Ohio graduate shoots for the moon
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| Ryan Becker, son of Jim and Kelly Becker of Ohio, has come a long ways since his days as an Ohio High School student. After graduating in 2004, Becker went on to get his degree in business administration and is now working on his master’s degree in accounting. Becker spent the summer working as an intern with NASA in Washington, D.C. (Photo contributed) |
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OHIO — Think only astronauts and scientists work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration?
Think again.
“When I would tell people about the internship the first question I would get was, ‘You mean the NASA, like the space people?” said Ryan Becker.
Becker, a 2004 graduate of Ohio High School, received his bachelor’s degree in business administration at Northern Illinois University in 2008 and is currently in his last year at NIU getting his master’s degree in accounting.
Becker recently returned from Washington, D.C., where he spent his summer doing an internship for NASA.
“Most people don’t even think about NASA needing accountants to crunch their numbers and make sure they stay within their budget,” Becker said. “I love telling people that I worked for NASA in that capacity.”
Working as an accountant at NASA gave Becker a chance to combine two of his favorite things — numbers and space.
Becker said he decided to become an accountant because he’s always been good with numbers, and he likes the procedures followed in accounting.
And, like many people, he’s always had an interest in the space program.
“I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t wanted to be an astronaut at some point in their lives,” he said. “When I heard NASA wanted me to interview for an internship, I nearly passed out from the excitement!”
While at NASA, Becker worked on many projects, including flow-charting the acquisition and recording process for NASA’s $2.6 billion inventory accounts and researching applicable accounting standards related to International Bartering Agreements for the construction of the International Space Station.
One highlight of the summer was meeting the astronauts who went up to the International Space Station on Mission STS-132 in December 2009.
“Meeting the astronauts was one of the most exciting things I got to do during my internship,” Becker said. “The whole program was very cool, and I’ll never forget the experience. I was surprised at how down-to-earth they were and how similar their sense of humor is to mine.”
After receiving his master’s degree, Becker would like to work full-time for NASA if the opportunity becomes available.
“I think the accounting for NASA is more exciting than what a person would do at a more traditional company,” he said.
Part of what Becker enjoyed this summer was doing budgetary financial statements and analysis instead of traditional financial statements.
“I learned something new every day this summer,” Becker said. “Even accountants who have been there for years say they face new and exciting challenges on a regular basis. Even in accounting, there is no such thing as a boring day at NASA.”
Becker said his internship would make him a top candidate if any position did become available at NASA. However, if there’s nothing available, he would still like to work for the government, possibly at the Government Accountability Office, the Rock Island Arsenal or the Treasury Department.
“Once a person is familiar with how one federal entity does it, they can use that knowledge for any other because they’re fairly similar,” he said. “One thing is for sure, the experience I got this summer has opened a lot of career possibilities for me and given me good solid accounting experience to put on my resume.”
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