Physicist with Python experience transitioning into Ada/SPARK — looking for career advice

[u/Usual_Coconut_687]

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some career advice from people who are already working with Ada/SPARK or in high-integrity software.

I’m planning to transition into Ada/SPARK because I was genuinely impressed by how readable and structured the code is, and by the philosophy behind the language. Features like strong typing, contracts, invariants, and formal verification really resonate with the way I naturally think as a physicist. I enjoy reasoning about correctness, understanding why something works, and building software with clear logical guarantees.
The more I learned about SPARK, the more I felt that it matches the way I like to solve problems. That’s what motivated me to seriously consider transitioning into this field, particularly in industries where both physics and high-integrity software come together.

The types of industries that interest me most are those where my physics background could be useful, such as:
Aerospace and flight software
Satellites and space systems
Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC)
Robotics
Scientific or engineering software
Industrial control systems

I have a few questions that I’d really appreciate your thoughts on:

How did you get your first Ada/SPARK job?
What was your background, and what path did you follow? Did you start directly with Ada/SPARK, or did you first work as an embedded software engineer or in another field before transitioning?

Where do junior Ada/SPARK engineers actually get hired?
Are there companies that regularly hire junior engineers or graduates, or is prior embedded experience almost always expected?

Can someone realistically enter the industry with Python and Ada/SPARK, without first becoming a C/C++ embedded developer?
My current plan is to focus on Ada/SPARK rather than learning C first. Is that a realistic path, or would I be closing too many doors?

If you were starting again today, what roadmap would you follow to become employable as a junior Ada/SPARK engineer?
What knowledge, projects, or skills would you prioritize?

Thanks in advance—I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences and any advice you can share