Raytheon Missiles and Defense Software Spotlight

Discuss how you obtained your internship at Raytheon Missiles and Defense.

I obtained my Internship with Raytheon Missiles and Defense by attending an info session initially, after which I met with the recruiter to review my resume before the career fair. She told me what I should work on and highlight as a potential intern, I took that to heart and made the necessary changes before the Career Fair. I submitted a resume to the internship opening on Handshake and then gave a physical copy of my resume. I then had two interviews with Software Products and System Engineering, I accepted the former. 

What were your responsibilities in the role?

My responsibilities as a Software Engineering Intern were verifying that our requirements were being met during an FQT (Formal Qualification Test). The requirements were written by System Engineers in collaboration with the Customer (Department of Defense) so I ensured that our weapon met them by running scripts against scenarios to showcase that OFPs (Operation Flight Program) was being executed correctly. I would then present this to a peer review board consisting of Systems, Quality, Subject Matter Experts, and the Customer (Defense Contract Management Agency)

How did your education and experience prepare you for this role?

My education helped me specifically with the Software Development Life Cycle model, specifically the class "Software Engineering Practices", everything I learned in that class directly applied to my role as an intern. Even stuff that I wasn't expecting to be at a Defense Contractor that I learned about occurred during my internship, most notably Daily Scrums and Agile Framework. My other classes like Data Structures and the various programming class were also a large help as my weapon had a mix of all the lessons that I learned in every one of them. 

Have your long-term career goals changed at all due to this experience?

In terms of long-term goals, my internship allowed me to think more in the long run and pursue larger aspirations. Raytheon offers a rather large tuition repayment system to incentivize engineers to pursue higher education, so I've thought a lot more recently about pursuing higher education as a result. I'm not sure where I'll end up in the future, Raytheon did give me a return offer and I was able to ask for a different location and program next summer thanks to my network.

What advice do you have for other students interested in pursuing an internship?

For students perusing an internship, utilize your connections and network. Other interns at other companies and myself are oftentimes able to refer future interns/New Hires, even some of your professors may have worked at these companies. Lastly, after meeting and socializing with all the other interns, everyone came from diverse backgrounds, but one common denominator was that we could advertise ourselves. Learn to speak about yourself and maintain conversations, as an intern 1/3 of what you are doing is building a network with that company. The other 2/3 will be showcased by your transcript and your resume.