– Neil Armstrong, John Glenn,
Buzz Aldrin, William Shatner.
What do they all have in common?
They’re all astronauts.
Yes, even William Shatner.
Captain Kirk, he finally went to space,
and that was all made
possible by Space 4.0.
(upbeat music)
I’m drinking Ecliptic, their Starbust IPA.
This is out of Portland, Oregon, Earth.
Seems very fitting for our topic today.
(upbeat music)
Uh oh.
Oh dear.
We got the Milky Way Galaxy on top there.
Oh, that’s out of this world.
Foam’s good, I mean if the foam
is any indicator of the
beer, we’re in a good place.
Hi everyone, I’m Drew Repp,
and today I’m here to
talk about Space 4.0,
the transition from space
exploration being purely the role
of governments, to now being
propelled by private industry.
And that’s opening up all
kinds of jobs for people
and growth opportunities for communities.
So let’s take a space walk.
First, while space tourism
is about the uber wealthy
seeing what space is like,
Space 4.0 is about the next step
in commerce, research, and technology
with (stammers), with benefits. (chuckles)
With benefits here on Earth,
just as much as in space.
For example, the Starlink satellites,
a partnership with Google and SpaceX,
are designed to expand
internet broadband access
to remote parts of the world.
In fact, Morgan Stanley estimates
that commercial space industry revenue
could exceed $1 trillion in 2040,
up from $350 billion currently.
What does this mean for
those of us bound by gravity?
From 2010 to 2021, job postings
in the commercial space industry
have risen more than 500%.
– [Man] (laughing) Ow.
Who said I’m the first fall?
– He’s committed.
He’s a method actor.
And over the last few
years, the big player,
SpaceX and Blue Origin,
have had the most postings.
But as in any large skill manufacturing
and assembly operation, there
are a host of subcontractors,
suppliers, and consultants,
and you don’t have to
be a rocket scientist.
While traditional engineering
jobs make up the majority
of the top 10 occupations in demand,
software developers and
computer system engineers
are currently the top two
most sought after roles.
This has this some punch to it.
Yeah, it’s got some
rocket boosters for sure.
I’m bringing all the space puns.
(man laughs)
Hard skills in demand
include project management,
coding language Python,
physics, and avionics.
Human skills of teamwork
and collaboration,
planning, and being detail
oriented are also high in demand.
‘Cause no one wants to strap
themselves to a a rocket
or invest millions in
launching a new satellite,
without all of the details
being taken care of.
And of course the skill of
problem solving is in demand,
because Houston, when there’s a problem,
we need to be able to solve it.
(upbeat music)
(Drew sighs contentedly)
Lastly, it means a big
impact for communities
that are becoming centers
for Space 4.0 activity.
The Brownsville-Harlingen MSA
in Texas is home to Starbase,
SpaceX’s production facility,
test site, and space board.
The population curve
changed drastically in 2018,
with both people and
businesses moving to the area
to be in proximity to Starbase.
And Starbase isn’t just employing those
with advanced degrees.
Since job postings hit
hyperdrive in mid-2019,
the jobs requiring a high
school diploma or GED
have mirrored the posting trend of roles
requiring a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
These include roles such as culinary staff
and barista trainers,
residential assistants,
launch logistics specialists
and Starship subassembly technicians.
You can read more about the
commercial space industry
on our blog, and take a look at the skills
in your own backyard.
There’s a good chance your
region has the industry
and people to be a part of Space 4.0.
(upbeat music)
Thanks so much for joining me
on this “Beer with Emsi Burning Glass.”
Cheers.
(Drew sighs contentedly)
