What Is José’s Job From ‘Married at First Sight’? It Actually Sounds Pretty Cool

Lifetime's Married at First Sight is one of those reality shows that we keep going back to. The premise — literal strangers getting married and seeing each other at the altar for the first time — is bananas and leads to good TV that’s full of drama.

In the latest season, one couple finds themselves arguing over finances, so what does José do that’s causing so much stress? His job actually sounds pretty cool.

We see a whole variety of people come through MAFS, especially so after 13 seasons. There’ve been castmates who are still in school, some that don’t currently have a career. There have been plenty of people who work in marketing, customer service, finance, engineering, and everything in between.

But, arguably, José San Miguel Jr., who is featured on Season 13 with his new wife Rachel Gordillo, has one of the coolest jobs of anyone in the franchise. What does he do exactly? Well, José is a mission flight specialist, and he literally works for NASA.

José works at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, which is where the current season of MAFS is being filmed. His position as a mission flight specialist means he can do a bit of everything, including helping to plan the missions the astronauts go on and fixing the equipment on the space station.

And according to Career Trend, landing a job with this popular organization is no easy task. “NASA receives thousands of online applications for astronaut training, but there aren't anywhere near that many jobs,” the site explains. “Competition is tough. To have any chance at all, you have to meet NASA's astronaut requirements.”

After being accepted, there’s a two-year training program that must be completed and passed before NASA will even consider offering a hopeful mission flight specialist a full-time job. Which seems to be what José was able to do.

With a job that is as challenging to land as the mission flight specialist and with the expertise that’s required, it’s not a surprise that the salary range for a mission flight specialist is wide.

According to Career Trend, for civilians — meaning it’s not a job through the military — the average pay scale ranges from $53,000 a year to $116,000. It’s adjusted based on status and how long the person has been with NASA or in the field. Military candidates have their pay based on the rank they hold.

According to Flying Magazine, the pay scale for the position could earn up to $145,000 per year. All the pay scale options also include health insurance, retirement benefits, and family leave as part of the employment package.

Finances have been a contentious topic in the marriage of José and Rachel. "Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce because of finances, right?" José said in a clip, exclusively shared with Distractify. "So, you know, she may see a lot of stuff on social media [that she might want], so let's have a joint account. From there, let me pull all the bills out and then everything that's left … we can take out travel trips, we can do whatever we need to do, and that's what we're pulling out of."

Watch Married at First Sight on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.