Space Innovation with Bartu Kaleagasi
This week on LegalTea, Bartu Kaleagasi talks us through his very own Space Oddity; how exactly does someone go from studying law to ending up working as a Space Innovation Analyst at the European Space Agency? And what lessons can be learnt from Bartu’s experience that might help as you prepare to launch your own career?
Houston, we have a problem?
For many LegalTea listeners, Bartu’s conundrum as a law student who realised he didn’t want to work in the law may sound very familiar: what exactly do you do with a law degree if you don’t want to be a solicitor or a barrister? After all, at university very little attention is given to real alternative career paths.
The most important thing to remember is that this isn’t ‘mission failure.’ Study of the law actually develops a huge number of skills which will be valuable across a wide range of different career paths. The ability to think critically, to analyse and weigh evidence, and to balance different viewpoints and interests are all things that are incredibly valuable to a huge number of different sectors and employers and approaches that Bartu still takes in his day-to-day work in the space industry.
Prepare to Launch
Bartu’s example may seem extreme, but it’s a great example of how you can take advantage of the opportunities university provides and combine them with your interests to adjust your career trajectory. For Bartu, taking advantage of optional modules outside of law allowed him to study courses in ‘Philosophy of Space and Time’ and ‘Technology Management’ at a university level. The UCL Entrepreneurs Society exposed him to different sectors, networks, and ways of thinking that showed how his law skillset could be applied to other areas. By taking a proactive approach, you broaden your horizons and open yourself up to new possibilities you might have never known existed.
It’s true that more study may sometimes be required, but this doesn’t mean you have to start back at the beginning. Bartu was able to find an MSc in Technology Management that he was qualified for and which qualified him for his first job in the space industry. Stay open minded and don’t close yourself off to possibilities. You’ll always have your law training to fall back on, so don’t be afraid to consider other paths, even the ones that might seem radically different.
“You never know what will inspire you, you never know which strand you will find and catch and find yourself facing down an entirely new path that is more beautiful, more inspirational and a better fit for you than you ever imagined.”
Blast off
After you’ve done the research and gained some knowledge, you’ll be amazed by the different directions you can go in after studying law. In Bartu’s case, he eventually ended up landing a dream job at the European Space Agency. Although you might assume that a role here would require a background in physics or engineering, this wasn’t the case. The combination of a law degree and MSc in tech gave him a really unique skillset and he’s gone on to make valuable contributions to some really big picture stuff which will help make major advances to improving life on this planet, as well as to forging our future among the stars. Although the work of a Space Innovation Analyst and a corporate lawyer are very different, there are many parallels between the systems thinking required in the space industry and the intersectional and interdisciplinary way you’re trained to think as a lawyer. And in the future, Bartu hopes to bridge the gap between these areas even more, using his understanding of systems and policies to affect direct change on strategies and international, global governance systems for expansion into space and new settings.
Countdown (to success)
So, if, like Bartu, you’re looking to make a radical move away from law and into the tech industry, these are our top 3 tips:
Widen your horizons. Explore different modules, societies and events to get a sense of what possibilities are out there and consider internships in different areas too – they are all stepping stones on the journey.
Foster a systems thinking perspective. Thinking in this way is incredibly useful for allowing you to see and consider all the different layers and properties of an issue (and it’s not a million miles away from how you’re trained to think as a lawyer!).
Gain an understanding of technologies and business. Study a bit of physics, a bit of engineering, a bit of maths to allow you to understand technologies on a conceptual level. But don’t neglect the business side and take some time to develop your commercial awareness of how businesses and markets operate.
