Or I think of the ~2 hours I spent applying to the NASA Academy, even though I had no chance of getting selected. Looking back, I can draw a straight line from that application to a joyful career where I’ve launched dozens of satellites into orbit, flown a helicopter on Mars, & more.

For our potential applicants, one of those moments is happening in their life right now. Whether they have been thinking about their application for months or they just discovered the program this week, investing time in crafting their application can have enormous returns.