How to stay relevant while working in defense?
I work as a software developer for Raytheon in the DC/MD/VA area. Comp is OK, WLB is great, and I like the work I'm doing. However, comp increases are primarily limited by YOE (as opposed to performance), and while I'm happy now with my abilities, I won't deny that I'm concerned about stagnation -- not in coding ability, but in the use and understanding of new technology. My work centers around embedded technology / system-level OS interaction, and the main language we use is C (also some Python); my team has pretty good design practices, but our CI/CD pipeline is not great and I don't feel that I'd be able to effect meaningful change from my position as a contracted employee. How can I stay relevant in the "normal" SW industry (not defense)? What are some good embedded or similar SW companies to consider for the future? I've started practicing LC in my spare time in case I decide to jump ship.
If I decide to leave defense, my best chances seems to be:
If I want to stick with embedded/OS design (my current skill set):
MSFT
Apple
Qualcomm
HFT?
If I want to work on shiny/new technology and maximize TC:
FAANG / Unicorn (?)
Glad to hear any thoughts from folks who have been in similar situations.
YOE: 4.5 (2 software, 2.5 analysis/IT)
TC: ~160k
Edit:
YOE and TC (base + bonus) included as a courtesy since that is the standard practice here. I have not inflated any comp numbers. While I appreciate the discussion around my compensation, I'm primarily interested in answers to my questions. Thanks all
comments
According to Glassdoor, ICs hit 160k at Senior Principal Engineer, that's like 6 levels above new grad.
2) Extreme growth and collapse cycles. Multi million dollar contracts are great when they are winning bids. They hire a TON and run out of cubicles regularly. When you lose a bid, you now have a very big gap between revenue generation and engineering work to be done. Layoff cycles can cut a workforce by over 50% you’re at a tertiary contractor (not Boeing, Lockheed). The cube farm can be cleaned out and reminiscent of a ghost town.
3) A slow paced and slow learning environment. Government contracts need lots of documentation and analysis to get a project out the door. There are lots of extra reviews and paperwork to be done. An engineer will spend a lot of time sorting through words rather than doing engineering work in their domain. On top of that, scrutiny is intense enough that copy-paste is the preferred method because it leads to faster acceptance.
As someone who’s been at Lockheed Martin for 10 years, I’d say the answer really depends. We work on some incredibly complex systems as DoD contractors, but we struggle to adopt new technologies and that hurts our career prospects when/if we decide to leave the industry. If you enjoy working on DoD projects and have a special interest in supporting the various warfighter missions, then you’re in the right place and can spend the rest of your career between the big DoD contracting companies, with a very comfortable living. I know some of the TCs that get stated on Blind are astronomically high, but $160k is more than enough to be happy in life.
Knowing many things might be necessary only for engineers who build XFN apps/products.