness when it came to what to do with myself that I don't really want to get into. The short of it was, I spent the last 5 years doing what kept the bills paid while I figured myself out.  

And eventually, it hit me like a brick one day a few weeks ago and I finally felt decided on what I wanted to do. If I could do anything, why not something amazing? Being an astronaut was the most amazing thing I could think of. 

This decision became even more solidified after I found out what it truly takes to become one, both from talking with actual astronauts (I love my annual pass to KSC) and just trolling the internet in general. Aside from the base requirements, all the hobbies and general "flair" that really helps you get noticed and selected are all things I've wanted to do anyway. 

So, I'm going to start school later this year (finally) and start my path to becoming an astronaut. And the great thing about it is, even if I never get to become one, everything I'll have to earn and learn and do is going to practically guarantee I'll never be wanting for a job anyway. Its kinda funny really, given the most common response to what I decided to do is to ask whether or not I have a backup plan, as if astronauts are somehow unqualified to do anything else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Asking on the KSP forum if you should try to become an astronaut? It's like asking on a vegan forum if you should eat beans or a steak.

You should aim to drive a forklift instead. Or course become an astronaut. If G'th will be the first man to step on Planet 9, I'll boast to my grandchildren that I was the first to reply and encourage him on the KSP forum when he was in doubt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Evanitis said:

Asking on the KSP forum if you should try to become an astronaut? It's like asking on a vegan forum if you should eat beans or a steak.

You should aim to drive a forklift instead. Or course become an astronaut. If G'th will be the first man to step on Planet 9, I'll boast to my grandchildren that I was the first to reply and encourage him on the KSP forum when he was in doubt.

lol To be fair I wasn't asking if I should try. I already know I'm going to. I'm just sharing :D

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am not privy to the prerequisites it takes to become a career astronaut. However, I do have some strong recommendations for you to undergo before you set out on this (decades-long) investment of time and energy and effort:

1. Go ahead and get the most extensive medical evaluation you can schedule. At the least, I would recommend shooting for a 1st Class Medical Certificate by an FAA examiner - but that's the bare minimum examination I would recommend. You do not want to get all the way to applying for NASA or Virgin Galactic only to be told the seizure you had in 1st grade disqualifies you.

2. Take care of your finances. As mind-blowing as it sounds, you're not going to get a job (anywhere respectable, really) if you have $5,000 in credit card debt and unpaid student loans. Any Government organization like NASA will screen for stable finances and now is the perfect time to get your bank account in order before investing the time. If you can't readily survive the pre-approval for a home, you probably won't survive the pre-screening for this type of work.

3. Study habits. I know a lot of pilots and I know a lot of wannabe pilots who never made it. Being intelligent and being knowledgeable are two different things, and frankly the guy who has good study habits will always outplay the guy who is naturally good but only studied 2 hours a night instead of 6. I got a job flying MD-80's in Oct 2014 and about 30% of the guys in my class failed because they didn't study - and all of them were already ATP rated pilots with thousands of hours and had been flying commercial for years. Experience and talent only get you so far. I'm absolutely 100% serious - learn good study habits now if you haven't already. This will be the make it or break it part of your endeavor. You've been warned.

4. Last but not least, if all the above work for you, just make sure you have good team support. Your family and friends have to be in it with you. No one makes it to the top alone. Get the people around you interested in your success. I say this because people can fail at reaching their dreams when their significant other or their friends just aren't there for them. For instance, if you know you have to study for a test but your girlfriend is more interested in bothering you about re-modeling the living room, you have to make it clear where your heart is. The people around you can distract you from your goals if you let them.

All that said, I wish you the best of luck. If this is what you truly want then you'll figure out a way to make it happen. Have fun up there!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You want to be an astronaut or simply go to space ?

If it's just space, then study business/finances and become a billionaire. Then use your billions to go to space or create a space company.
About 500 astronauts have lived since we went to space, and there are over 1800 billionaires today.

 

Seriously now, I wish you good luck, you'll need it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Depends on what is "astronaut".
A "maybe space-related engineer", a "maybe space-related scientist", or a "pure space pilot".
If ISS indeed finishes in 2024, there unlikely would be much vacancies for pure "astronauts" for years or maybe decades. Not dozens per year as a decade ago.

Edited by kerbiloid
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...