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For many aspiring engineers, there’s a linear path laid out before them. Education => internships => full-time engineering job. But many don’t discuss what happens after that first “real” engineering job. Do I continue working at the same company in different roles until retirement? Do I hop from company to company across the same specialization? In my case, I went from being a SpaceX engineer, to the now Founder and COO/CTO of a NewSpace and Clean Tech headhunting company – that’s not a step that many pursue.
Working at SpaceX was an experience unlike any other. The energy, the urgency, the magnitude of the mission, and the people make it impossible to replicate. The people are the smartest, most hardworking I’ve ever met while also being fun and outgoing. Over time I developed an itch to move to an earlier stage startup and step into more of an operations and people leadership based role that’s much less technical. It was going to be difficult to achieve all of this at SpaceX so I jumped at the opportunity at TraceAir.
During this time, my wife, Seyka, and I often talked about how we could make a bigger impact and have more of a direct impact on our future. We both have an entrepreneurial spirit but hadn’t had the right idea yet. While on a hike, it all clicked. It was right in front of us. My aerospace engineering expertise and interest combined with Seyka’s skills in talent were the perfect combination to solve a critical need in the industry: finding and closing the best talent for NewSpace startups – and that’s how AdAstra was born.
When starting this company, it was daunting – especially to switch from working at a company to founding one. But I realized that engineers are often successful business owners. We have strong analytical minds and know how to solve hard problems with creative solutions. The transition took a lot of learning but overall was a natural transition. I love to manage many moving parts and set up workflows that are optimized and difficult to break, which is basically what it takes to start a company.
Along with that, AdAstra only works on roles in the technical vertical (executive, technical leaders, and individual contributors) so I get to keep my engineering brain warm. I understand the technical side of what our clients are looking for much more quickly than other headhunters could because I’ve either done this work myself or have worked shoulder to shoulder with those that have.
When reflecting on my transition from SpaceX, to TraceAir, to AdAstra, there’s a crucial piece of advice I’d give to others. I’ve always been a people person and knew the network I was building was valuable but I had no idea just how valuable it’d be until starting my own company. Building relationships with excellent people can make a huge impact on your ability to achieve your goals. Take the time to do so, and see where you can add value to their lives as it was these relationships and the trust that was built that has opened many doors for us, especially during the early days of AdAstra.
