How I Got Into SpaceX at 18
Written by Valkyrie Holmes — recent highschool grad, Ex-NASA, Co-founder of Project Firefly, Youtuber
My story
My name is Valkyrie, and I grew up in an education-first household. I was fascinated with science and math and space and one of the first scientific conversations I ever had with my dad (that I remember) was about how big space was. Before SpaceX, I had picked up consulting jobs on everything from healthcare to engineering to technology for underprivileged women and it all led me to space tech and wanting to be a part of a company doing incredible work at a super fast pace.
When I was 16, I realized that there were a very small number of big companies in the public eye who had the rare combination of doing amazing things, and doing them fast. I would often have convos with my dad about new innovative technologies and he brought up SpaceX for what seemed like the billionth time. And this time, I finally looked into it.
I was fascinated by SpaceX’s journey and how, within the span of a few years, they were able to go from launching a few rockets a year to now launching hundreds. It absolutely blows my mind, which is exactly why I decided I had to work for SpaceX.
After all, what’s cooler than launching rockets and sending humanity to Mars?
Space tech has always interested me. I love the fast-moving startup space, I love the people within it, and I learn so much in such a short period of time. I need to be in an environment that continuously challenges me and teaches me new things and I always strive to be in these types of places.
Getting into SpaceX
The day I chose to submit my application, I went to SpaceX’s website and looked at all the internship opportunities and filled it out the best I could. I made sure to highlight any engineering work I had done, whether that be through a company or internship, and clicked send. I waited and waited, but never heard back.
Had I given up after my first application, I would have never landed my dream internship.
I wasn’t going to take no for an answer from my dream company, and I was determined to try again. So I waited a little while and applied once more. Then, a few months went by and…
Nothing.
So, I forgot about it and began applying to other internships.
But then one day I woke up to my phone buzzing with an email. I opened it and my jaw dropped. It was SpaceX, and had they invited me for an interview…it was scheduled in just a few days. I couldn’t believe my eyes. This was my chance!
I didn’t have much time to prepare, but I quickly brushed up on my engineering knowledge and went into the call as optimistic as possible. I answered tons of questions, talked about my startup Project Firefly, and gave them a little bit of background on what I had done in the past. Once I hung up the call, I sat there and just stared at the empty phone screen.
That was the worst interview I’ve ever had in my entire life.
I walked out and told my friends, “There’s probably a 25% chance I will ever hear from them again.”
I simply did not prepare enough. I completely underestimated the kinds of questions they would ask, how hard they would be and my experience level. After all, I was just a high school kid. My baseline understanding was nowhere near where it needed to be and I was paying the price. I told myself to forget about it and be more prepared the next time. I wasn’t going to give up, it just isn’t in my vocabulary to do so.
One more shot
During that time, I was working different jobs, traveling, and eventually travelled across the continent. A week into my travels, I opened my inbox to see another email from SpaceX: “Internship Interview.” One more shot.
The moment I got that email, I went into study mode. Day in, day out, I was researching the fundamentals of electrical engineering and material science. I was repeating old experiments I had done, talking to myself, recording explanations like I was preparing for some sort of TedTalk. And mark my words, this would be the best freaking TedTalk they ever heard.
Here are some resources I used to prepare:
- What is Engineering Physics video
- Math and Science.com lessons video
- This Forbes article
- I also made a detailed Powerpoint that illustrates how rockets work and what would need to take place to fly a rocket into space! If you’re interested in seeing it, leave a comment and I’ll send it to you!
I also did a deep dive on SpaceX interviews people had done in the past. I researched every single question they’ve ever asked, made sure I knew how to explain it to people, wrote it over and over again until I fully understood. I watched video after video and read every post I could find. I had 9 days to prepare and not a single day went to waste. And finally, the day had come.
Best. Interview. Ever.
I thought I totally killed it. I even called my parents after to say I was super happy with how it went and was giddy the whole day. Then, all I had to do was wait. A few days went by, and I hadn’t heard back.
But a little over a week later, I got an email saying I was accepted as a SpaceX Intern for the summer of 2022. I screamed at the top of my lungs and hugged my best friend.
I was finally going to be working for the company of my dreams.
What it’s like to work at SpaceX
I also made a video about my SpaceX internship!
I lived with two other interns in an Airbnb 15 minutes away from SpaceX. Every morning, we’d wake up around 7:30am and hop in a Lyft to head into our building. SpaceX was kind enough to give us transportation credits to get to and from work every day so we never had a car! Once we got to work, we’d usually grab coffee or tea in the cafeteria and go up to our cubicle. We usually got lunch with our teams or friends we had met through the internship program and every day was usually something different. We’d work for a little while and attend lunch and learns where we learned about critical components of Falcon and Starlink and a ton of other programs.
Walking through the main building was like visiting another planet — maybe better. Whenever you wanted, you could go down to the first floor and walk through a rocket factory. They’d be building the different stages of Falcon, the rocket parts, and had a cool 3D printing lab you could look inside. Every corner was something new and interesting and it was a nice break from work.
After we felt like we had done enough work that day (could be eight hours of work, could be twelve), we all Lyfted home and usually relaxed, had dinner or watched Love Island (reality television has never felt so good at the end of a long day). We worked Monday through Friday and usually went to the beach on weekends and parties the other interns would throw!
I have applied for a ton of jobs and programs since that time and none of the processes have been as tough nor as rewarding as SpaceX. There’s always something to do, people to meet, places to be, and everyone is always super helpful and continues to be intrigued by the work you’re doing. We’re doing real work that makes an impact and it’s such an amazing feeling to be able to go someplace and know that you’re making a difference.
3 lessons to get into SpaceX (or your dream internship)
- If I were to offer anyone advice, I would say that you simply really need to know your stuff. Whether you’re 16 and still in high school or fresh out of college with a degree, they will grill you. The top companies, including SpaceX, want to see that you’re competent and if you don’t know something, you’re willing to learn it. They want to see that you’re bright-eyed and love to solve problems.
- I chose to highlight real-life experiences that I had as well. They care about their employees being well-rounded and going out of their comfort zone. That’s a lot of what they do at SpaceX: they want to see that you’re primed for their work environment. That means studying not only the questions they ask and the material you need, but the culture. At the end of the day, you’re not going to like working someplace if the culture isn’t a good fit.
- You need to prep to talk to people as well as know your stuff. Communication is EVERYTHING. If you know what you’re doing but don’t know how to communicate that to people, it’ll make it harder when you actually don’t know what you’re doing and can’t ask for help. Things go way slower if people aren’t open to talking and figuring stuff out. Being a good communicator will make you stand out from the other applicants who have the same hard skills as you.
So if you’re reading this looking for inspiration for your next internship, I would recommend that you research and prepare as if you’re trying to understand the company better than your recruiter does.
And remember: give them the best freaking TedTalk they have ever heard.
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