At a young age, Kaulen’s parents would take him to air shows where he was first inspired to pursue a career in aerospace after seeing the Blue Angel pilots. From there, his area of interest grew towards commercial airliners and anything that can fly. His path towards the aerospace industry began when he joined Accelerate Space! Towards the end of the program at the career fair, he met someone that encouraged him to attend the Moons to Mars conference, where they talked about the Artemis missions. There at the conference, he met someone who then gave him the opportunity to join Boeing.

While Kaulen's journey began with Accelerate Space, his education and work experience from another industry helped him transition to aerospace, landing him a career to where he is today. After he graduated from college, he took whatever job he could get since the job market was tough. He took a job in civil engineering, but as time went on, he felt that he had become too comfortable and dissatisfied. He forgot why he wanted to become an engineer. He decided to go back to school to pursue his master's to pursue a new path. When he started his master's, he received an email from his professor about Accelerate Space, which led him to a path towards a career in aerospace.

The most meaningful work that Kaulen does is being able to work on ECLSS (Environmental Control Life Support Systems) as an engineer, maintaining and improving air filtration systems aboard the ISS. It is expensive to launch water into space, so systems must be designed such that water can be reused for astronauts. Within ECLSS, he also works on air filtration systems that can clean the air for up to 250 contaminants and create emergency hardware. He enjoys his work because it also helps support the astronauts aboard the ISS.

One of the main challenges faced in Kaulen’s line of work is staying on top of decision-making during critical times. During flight operations, Mission Control works days at a time, and there are anomalies that happen aboard the ISS. It is up to Mission Control to decide whether or not an anomaly is a risk to the crew. Can they accept it? In order to overcome these challenges, it is important to stay organized, make fast judgments, and communicate with different teams.

During moments of stress and setback, Kaulen remembers his dream as a child to work for NASA and remembers that the astronaut crew’s life is in his hands. He wants to make sure they are content, and it helps him forget about the stress. He is passionate about his work so it always helps him to stay motivated and move forward.

Someone who is willing to adapt, be self-driven, is a team-player, takes ownership, and takes initiative are all qualities for someone to thrive long-term within the workplace culture. As an example, Kaulen sets goals for his customers and managers so they know what to expect. Knowing the logistics of a task, such as who’s docking and team activities, can help him let his customers and managers know the time a task starts, who’s going to be there, and be able to track the progress. These proactive steps, in turn, keep the customer informed while also gaining the customer's trust. 

Personally, Kaulen felt imposter syndrome as a newcomer in the industry. He felt like he didn’t belong at meetings and would suggest that other newcomers not minimize themselves, but not come in as a “know-it-all” as either. To avoid mistakes as a newcomer, he recommends knowing your personal chain of command in the workplace to avoid stepping on someone's toes. Communicate clearly and effectively. Lastly, he recommends that newcomers looking for a job in the industry not think or act desperately, especially in networking situations.

Within engineering, during work meetings on major projects, teams typically coordinate through discussion and asking what is needed between the teams. Between engineering and operations, communication is key because a part needs to keep working. One team may write procedures, leave a comment, and the report will be sent back and forth. For hardware-related tasks, the engineering team will need to talk to the logistics team and may ask questions about storing a component. An example would be asking what temperature the part needs to be packaged? Is the material on the part reactive to humidity? Furthermore, other teams, such as toxicology and safety, collaborate to check for leaks aboard the ISS. Outside of operations and engineering, teams usually have little interaction with the business teams, and funding can vary between projects.

With high risks and human lives being involved, being well-rounded on a team is one of the traits that leadership values the most. Having technical knowledge, being accurate, being adaptable, and communicative are all important skills. Additionally, prioritizing safety and speaking up are imperative. Saying no if you don’t feel like a decision is right can make or break someone’s life aboard the ISS.

For someone striving to build a career in aerospace, Kaulen strongly recommends networking and finding ways to go against the grain. One way he stands out to recruiters is by using a heavier stock paper, a business card, and a folder to hold everything together. It looks professional, clean, and stands out from a regular resume paper. He also recommends applying as early as possible, tailoring resumes, and staying involved in professional organizations. A question he always asks himself is, “In 30 years, what would make me proud?” To continue to always grow and push himself towards his goals.