THE PROGRESS REPORT: From curiosity to career – breaking into the space industry

Joint-capabilities
|
By: Robyn Tongol

What does it really take to find your place in one of Australia’s most niche industries – and how do you turn curiosity into a meaningful career?

What does it really take to find your place in one of Australia’s most niche industries – and how do you turn curiosity into a meaningful career?

In this episode of The Progress Report, Defence Connect’s Tash Taylor sits down with Mary Pillay, a space and robotics engineer and ambassador of the Australian Space Diversity Alliance. Mary shares how her journey began with a chance industry night at university, her experience cold emailing companies to land her first internship, and the mentorship that helped her grow into a confident professional.

From being thrown into the deep end during her first week to guiding students and young professionals into the space sector, Mary opens up about the importance of putting yourself out there, seizing opportunities, and surrounding yourself with supporters who believe in you.

The Progress Report. New voices. Real stories. Big shifts.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Progress Report team

Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Defence Connect a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Defence Connect as a preferred news source.

Tags:

Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

Episode 11: CONTESTED GROUND: Apathy, complacency and the ‘Lucky Country’, Australia’s predicament is entirely self-inflicted, with Ben Dullroy
Episode 10: SPECIAL EDITION PODCAST: 125 years of the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Army
Episode 9: CONTESTED GROUND: Australian resilience during a crisis and sovereign industrial capability
Episode 8: CONTESTED GROUND: From Tehran to Sydney – why war could reshape Australian property
Episode 7: SPOTLIGHT: Inside Australia’s AUKUS industrial transformation, with Honeywell Aerospace Australia senior director Lee Davis
Episode 6: CONTESTED GROUND: War without borders – the disinformation threat arriving in Australia
Episode 5: THE PROGRESS REPORT: The mission to make military children visible
Episode 4: PODCAST: Righting the ship, balancing the force, with Senator James Paterson, shadow minister for defence
Episode 3: SPOTLIGHT: Modern electronic warfare, spectrum congestion and the Australian defence ecosystem, with DEWC Services’ Rian Whitby
Episode 2: CONTESTED GROUND: The intersection of finance, organised crime, terrorism and foreign interference, with Keith Bulfin