Life at SpaceX for hourly skilled labor - Toolmaker/Field Machinist SpaceX Employee Review

5.0
Nov 7, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

As a space nerd and believer in American manufacturing SpaceX is a tremendous place to work. We take raw material and turn it into something shot to orbit. That is a hugely satisfying thing after coming from the typical aerospace giants and a driving force behind my continued interest despite getting beat up by my job. Once you've found a niche the job is rewarding beyond anything I imagined it would be. Pay is average for a non-union aerospace company and the benefits packages are nice. The offer a wide variety of insurance plans that make it affordable even for a big family like mine. The chance at constant overtime is nice. Stock equity is a nice touch but no 401K match is definitely a con.

Cons

Manufacturing jigs, fixtures, assemblies, and even launch mounts from raw material means the job is very labor intensive and often out in the elements. You need a pretty good state of health because this job will send you home everyday feeling exhausted. If work/life balance is a phrase in your vocabulary this job will break you. SpaceX plows ahead demanding between 70 to 80 hours weekly from you. Of course for those money-hungry overtime hounds it's fantastic because you will more than double your yearly base salary. SpaceX is very much sink or swim from the very beginning. You must be willing to quickly adapt to new situations and demands that are above and beyond what a normal aerospace company would expect. The day I started my supervisor said "SpaceX only wants badasses", and that has been proven by a number of people who didn't fit the bill being sent home. You must be very even tempered and able to work closely with the people around you.

Explore other reviews about SpaceX

5.0
Jun 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Incredible benefits, career movement is based on merit, stocks, mission focused, jobs with a measurable purpose, and incredibly passionate individuals

Cons

Clout-chasing and prestige among certain management and team members, greatly underestimate the magnitude of scale often.

4.0
Apr 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You learn so much because the work is so freaking intense, its a lot of fun if you're the type of person who loves to get emerged in hard problems. The hours for me were not too bad but I was the exception, all the other interns I was with dealt with 60-70+ hour weeks, some interns came in at 10am and left at 12am, when I say its intense, I'm not joking. This is however very unique to the Starbase location. I've heard Hawthorne is a lot more chill. I honestly despite how challenging the role was always look back on it with a sense of pride in my work, and longing to be back there. It really does feel that you're doing world changing things.

Cons

Very un diverse upper management, I'd say the company is pretty diverse in the lower ranks, but once you start to look at the org chart and see who's in charge, you realize that its mainly just white people. Makes you wonder if as a person of color you too will be able to move up. Housing sucks: there was limited housing on campus for full time employees, you have to wait a year plus to get off the queue and once you're off you only really get tiny homes as the option that are in an inconvenient location. Interns don't even have the option to get on campus housing, they give you 3k in a housing stipend and expect you to find a place in Brownsville. I'd say its very hard to maintain a relationship while working here if you don't have an understanding partner, the work schedule is brutal and you really can't slack off.

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