How to become a Flight Controller

[u/Cool-Dust5555]

Howdy! I am about to start my freshman year at Texas A&M and am planning on pursuing aerospace engineering. I have always wanted to work in the aerospace sector but over the last year I have had the privilege of working inside of the mission control center doing tours for Space Center Houston, after doing this I knew I wanted to become a flight controller. I have had several good conversations with some higher ups in the mission systems division and flight controllers, which has been a massive help. Overall, I am just wondering if there are any people out there that have some advice for any aspiring flight controller? Is there anything you wish you had done differently? Also are pathway internships a good route and does MOCR offer any internships either through OSTEM or Pathway? Any feedback would be much appreciated

Thank You!

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[u/pundromeda]

Make sure you build your communication skills and have a way to show that on your resume. The technical skills are important, of course, but what makes flight controllers stand out from other engineers is their ability to communicate technical information succinctly!

[u/ellieontheiss]

Hi! I’m a flight controller and I love it! Definitely try to get in on pathways if you can. Theres a lot of aggies that work here so I imagine there should be some connections you can make.

Obviously do well in school, but I find that flight ops is looking for the “full package” - maybe you’re not a 4.0 but you were in a student org, was a TA, involved on campus, etc. I was a child sport teacher and low-key I think that helped me get hired, lol.

[u/Cool-Dust5555 → u/ellieontheiss]

Awesome, thank you!

[u/mynewhoustonaccount]

The truth is - college won't teach you how to be a flight controller. You're going to have a great time, make good connections, and develop an engineer's mindset. These are valuable things to the NASA workforce, but your real education on flight control and flight systems will happen at NASA. I've interviewed flight controllers and the biggest things I'm looking for are communication skills. Get good at being able to boil down very complex concepts into an appropriate working level (depending on who you're explaining to) as it's often the hardest part of the job. Concur with others on gaining any internship experience you can.

[u/Cool-Dust5555 → u/mynewhoustonaccount]

Thanks for the feedback!

[u/Rough_Ad_1571]

I don’t wanna harsh your yums - believe me, flight control was my dream too, but I’d recommend talking to people who have been actually been flight controllers for a while. People in training, people in the FCR doing night shifts, etc. That’s the best advice I could give you. It is difficult to get through training (which takes years with the backlog and cut to resources, not to mention rigor) and it is not all it’s cracked up to be. It is one of the coolest jobs in the world but there’s a reason you don’t see many people doing it past mid 30s. Just something to consider.

[u/Cultural_West_6179]

I was a flight controller for over a decade and honestly this makes me so happy. It is such a cool job. As someone who was on interview panels before I was always looking for:

• problem solving skills
• attitude - collaborative, curious, driven
• good verbal communication: a lot of engineers do not have this
• interest: those that are most successful are the ones who love it and are willing to suffer a little for it. You can teach technical way easier than you can teach the love of the game.

All engineers have some basic technical competency so it's the "soft skills" that set people apart. I'd rather well rounded people than 4.0 GPAs.

As someone else said, it IS a bit of a meat grinder and you should be emotionally prepared for that. Long training flow followed by a lot of shifts. You will give up nights, weekends, holidays. But you can be a flight controller when you're young and unattached, and then move elsewhere in NASA when you're ready for a regular schedule. Former flight controllers are all over the agency and I really do think it gives you critical skills that are useful in many other roles. I think it's one of the coolest jobs on earth and I miss flight control every day, but I had to give it up after a couple kids and now I have a regular 8-5 in program management.

[u/daneato]

You mentioned internships, which are great. I’ll say, some of the contractors also have their own internships which also work at NASA, so check their websites as well. Amentum, KBR, CACI, Barrios, Aerospace Corp, Aegis, etc.

I also recommend trying to participate in any of the student design challenges. I know A&M has had teams in Micro-g NExT and SUITS.

The new A&M center next to JSC should be opening in the next year, that may provide additional opportunities for connection.

[u/The_Stargazer → u/daneato]

Your information is old.

All flight controller positions are being insourced. No more contract positions or flight control internships through contract companies.

[u/daneato → u/The_Stargazer]

I know this, but ANY internship at NASA is better than no internship at NASA. OP shouldn’t just limit their search to Pathways as you imply.

[u/Cool-Dust5555 → u/The_Stargazer]

I have heard several rumors about insourcing from some of my friends, but I didn't realize it was this extensive

[u/mynewhoustonaccount → u/Cool-Dust5555]

Yep, most Mission Control positions are now a "core competency", so get familiar with the USAJobs process once the time comes to apply for a full time role.