Wish there was less routine and more interaction, sometimes being in a cubicle is not the most fun thing.
Advice
Find what type of worker you are, whether you enjoy a lab environment or an office environment, whether you like interacting with others or not. All those factors should determine which job you want to attain (or whether you want to go to graduate school and perhaps work afterwards or pursue academia).
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Technical College Intern
May - August 2017 • Colorado Springs, CO
What I liked
I enjoyed being able to strengthen my networking skills as well as learn something new related to my major that I could potentially apply to a future job.
What I wish was different
Going in they thought I was a different major so I was placed in a wrong position. I learned a lot of new skills in this other area. However it would have been nice to have an internship related to what I study.
Advice
Even if it feels like all you do is the work no one else wants to do, give it 110% effort. Your employer will see your effort and give you more responsibility as time goes on.
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Deployable Products and Mechanisms Intern
June - September 2017 • Redondo Beach, CA
What I liked
I really liked the team that I worked with, and the project I was on was exciting. The product development engineers were very passionate and hardworking. I feel I know what I want to work on when I graduate.
What I wish was different
I wish the work had been slightly more challenging and faster paced. That's the tough thing about short internships. I was there for all the slow paperwork preparation before testing, and had to leave for school right as testing was about to begin.
Advice
Make connections, work hard, always ask for more work when you can. It will reflect well upon you and you will likely be asked to return for an internship or full time job.
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Technical Intern
June - July 2017 • Chester, VA
What I liked
Good work environment, great intern group, great learning experience, great employees
What I wish was different
I wish projects opportunities had been more explicit, but through networking, I managed to find some great projects to work on
Advice
Be social, network with other interns and employees, and take initiative. Don't shy away from projects or opportunities, and work hard on the work you pick up.
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Systems Engineering Intern
June - August 2017 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
Getting to travel to Tennessee for robotics work
What I wish was different
I wish I had my clearance when I first started because I couldn't work on anything until I got that
Advice
Ask for more projects if you're bored
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Systems Engineering Intern
June - August 2017 • San Bernardino, CA
What I liked
The internship program is very organized during your onboarding and after throughout your internship. We had lots of exciting work and got in contact with other interns nationally to see what they're working on, and in the future the program supervisors say they'll let us interns collaborate together if we feel like another intern's project is interesting. There were three branches around the LA-ish area, so we got to go to baseball games, karaoke, dinner, and beach days together as well.
What I wish was different
This comes with working in defense in general, but a lot of what you learn in school is not enough preparation for your intern work, or at least it wasn't in my experience. If you don't specify your skill level, they'll want to challenge you as much as possible. If you want a challenge, then great! If you want a more relaxing summer, though, talk to your supervisor and make sure you tell them your preference on projects.
Advice
Get to know your coworkers. Northrop has a very academic atmosphere that I haven't gotten in past internships. Most everyone you meet will have a wealth of knowledge and a competitive nature - make friends with them because they're bound to be really invigorating people that may even help you out in future job searches.
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Software Engineer Intern
May - August 2017 • Aurora, CO
What I liked
The pay is not horrible, and flexible hours mean that you can work basically whenever as long as you get prior approval. Super easy to do things like work odd hourly days or take longer breaks in the middle of days. You can really flex your time. If you're into defense, it's great experience in the industry.
What I wish was different
No benefits. Low pay compared to other software engineer interns. If you go to GitHub or Google you're getting basically double the pay. You can't flex your time between weeks, because of labor laws. This means that the flex time benefit isn't as useful as it is for permanent employees. Work is hit or miss. Computers are hit or miss. Working on the Northrop Grumman networked computers is terrible. You're relegated to Internet Explorer by default, and have to request internet access.
Advice
Don't try to get your full hourly pay each week. It seems silly, but if you're behind on hours, overworking yourself on one day will kill you. Flex your time up to the point where it's uncomfortable, and then stop. Take a break. It's summer, so take some time to yourself.
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Systems engineer
June - September 2017 • San Diego, CA
What I liked
The location was awesome
What I wish was different
Less coding
Advice
Be proactive and ask questions
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Business Management Intern
May - August 2018 • Linthicum, MD
What I liked
At NGC, it was like the management hierarchy didn't exist in social situations. We had lunch as an intern team multiple times with our sector CFO and contributions were treated equally, regardless of where you sat on the ladder. I had the opportunity to pursue productivity projects that may not have been formally allowed at other companies because of support from my managers. The 9/80 work schedule wasn't a big deal as an intern but I imagine for full-time employees it means quite a bit.
What I wish was different
There didn't ever seem to be enough work to do. Much of my work was self-initiated. When I did receive work from my managers and coworkers, it didn't take long. I found myself wasting a lot of time sitting around even after asking for work to do because there simply wasn't enough to go around and I was limited in my scope as an intern.
Advice
It's a fantastic company, just make sure you make the most out of your internship. It's hard to get in the door at NGC because it's a major defense contractor, but you'll find the work to be very manageable. NGC and its employees are contributing to a great cause: protecting our nation. Never forget that. Make yourself stand out by showing up on time, being flexible, and innovating in your field. You will be rewarded for it. NGC has so many different opportunities in so many different locations, you could stay with the company your entire career and become an incredibly well-rounded individual, truly.
