Career Path Of A System Engineer At Raytheon Technologies
Cesar's career path began with a childhood passion for "creating and tinkering," influenced by engineer family members, leading to a mechanical engineering degree after initially considering civil engineering. This choice, coupled with internships at Cummins and Northrop Grumman, and a rotation program at Northrop Grumman, eventually led to a systems engineering role at Raytheon Technologies, a field Cesar found to be "bread and butter."
Engineering, Internships, Career Development, Systems Engineering, Networking
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Cesar Cabrera
System Engineer
Raytheon Technologies
California State University, Long Beach
N/A
Engineering - Mechanical
Aerospace, Aviation & Defense, Government & Public Sector
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Honors Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. He followed a traditional engineering route, driven by a passion for creation and troubleshooting, and influenced by engineer mentors.
2. His internships at Cummins and Northrop Grumman provided valuable experience and led to a full-time offer at Northrop.
3. He emphasizes the importance of professional organizations, career fairs, and networking in securing internships and job offers.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with why you chose your major in college? Please include your experiences in college and any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
I followed a pretty traditional engineering path. I always had a passion for creating and tinkering, taking things apart, putting them back together, and troubleshooting. I also had good mentors growing up; many of my older cousins became engineers, so it seemed like the natural direction.
When I applied for my undergraduate degree, I initially went in as a civil engineer. I bounced between civil and mechanical engineering my first year. Luckily, the classes overlapped, so I didn't fall behind.
I saw that mechanical engineering offered more flexibility. There were many different industries I could enter, whereas civil engineering was a bit more specific. I joined a few professional organizations, which opened me up to conferences and events where big companies recruited.
I interned at Cummins, a diesel engine manufacturer, during my second year. I spent the summer in Indiana. After another year, I interned at Northrop in Palmdale.
I finished my undergraduate degree and accepted a full-time offer with Northrop. There, I started in their rotation program. The idea was to rotate into different functions every nine months to a year. It wasn't always perfect, and it sometimes took some effort to move to the next area.
I started as a quality engineer, then moved into a systems engineering role. Finally, I landed in a structural role, which was my specialty in my undergrad and felt like my bread and butter. I was in that role for about two years.
Then, I received an offer from Raytheon. I attended a career fair specifically for them and spoke with recruiters in systems engineering. They extended an offer, and I ended up at Raytheon, which is located nearby, as are many aerospace companies. That's how I ended up there.