Northrop Grumman Internship Reflection

This summer, I interned for Northrop Grumman in Baltimore, Maryland. I worked in an antenna range and spent most of my time writing software supporting the automation of antenna ranges.

Coming into this internship I had virtually no interest in working for a defense contractor, but my time at Northrop Grumman changed that. I had always wanted to work in the automotive engineering field and never imagined that I would feel fulfilled working on military systems. I had dreamed of designing electric or hybrid powertrains; most other things sounded lackluster to me. Working on software development in an antenna range at Northrop Grumman was more challenging and enjoyable than I had expected by a wide margin. I also got to experience living in Baltimore for three months, which helped me decide where I want to live once I graduate.

I had always thought that I would take the highest paying job I was offered after my graduation, but living in Baltimore made me rethink this philosophy. While I thoroughly enjoyed working for Northrop Grumman, I really did not like living in Baltimore. After spending a summer on the east coast, I am fairly certain that I do not want to end up living and working anywhere along the Atlantic Ocean (at least north of Virginia). Now, I only plan on pursuing jobs either in Columbus or in a western state.

Working in an antenna range was my first exposure to working with radio-frequency systems. During my first week I was told that production would have an antenna for us to test within two weeks, which meant that I would get hands on experience working on antenna testing. Unfortunately, the antenna never came. Even though we never got an antenna to test during my time in the range, I still learned the ins and outs of how antenna test data is gathered. While waiting for an antenna to test, the senior engineer in the range had me help develop software to automate both the gathering and processing of antenna data.

My first few weeks were spent getting familiar with the automation project. I only worked with two other people in the range, a recent OSU graduate and a senior engineer; they both helped make my transition onto the project easy. The software was written in C# which I had never worked with before, but the senior engineer had written most of the libraries used in the project so getting help was always fast and easy. I was tasked with implementing a couple of different data processing tools and improving the functionality of one of the user interfaces. I thoroughly enjoyed working on software and I would like to keep working on software, whether in my career or just in my free time.

Living in Baltimore was the least enjoyable part of my summer. Baltimore is not a terrible city, but it is certainly not for me. I found the city planning to be frustrating, the local government to be inept, and the weather to be too wet. I did still have fun in Baltimore, but I realized that I do not want to move there after my graduation.

Coincidentally, I knew the OSU graduate that I worked with from his time in college, so he showed me around the city and invited me to activities that he and his friends participated in. I played volleyball almost every Saturday and Sunday with my coworker and new friends, as well as engaged in the occasional footgolf game or restaurant trip. Being able to experience what life is going to be like after graduation for a summer really helped ease some anxiety I felt about life after graduation.

Overall, the summer I spent in Baltimore was invaluable to me in both a personal and professional sense. I was able to experience a new city and rule out moving there after school, which saves me time, money, and stress since I now know that I would not enjoy taking a position in Baltimore. I also got to make many new friends through my internship whom I still talk to regularly. Actually working with software was an eye-opener for me, as I didn’t consider working in software at all coming into this summer but would now happily take a job related to software development. I also gained a fair amount of knowledge on antenna theory (which has already helped me in some of my classes this semester) and several good professional connections within Northrop Grumman. While I am not going to pursue a position at the Baltimore location of Northrop Grumman, I may try to work at the Beavercreek, Ohio or Denver, Colorado locations after graduation. Without STEP, I wouldn’t have been able to gain this unique set of experiences and relationships that are indispensable to my development both socially and professionally as I prepare for the workforce.

My Coworker John and I at a Polish Festival in downtown Baltimore (Northrop Grumman does not allow pictures to be taken on company property)