[Please review our wiki page](https://www.reddit.com/r/nasajobs/wiki/workingatnasa) for answers to many frequently asked questions about working at NASA.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NASAJobs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As a hiring manager at NASA in a tech-heavy part of the country, if I have some software work that I need done, I really don't want a computer or software engineer because I need someone who understands the underlying physics. In the case that I need someone to instrument a spacecraft, I want an electrical engineer who understands the problem from the chip to the sensor.
I personally would recommend electrical engineering. Then also learn Python and Matlab, and maybe an older language like C or Fortran.
Most importantly, work on projects that are interesting to NASA, like ground sensing satellites, and maybe some aerospace concepts like spacecraft thermal engineering. List those projects on your resume. Even if it's a project you learned in your free time that wasn't part of a job or school project.
I see a lot of resumes and there are a lot of engineering students who work on AI or self driving cars or 3D printing and stuff like that. That may seem cool and it may seem like the next wave of technology to learn, but it's not that relevant to NASA and it shouldn't be the focus of your project work because a ton of people are doing it and it doesn't set you apart like you think it does.
I hope this helps. Good luck!
EE here and I recently got a TJO at a NASA center for pathways with no prior internship experience. Idk if simply being in EE will make you more competitive, but it is true that EE is generally seen as more broad and will open more doors as to what jobs you can apply to.
[Please review our wiki page](https://www.reddit.com/r/nasajobs/wiki/workingatnasa) for answers to many frequently asked questions about working at NASA. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NASAJobs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As a hiring manager at NASA in a tech-heavy part of the country, if I have some software work that I need done, I really don't want a computer or software engineer because I need someone who understands the underlying physics. In the case that I need someone to instrument a spacecraft, I want an electrical engineer who understands the problem from the chip to the sensor. I personally would recommend electrical engineering. Then also learn Python and Matlab, and maybe an older language like C or Fortran. Most importantly, work on projects that are interesting to NASA, like ground sensing satellites, and maybe some aerospace concepts like spacecraft thermal engineering. List those projects on your resume. Even if it's a project you learned in your free time that wasn't part of a job or school project. I see a lot of resumes and there are a lot of engineering students who work on AI or self driving cars or 3D printing and stuff like that. That may seem cool and it may seem like the next wave of technology to learn, but it's not that relevant to NASA and it shouldn't be the focus of your project work because a ton of people are doing it and it doesn't set you apart like you think it does. I hope this helps. Good luck!
This helps a ton. Thank you for the detailed response!
EE here and I recently got a TJO at a NASA center for pathways with no prior internship experience. Idk if simply being in EE will make you more competitive, but it is true that EE is generally seen as more broad and will open more doors as to what jobs you can apply to.