Careers in the defense industry.

[SherpaCam]

I'd like to ask some of the defense professionals about careers in the industry. I have an unexplained pull to work in the defense industry and I want to know how I should focus my last couple years of post-secondary schooling.

I've always been interested in the Aerospace industry and land based vehicle's (MBT's, APC's, etc....re: avatar). What are some of the paths I can take to begin a career in this industry?

My scholarly focus is Commerce and I already have a degree in International Business.

-Cam

 

[FiredForEffect]

Try wrangling that commerce education into a qualification in engineering management. If you can manage that, it will help.

 

[Izzy1]

Given your commerce background and degree in IB, have you ever considered a career in Marketing?

 

[orko_8]

My first advice would be to choose a career - profession that can be quickly switched to a non-defense related one, because:

Defense industry is dirty, I mean dirty. Either junior or senior engineer, marketing manager, project manager or any other position; you have to deal with officers, NCO's, CEO's, bureucrats, etc. You have to deal with your own and other governments, MoD's. You have to play chess everytime, be it writing specifications and/or requirements or software coding or project meetings. You have to learn to speak and shut up when necessary. You have to get along with people that you would normally hate in another circumstances.

That's why, you have to have a "B plan" in your career road-map. You should be able to perform an "evasive maneouver" when things go wrong, i.e when the sh.t hits the fan. You should easily switch to civilian sector and go on. You should be a multipurpose engineer / manager / technician; not a "defense-industry-dedicated" one.

In defense industry personal relations are very, repeat very, repeat again very important. For example if you hit nerves of a junior officer for some absurd reason, you may well forget about getting a project or make it accepted. Working in defense industry is like tap-dancing with steel boots on thin ice.

The rest is pure politics, and up to your personal talents, ability to "market yourself", regardless of your training, education.