Personnel file

You start at R1 in the department you pick. Lateral transfer to another department opens at R3, and the ranks you earned stay on your service record. Picked wrong? You get one change in your first 7 days. Compare departments or take the quiz.

Not sure yetPick later. You'll get a rank once you choose. Surface OpsRuns the work outside the hab: hauling, site prep, construction and keeping the base moving. MoreEarth skills: Operations planning and scheduling · Field test and integration · Reading drawings and procedures · Safety and hazard analysisEarth jobs: Construction site supervisors · Mine and quarry operators · Military logistics and field engineers · Launch and test-site techniciansGood fit if you like being where the work is, not behind a desk all day.DrillingGets through rock and ice: drill design, operation and keeping bits turning. MoreEarth skills: Mechanical design and failure analysis · Rock and soil mechanics basics · Motors, gearboxes and torque control · Test planning and data reviewEarth jobs: Drillers and toolpushers · Geothermal and water-well crews · Machinists · Mechanical techniciansGood fit if you want to know why a part broke, not just replace it.ProcessingTurns raw regolith and ice into useful material: metals, water, building stock. MoreEarth skills: Mass and energy balances · Process control · Materials testing · Thermal systemsEarth jobs: Mineral processing and metallurgy · Chemical plant operators · Refinery engineers · Materials lab techsGood fit if you like turning messy inputs into clean outputs.Life SupportKeeps air, water, temperature and pressure right so people can live inside. MoreEarth skills: Thermal and fluid systems · Sensors and controls · Reliability and redundancy · Test and verificationEarth jobs: HVAC technicians and engineers · Water and wastewater operators · Navy nuclear and submarine techs · Aircraft environmental systems mechanicsGood fit if you worry about what happens when the backup fails too.OxygenMakes and stores oxygen and propellant from what is on Mars. MoreEarth skills: Thermodynamics and chemistry · Cryogenic and high-pressure handling · Electrochemistry basics · Test stand operationsEarth jobs: Industrial gas plant operators · Welders and pipefitters on high-pressure systems · Propulsion test techs · ChemistsGood fit if you respect pressure and cold.Rover OpsDrives, programs and maintains the robots and vehicles that cover ground. MoreEarth skills: Controls and kinematics · Perception and sensor fusion · C++ and Python · Path planningEarth jobs: Drone pilots · Heavy equipment operators · Industrial automation techs · Self-driving test operatorsGood fit if you want to see code move something real.SurveyMaps the ground and finds what is worth digging: geology, imaging and data. MoreEarth skills: GIS and remote sensing · Geology basics · Image processing · Statistics and MLEarth jobs: Geologists and mine geologists · Land surveyors · GIS analysts · Drone mapping pilotsGood fit if Maps and images make you curious.MedicalKeeps the crew healthy: medicine, human factors and safety. MoreEarth skills: Clinical or EMT training · Human factors · Occupational safety · Calm decisions under pressureEarth jobs: Nurses and paramedics · Military medics · Remote-site and offshore medics · Physical therapistsGood fit if you stay steady when someone is hurt.SecurityKeeps the base and its people safe: patrol, access control, cameras and alarms, incident response, investigations, forensics and emergency response. Cyber is a specialty. MoreEarth skills: Patrol and observation · Access control and badging · Camera, alarm and access system install · Evidence handling and digital forensicsEarth jobs: Police and corrections officers · Military police and security forces · Security officers and loss prevention · Emergency dispatchersGood fit if you stay calm when everyone else is shouting.CommsKeeps the signal up between Mars and Earth: radios, avionics and the software behind them. MoreEarth skills: Embedded C and C++ · RF and antennas basics · Networking · Electronics and PCB debuggingEarth jobs: Ham radio operators · Telecom and cable technicians · Network engineers · Military signals and avionics techsGood fit if you like getting a signal through when conditions are bad.CommandRuns the outfit: contracts, money, people, product and the plan that keeps every other department supplied and paid. MoreEarth skills: Spreadsheets and financial models · Writing clear proposals and contracts · Negotiation · Hiring and interviewingEarth jobs: Small-business owners and shop managers · Salespeople and account managers · Bookkeepers and accountants · Paralegals and contract adminsGood fit if you like closing a deal or a hire more than turning a wrench.