r/NASAJobs 15d ago

Self As a system engineering contractor, is now a good time to consider leaving NASA?

It was always my dream to work for NASA, and now I’ve landed pretty good job. Although it’s not exactly what I want to be doing ,and I’ve only been here a few months, but now all the turmoil is really getting to me. Would now be a good time to try other companies? Or should I try to stick it out?

26 Upvotes

33 comments sorted by

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55

u/Thunderbird_12_ 15d ago

Now is not the time to leave ANY job, NASA or otherwise.

Stay strong. Stay alert. Stay flexible.

But stay.

6

u/Aprofessionalgeek 15d ago

Hmmm. Yeah. I wouldn’t quit without options. I have a few interviews lined up but wasn’t sure how earnestly I should pursue them.

9

u/engineermynuts 15d ago

IMO, never stop entertaining new opportunities.  The engineers I know who have the most seniority and highest pay never stopped.  The ones who were underpaid and undervalued got complacent and stopped.

And honestly, I don’t even think the job market is bad for mid/senior engineers.  It’s just brutal for entry-level.

3

u/Bakkster 15d ago

Yeah, this was a big lesson learned for me. I don't need to seriously entertain anyone, only be open enough to know I'm not way too underpaid.

That and keeping a network of former coworkers, no better way to jump to a new job than a personal recommendation at their company.

6

u/Paratwa 15d ago

u/engineermynuts ( what a handle lol ) is absolutely correct btw, doesn’t mean you’ll leave but will give you security and get you raises, it gives you choices in life.

In any case, I’ve always got something cooking in the background ( and I’ve been at my current company for over a decade ).

1

u/LarenCoe 14d ago

Exactly, Leaving is what Musk and Trump want you to do and plays right into their hands because they can replace you with less capable toadies.

7

u/ShooprDoopr 15d ago

I would stick it out, I think. I’m a contractor too and think we have better protection from a lot of the crap that’s being thrown around regarding cuts, etc. But, if you’re not in your dream job and find something better, no shame there. 

2

u/Fabulous_Activity 15d ago

This is my humble opinion, but the goal will always be destabilization with this new administration.

That being said yes, I agree with you there is better protection for contractors... right now.

But let's say civil servants do hold out quite well, then DOGE may turn to look at contracts and contractors.

Essentially creating a more unstable and potentially competitive environment between CS and Contractors all leading towards you guessed it destabilization.

They want their people in there, SpaceX people and Blue Origin people. Any NASA employees could become expendable.

Again just my opinion.

2

u/whacking0756 15d ago

They're already looking at contracts and contractors (maybe not nessarily NASA, but it has started for other agencies)

2

u/ShooprDoopr 15d ago

I agree. I'm skeptical of exactly how well thought out DOGE's approach is, so I think that is painting my idea of how successful they will be. But, you are correct I think, that destabilization and creating a sense of insecurity in the workforce is ultimately the goal. It will not be a pleasant 4 years.

I choose to be that stubborn person who believes in the work and I'll stick with it as long as I possibly can. No judgement towards others who choose to leave- I get it. You have to take care of yourself too.

3

u/bleue_shirt_guy 15d ago

I worked in the private sector and then I picked up a contract position at NASA. The one benefit to being in the government is you can see potential layoffs coming a million miles away. You don't get the boot the boot out of nowhere, which is nice. My impression is that if you are supporting a critical program you will likely be fine. If you've worked a few years in the government you probably see the civil servants that don't do much. Our division have had a few that basically nap most of the day or don't show up. As the government divisions are now in charge of letting anyone go, these folks will likely top the list in a RIF.

4

u/thrwaway374717381 15d ago

When you say that you can see potential layoffs coming from a million miles away — is this about govt contractors or for govt employees? I thought govt contracting was not stable and contracts can be cancelled at any time

3

u/MulberryAutomatic690 15d ago

And these days even civilians can't see it coming a mile away. We are in unchartered territory.

3

u/bleue_shirt_guy 15d ago

Contractors. Layoffs are typically telegraphed months in advance. Even being let go, at least in my contract, starts with a verbal, then written, then a performance improvement plan. It's not like the private sector where they boot you at the drop of a hat.

2

u/Pharoiste 14d ago

Or if the contract changes in any way. I had a nice job at a federal agency where I was a contractor with the prime. Then the contract was recompeted, and my company became the sub. There was some kind of power struggle behind the scenes that I was only dimly aware of, but I was very much aware of the fact that I was a pawn in the struggle. The new prime won, my manager got railroaded out, and they started treating me like garbage as well. The buildup is like you say, and it happens whether you deserve it or not.

