If you're thinking about your future job, you might already have some ideas.
You might think of roles like lawyer, mechanic, nurse, or teacher. These are typical examples. But if you only think about jobs you already know, you could miss other exciting options.
Try thinking about what really interests you. When your job matches your interests, you're more likely to enjoy it and do well.
For example:
- Do you like the idea of influencing people? You could work with international organisations or space agencies.
- Enjoy numbers? Many astronomy jobs use a lot of maths.
- Like making things? You might enjoy rocketry or helping to build the world's biggest telescopes.
When looking into space careers, you might come across words like astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology.
Astronomy is a broad term. It means studying space and what's in it. This might involve space missions, taking measurements of the night sky, or using telescopes to observe the cosmos.
Astrophysics is a part of astronomy. It focuses on the science behind space—such as how stars produce energy, how the first elements formed, or what laws govern planets in orbit.
Cosmology looks at the Universe as a whole. How did it begin? How does it change? What might happen in the future?
Explore the "I'm interested in..." menu on this page.
You'll find a wide range of careers for people who love space. See what skills are needed and how different people found their way into the jobs they love. Their journeys may surprise you—it's not always a straight line!
While researching careers in space, you may read about astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology. Astronomy is the main term we use to talk about studying objects in space. This could involve space missions, measuring the positions of objects in the night sky, or controlling a telescope. Astrophysics is a branch of astronomy which looks in more detail at how physics works in space. This could be how stars produce energy through nuclear fusion, the formation of the first elements in the Big Bang, or the laws of physics which define the orbit of planets around stars. Another branch of astronomy is cosmology. Cosmology looks at the Universe as a whole; How did it start? Does it change over time? How will it end?
Explore the 'I'm interested in...' menu on this page and take a look at the wide range of careers available for those who love space. Discover some of the skills involved, and the journeys people have taken to get their dream careers. It's not always as straightforward as you might expect!