How did you get your foot in the door at ManTech?

I was at my school’s career fair, during a transitional time between my graduation and before starting my master’s program, chasing full time jobs and internships. I was familiar with ManTech since I had a friend working there at the time. I’d already applied to a handful of roles at ManTech, typically always receiving the dreaded “After further consideration, we regret to inform you…” email. But I decided to stop by the booth anyway and asked a few questions about the internships they were offering. It seemed like a great opportunity, so I handed in my resume. A few weeks later, and to my pleasant surprise, I got an email back asking me to detail some of my technical and project experience. I was soon scheduled for a video interview with the Management Team, then offered the internship position!

How has your team positively impacted your internship/ManTech experience?

I’m surrounded by genuinely the smartest and most eccentric people I’ve met so far in my career, or possibly ever? That last part may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I think I got spoiled in my internship by being placed on a team that housed some of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. I always look forward to seeing them go on about tech jargon – masterfully dissecting problems and navigating the space of 0’s and 1’s (or continuous values), or the other 50% of the time being in conversation surrounding the depths of their lives, which I’m always interested in hearing, since I love listening and learning about the experiences and backgrounds that built everyone into who they are today.

Everyone on the team is so supportive, and their knowledge and experience serve as a goal for me. I wish and hope to reach their levels of life in the future. I believe having such stellar role models surrounding you and pushing you to do greater things is the best form of motivation for someone in my position.

How are you managing the transition from student life to a professional career? How has your internship experience helped you transition into your first full-time role?

I didn’t really get a transition from student life to professional career. Even post-graduation I’ve been constantly taking classes every semester to brush up, where eventually, I started my master’s in computer engineering last semester. I got to start my full-time internship the month after my auxiliary semester finished, so I had the entire summer to take and bask in learning the ropes of the professional working world. I started my full-time role at the same time that my master’s program began, so it was an interesting semester to say the least, with learning how to balance the workload at work while navigating classes, doing homework, and finishing up projects. Luckily, the roles of my internship practically fed into the same position I’d be working as a full-time employee, so I didn’t have to do too much of an adjustment.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in your first few months on the job?

The most valuable lesson I’ve learned is to understand that you’re new. Humble yourself and be open to growing and learning. You’re in college or fresh out of college – those years don’t teach you even the reality that daily life and application will. There is so much to learn, so try your best not to be overwhelmed at the sheer amount of further knowledge you will inevitably learn.

Even if you seem so far behind in comparison to all the people around you – your coworkers and such, you have to realize that everyone has to start from somewhere to get where they are currently! Everyone learns in their own ways and at their own rates. Don’t feel demotivated or overwhelmed. Use those beacons as motivators to level up and grow more, trying your best to hopefully make them proud of you, and so you can be proud of yourself as well for trying your best.

What are some ways you are actively seeking out opportunities to grow within your role?

I’m actively trying to take on difficult tasks to grow. I’ve got a lot of growing to do still, seeing how experienced my coworkers are, as previously mentioned in the last question. I want to absorb all the information I can from them, as well as my work. I can push myself to be proactive in a role where I do R&D, so I spend lots of time trying to research more and more about the depths of the field I work in, while also trying to improve the knowledge and skills I currently have, as well.

Are you considering pursuing any additional certifications or professional development opportunities?

ManTech does offer a course called ACTP, or the Advanced Cyber Training Program, and I’m interested in taking part in this course at some point. I’ve heard only good things about it, from the depths that the class delves into, as well as the pedigree of the class. It’s the top on my list of TO-DO’s.

Which classes or experiences from college have proven most valuable in your new job?

I know a lot of people kind of breeze through their college degree and sometimes forget the courses they’ve taken… There’s a reason why you must take all these classes. Assembly, compilers, OS, graph theory, algos, all the math. Depending on what you do, you really will need to use all of it, so be warned!

What skills do you wish you had learned more about in school to better prepare for the workforce?

I ended up using a lot of skills, programs, and systems that I learned in my own pastime, in personal projects and goofing around with tech. I will say that I wish I had more opportunity with hands-on experience in terms of building projects and working with a larger array of tech along with learning the theory. The field of technology is just so extremely broad, where you can end up anywhere, so I think there should be
much more encouragement to foster creativity and tinkering in the minds of students. Your 4-year degree will be very dense with so much material, theoretical and practical, that you have to absorb, and it’s difficult to fit proper applications of that material within each class, while also testing properly on the material you must learn.

The lights stay on and grow even brighter each day because of those who have passion, and those who step out of their comfort zone and aim to solve problems or see where problems could lay. Having that vested interest that leads to tinkering, building, and having the passion to create is something that motivates you through your degree, motivates you in your jobs, and motivates you to be able to perhaps see yourself make an impact at even greater levels. If I could go back in time, I would find more opportunities to just play around with things at a basic or hobbyist level. I would tell all my friends to find what they’re passionate about as they advance through school and life. For some people, school and work is just something that you just have to do – the mandatory requirement that you have to make money and pay your bills (Which I do get. You’re more than your job and your studies!), but I think having the inherent passion to want to build and discover more will spice up your life and make that 9-5 feel less dreadful. It can hopefully land you in a role or in an area where you can enjoy what you do.

You could have gone anywhere post-internship. Why did you choose to continue your career at ManTech?

Funny story – I was caught at a crossroads when initially offered the ManTech internship. I’d already been in the recruiting process with another organization for a full-time role and was close to finalizing my post-graduation plans. However, after getting the opportunity to go through ManTech’s interview process and having had several conversations with the team about the day-to-day of my internship role, seeing the technical work I would be exposed to, and seeing how this position could provide the career trajectory I was looking for, I decided to take the risk on starting the ManTech internship over the full- time role I was about to start. I made the executive decision to “risk it all” on this internship. That decision was probably one of the most important ones I’ve ever made at the start of my career. As for why I decided to stay at ManTech to work full time here… Well simply put – I love the role! The work I do is extremely interesting and rewarding. It’s in an industry that I’ve always wanted to work in, but never thought I’d ever get the chance to until years and years after I started my career. Having a great team supporting me and motivating me has been a huge factor in wanting to stay here, and I want to thank everyone I work with for being so stellar.