Before leaping into the fields of Information Technology and Public Administration, Steve Szep’s career focus was in Aviation. In 1994, he received a Bachelor of Science in Business from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. This achievement was a direct result of his lifelong interest in aircraft and the history of aviation and air transport.
Through his academic pursuits at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, as well as his involvement in the United States Air Force, Steve Szep has become a highly skilled pilot and aircraft mechanic. Officially, he has received the following Aviation awards and honors:
- Multi-engine Commercial Pilot
- Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic (A&P)
- United States Air Force Jet Engine Mechanic (on the following aircraft: B-52, KC-135, F-15 and F-16)
Interest in Aviation History
Although Steve Szep’s career ultimately went in the direction of Public Administration, he still maintains a deep interest in aviation. Specifically, he enjoys studying up on the field’s history. Long before his professional pursuits, Szep found himself fascinated by the concept of an aircraft. Starting with simple kite flying in China, aviation came from a humble beginning. Today, supersonic and hypersonic flight have become deeply normalized in modern culture. Traveling aboard an aircraft has become so normal for some people that it is as typical as a morning cup of coffee. Szep, however, will forever find the generations of time in between the kite days and today’s commercial flights to be awe-inspiring.
Steve Szep is an individual who dives deep to uncover the inner workings of his interests. In that sense, his grasp on aviation has been no different than his pursuits in Information Technology and Public Administration. Aiming to keep pace with the evolution of the aviation industry, Szep intertwines studies on history with current events. Most recently, he has set his sights on spacecraft, the revolutionary younger sibling of aircraft. Although advancements are always brewing in the world of aircraft, the forward development of spacecraft truly amazes Steve Szep. Currently, he is studying up on Elon Musk’s SpaceX Mars Mission, which has cast quite a ripple in the world of technology.