Favorite Parts Of Working In The Space And Defense Industry As An Advisor
Mike, an advisor at an independent consulting company, finds the dynamism of the aerospace and national security industry most rewarding; the daily work is impacted by "geopolitics, food scarcity, energy, technological developments, and finances," making each day unpredictable and requiring constant learning and adaptation.
Geopolitics, National Security, Dynamic Environment, Problem-Solving, Technological Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Mike Sims
Advisor
Independent Consulting Company
Penn State University, 2020
Executive MBA, UCLA, June 2023
Economics
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Entrepreneurship and Business Owner
Veteran
Video Highlights
1. The industry is dynamic and changes daily due to geopolitical events, technological advancements, and financial shifts.
2. Every day presents new challenges and opportunities, requiring adaptability and continuous learning.
3. The work involves reading extensively to stay informed about the ever-evolving landscape of national security and the aerospace industry.
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being in your industry?
The industry I'm in now can be defined a couple of ways. I work in the space industry, the aerospace industry, technology, if you will. But it also has a national security component.
In my context, national security means a lot of things. It really means national defense or defense security, if you want to wrap it like that.
The most interesting part, and the reason why it's so awesome, is because it's a dynamic environment. It's dependent on geopolitics, food scarcity, energy, technological developments, and finances.
So when I wake up every morning, it's not linear. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. This is similar to what I liked about being in the military. Every single day at work, there was potentially something new we had to solve.
Every day I wake up, there's a new acquisition, a new company funded, or a new program coming online in the government. Something might happen in Russia, Singapore, or South America. All those things impact what I'm going to do that day and the opportunities and risks that exist.
That's probably the most fun part about the job: it's dynamic and keeps you on your toes. You really have to read a lot and think ahead to succeed. It's really fun in that respect.