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| Advice to Rocket Scientists: A Career Survival Guide for Scientists and Engineers |
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Jim Longuski, Purdue University
Library of Flight Series
Published by AIAA, © 2004, 84 pages, Paperback
ISBN-10: 1-56347-655-X
ISBN-13: 978-1-56347-655-6
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AIAA Member Price:
$14.95
List Price:
$19.95
AIAA Members Save 25%!
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As a long-time NASA engineer and astronautics professor, Jim Longuski watched first hand as gifted rocket scientists and students learned their way around the lab only to lose their way in the board room.
Longuski decided to write what he calls a survival guide for rocket scientists. In this small book, Longuski uses humor and personal anecdotes to give engineers and scientists an edge in an industry in which one gets ahead as much on interpersonal-skills as on technical merits.
If you are a rocket scientist, or want to become a rocket scientist, or know and care about a rocket scientist – then this book is for you, Longuski explains in his introduction.
The book is especially valuable for those who are attempting career transitions, whether from student to aerospace worker or from aerospace worker to university researcher or teacher.
Longuski explains how the work place is different from the academic environment. He gives readers real-world advice about how to find jobs, negotiate offers, and keep bosses happy. He implores students to have confidence and speak directly with potential employers rather than simply mailing in resumes and hoping for the best.
He tells readers how to produce technical reports and give presentations that will keep colleagues interested. In a chapter called What if the Rocket Doesn’t Work? he helps engineers cope with failure.
Longuski presents a reality that too many scientists and engineers ignore: Getting ahead and staying happy involves mastering inter-office politics.
About the Author:
Jim Longuski joined Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1979 after earning a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan.
As a maneuver analyst and mission designer at JPL, Longuski helped plan NASA's Galileo Mission to Jupiter.
In 1988, Longuski began teaching astronautics at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He has published over one hundred conference and journal articles on spacecraft dynamics and control, reentry theory, mission design, and space trajectory optimization.
Recently, Longuski collaborated with Professor Ephraim Fischbach (at Purdue) and Professor Daniel J. Scheeres (at the University of Michigan) to propose an experiment to test Einstein's theory of gravity at an unprecedented accuracy. This new test of General Relativity would precisely measure the deflection of a spacecraft during a close encounter with the sun.
Here's what the reviewers are saying:
". . . Contains excelllent advice for research students in any field who are looking to build successful careers in academia or industry . . . a terrific book of 'street' smarts'. . . useful for anyone in a position to hire that student." - Charles G. Wade for MaterialsToday
"Great Book! Loved it!" - Dr. Robert W. Farquhar, Applied Physics Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University, Flight Director for the first comet mission (ISEE-3/ICE), and Mission Director for the first landing on an asteroid (NEAR)
"An important book. . . I wish I had this book before starting my career!" - Dr. Enrico Lorenzini, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
“It took me years to learn much of what's in this book. I found many of the passages hilarious, laughing to the point of tears. The book is wonderfully written—concise, light, entertaining, very useful and accurate.” - Dr. William J. O’Neil, Galileo Project Manager, 1990-1998, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
“This easy-to-read book explains the side of being successful that the professors do not teach—the human side of the equation. It is excellent for both technical and non-technical rocket scientists. The reader finds one nugget of advice after another illustrated by quick, simple, and snappy examples.” - Dr. Gerald R. Hintz, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, and AIAA Associate Fellow
“Jim Longuski’s Advice to Rocket Scientists is an excellent work offering guidance that is helpful for the aspiring engineer and non-engineer alike. Advice to Rocket Scientists reads easily and includes a wonderful balance of practical advice, humor, and examples of what to expect when seeking employment in the “real world.” Longuski emphasizes not just professional development in the reader but personal growth as well. With his realistic anecdotes and his straightforward approach, Longuski encourages the reader to develop a sense of humility, maintain confidence, and seek teamwork in the work environment. Longuski’s guidance is fun and real; and with such guidance, the reader can discover a healthy dose of lessons in life as well as a successful career path.” - Dr. Henry T. Yang, Professor and Chancellor, University of California, Santa Barbara
"This book is must reading for all current and aspiring aerospace engineers." - Prof. John E. Prussing, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
"I really enjoyed this book. It is brief, has short chapters, is easy to read and has plenty of humor. Trying to figure out what I should do, I have read a few career books myself but became extremely bored with them very fast, because they would just spend too much time with unnecessary information e.g. statistics/surveys to support their arguments and plenty of analysis. This book has none of that. If I had a chance to ask the authors of the other career books one question, it would be: So, what are you NOT telling me? This book is the answer to that. Having worked in the industry for several years, I am very confident to make this assessment. I can also say, that many of the tips in this book can be applied not only to the US but to Europe as well." - Dipl.-Ing. (BA) Christoph Wagner, MSS, Graduate Student
“I have no hesitation in recommending that Advice to Rocket Scientists be a part of any professional's reference library. The principles and recommendations within this book have proved invaluable during my graduate studies and subsequent transition to the workplace.” - An Amazon Reader
“The book is well researched, well written, and easy to read. If you're a student thinking about a career in aerospace or a young professional getting started on your career, you need this book.” - An Amazon Reader
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Table of Contents:
- Who is a Rocket Scientist?
- It Doesn't Take a Rocket Scientist to be a Rocket Scientist
- It’s Not About Grades
- Why the Work Place Is Different from School
- The Golden Rule: Make your Boss Look Good
- Does This Mean You Have to Kiss Butt?
- What if my Boss Is Incompetent?
- Check Out Your Boss Before You Accept the Job
- Why You Need Two Resumes
- Getting Your Resume to the Right Person
- What About References?
- What to Bring to the Interview
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Seek out Enlightened Managers
- How to Negotiate Your First Job Offer
- How to Survive Your First Two Weeks on the Job
- Reinvent the Wheel
- What if the Rocket Doesn’t Work?
- How to Tell Your Boss: “We’ve Got a Problem.”
- Keep Your Boss Informed
- Reality Therapy: A Few Words about the Challenger
- Work on the Big Picture
- How to Give a Presentation to Rocket Scientists
- How to Keep Your Presentation Short and Snappy
- How to Write a Technical Report
- The Importance of Being Visible
- How to Achieve Visibility
- So You Want to Be a Professor of Rocket Science
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Qualifying for the Ph.D. Program
- Why Working on Your Ph.D. Is Fun
- Plan Your Academic Career Early
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How Will You Fund Your Research?
- What Should Be on Your Academic Resume?
- List the Courses You Could Teach
- How Not to Give an Academic Interview
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How to Prepare for an Academic Interview
- The Academic Seminar for Hire
- Expect a Long Wait for the Call
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How to Negotiate an Academic Offer
- What it Takes to Get Tenure
- Train Your Graduate Students to Do Research
- How to Get Promoted and Tenured at a Higher Rank
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ANSA/AIAA Performance-Based Anomaly Detection and Response Analysis (S-102-2-11-2009e)
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