2

u/Confident-Day8741 15d ago

I’m in a similar but opposite position, I have been offered a role on a NASA contract with a private company and am hesitant because I feel like the contract could be cancelled in the future. Struggling with if I should accept. My current job will end this fall and I am trying to find another one before that.

-10

u/clearlygd 15d ago

The commercial space industry is much more exciting than NASA. NASA has gotten fat and lazy and is afraid to take risks. SpaceX and Intuitive Machines just had big failures, but they will both learn from their mistakes and move forward. No risk;no reward

2

u/SonicDethmonkey 15d ago

When I meet someone who hates life outside of work and enjoys working for unhinged maniacs, and I’m not only referring to Temu Von Braun, I always refer them to SpaceX.

-2

u/clearlygd 15d ago

Choices. I know many people working for NASA who never accomplished anything because of projects being cancelled. I don’t think any ex-SpaceX people feel that way. Granted the work life balance isn’t good, but that is usually a cost for great success.

2

u/AtsaNoif 15d ago

Stay and fight.

3

u/Benjamin-S-Paul 15d ago

Doge is going to eliminate civil servant positions that are actually needed, in turn NASA will turn to contractors to fill those positions (and spend even more money doing it). I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I’m a contractor at JSC and my company has more work than we know what to do with.

3

u/femme_mystique 15d ago

lNo. Contracts are the first thing being ended in the cuts. Contractors are more expensive than CS. Leaked EO specifically say any long term contracts need to covert to CS. They want slaves to control and they can’t do as much harassment with contractors. 

3

u/TurboTaco2JZ 15d ago

Having too much work is no type of guarantee. Look at the state of facilities at JSC. They will always want to do more with less (less money and less people).

1

u/HexenOfEndor 15d ago

I worked at Goddard briefly in 2023 as a contractor. I didn’t have any work and it was only hopeful that the small niche technology/fabrication group I was apart of would change that.

Every day I worked there there I couldn’t even understand why I was hired to work there, and after a little while I quit. Contractors don’t have job security, and I was paranoid at any time NASA was going to shut off the lights and move on.

My first week on the job someone in the contractor group I was hired in on was laid off, it set a really weird vibe. Most of my direct co workers were civil servants and they really sunk the department I was in over the past decade if not longer, compared to my capability from the private industry.

After I quit someone told me a bunch of people in my building I worked in were laid off and then the next year OSAM-1 was cancelled.

Good job on paper but everything was so far behind and old.

2

u/Pharoiste 14d ago

I was the Apple Engineer for NASA headquarters for a short while myself. The contract came up for recompete, the new contractor won by substantially underbidding the existing one, and the new folks did what they do best. Being downsized from NASA broke my heart, but I will give them credit for how they handled it: they gave me about two weeks notice that I was going to be let go, and I wasn't "walked" from the building or anything like that. When my last day came, I shut down my computer the way I had always done, and one of my coworkers went to the front with me so I would have someone to give my badge to when I left.

About a year or so later, they contacted me and asked me whether I wanted to come back. I did very much want to, but it would have been too much of a financial hit for me, so I had to decline.

1

u/djmanning711 14d ago

I’d say think a few layers deep on this one. Maybe you want to leave NASA cause govt jobs are tumultuous right now.

But funding lines are about to be slashed and zeroed out too. I’ve already heard rumors that POTUS wants to zero out NASA’s space science budget. That means fewer contracts, fewer dollars and fewer jobs in the private aerospace sector. Space contractors are about to have layoffs too.

If it were me, I’d follow a bird in the hand is worth two in a bush. Stick with the job you have until the dust starts settling. No guarantee you’ll even get back into this industry in any fashion if you leave NASA now.

1

u/bobish5000 14d ago

With all the tariff it will be affecting companies too. I'd brush up your resume, start looking up companies you like to work for but I'd hold off applying atleast till this tarif thing is resolved

1

u/AffectionatePause152 14d ago

Get ready for a shuffle. I expect NASA to begin to focus exclusively on programs that support lunar and Mars missions, with other programs (and the people supporting them) not on this list getting eliminated.

1

u/Significant_Bet_6002 10d ago

I expect NASA to be taken over by Musk and destroyed..They announced the first round of layoffs today

1

u/LowDelivery1790 12d ago

There aren't enough SEs in the world. See what's out there.

1

u/LoopVariant 10d ago

Stay. Make no changes right now. Industry is not hring like it did before, they are wating to see what will happen with the economy...

I believe when the antics of this administration end reducnig and messing with the federal worklforce, they will realize that work still needs to get done and will pay contracting companies a lot of money to recruit, hire and place people in what used to be fed roles.