The people I met and the professional experience I acquired
What I wish was different
I wish I had been a little more vocal in the beginning
Advice
Do what makes you scared and don’t be afraid to express your thoughts
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Communications Intern
May - August 2019 • Dulles, VA
What I liked
Northrop Grumman is a very fast paced corporation with many high-profile clients. It was cool to be able to work on projects that I knew were impacting the world in a real and tangible way. It is also a very female friendly environment, especially for being in the aerospace and defense industry. They are also extremely flexible and work with you to make sure your schedule and hours work for you.
What I wish was different
The only thing I would change is I wish I had a internship-long project that I could’ve worked on so that I could not only have something to present to managers and above to gain that exposure, but also to have something to show future employers what I created.
Advice
Connect with other interns as soon as you can! I didn’t have any others in my department, so I made sure to go to the networking and intern events that the company had set up for us, and I met some really great people from many different schools.
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Software Engineering Intern
May - August 2019 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
Nice office, interesting projects to work on.
What I wish was different
There was not a lot of technical work to be done at first, and the internship experience itself was not as polished as you might expect at other locations hosting interns at different companies. I did not learn as much as I'd expect, and used a lot of the knowledge I had already.
Advice
Learn as much as you can while you can!
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Engineering Intern
May - August 2019 • Baltimore, MD
What I liked
Role allowed me to utilize and expand on knowledge gained from my classes in new and exciting ways. The internship program gave a good overview of the company as a whole, and opportunities within the company both during and after the internship was complete. Coworkers were very nice and easy to work with.
What I wish was different
As a co-op/internship, I wish I had gotten experience at a company that was more different from the company that I worked for previously, as I believe it would have rounded out my education better.
Advice
Be sure to advocate for what kind of assignments or work you would like to complete.
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Backend Software Engineer
May - August 2019 • Charlottesville, VA
What I liked
Northrop was very welcoming and provided an insightful experience. I given the opportunity to develop a very helpful and innovative tool.
What I wish was different
I wish I had the opportunity to work there longer.
Advice
Always put your most into an opportunity you receive because they may not come often
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Systems Test Engineer
May 2019 • Minneapolis, MN
What I liked
Great hands on environment with real engineering problems being given to me to solve.
What I wish was different
Nothing, I had an excellent experience.
Advice
Be willing to take initiative and it’ll take you far in getting a follow up offer for employment after graduation.
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Software Engineering Intern
May - July 2019 • Melbourne, FL
What I liked
Northrop provided a great environment to learn technical skills as well as get to learn how the company works.
What I wish was different
Advice
Northrop is a great company to work for and they take care of their employees.
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Aerospace assembler
August - November 2019 • New Town, ND
What I liked
Good job experience, learned about the engineering that goes into building planes
What I wish was different
Wasn’t so far away from friends and family
Advice
Stick through it, even if it’s sucks
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Technical intern
June - August 2017 • Manhattan Beach, CA
What I liked
Working with engineers daily. Learning software and hardware on the job. Opportunity for full time employment after graduation.
What I wish was different
More lab experience
Advice
Ask lots of questions, be proactive in finding work that interests you, and have fun!
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Systems engineering intern
June - September 2018 • Redondo Beach, CA
What I liked
Northrop internships are a great opportunity to learn a bout the aerospace industry and gain valuable skills.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Senior Engineering Intern
January 2017 • Chandler, AZ
What I liked
What I enjoy the most about my internship is that I get to do real engineering work.
What I wish was different
Advice
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
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Data Analytics Intern
May - August 2018 • McLean, VA
What I liked
The team was very welcoming.
What I wish was different
I wish I was given more challenging tasks.
Advice
The team expects you to not know anything coming in, so ask any questions you have.
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Program Operations/Project Management Intern
May 2023 • Roy, UT
What I liked
Exposure to many different parts of how a large corporation operates. Opportunity to meet and learn from hundreds of different people. Able to explore different segments and business units that interest me to explore career paths. Assigned a variety of tasks that made me feel like my contributions were valuable and I was necessary to the company.
What I wish was different
I wish there was more guidance from management.
Advice
Prepare for every day to be a learning experience and opportunity.
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Continuous Improvement Intern
May 2019 • Chandler, AZ
What I liked
Culture
What I wish was different
More busy
Advice
Always look for opportunities.
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Software Engineering Intern
May - August 2020 • Woodland Hills, CA
What I liked
I really like the company culture and the work that they do. Being an aerospace and defense company, the work you do there feels meaningful and you can physically see and feel the work you doing being applied somewhere. For example, if you're involved with working on a helicopter, you know that whatever you're being involved with, whether it's writing flight software code or building circuits, it'll be implemented and utilized within the coming weeks. The staff and company there do their best to make you feel comfortable and included in all aspects, whether its activities or inclusivity. During my time there I felt that the company did its best to make sure its employees felt comfortable and tried their best to meet their accommodations and make them happy. As a software engineer, I gained a better understanding of software development and learned a lot about their processes. Working alongside other engineers and being able to get their advice and input allows you to learn a lot and gain experience.
What I wish was different
Obviously, with COVID-19, all the interns for 2020 had to work remotely. It's great that they were able to still accommodate and take care of all the offers they had promised, but work felt a little more disconnected. I know from experience that working in an office environment is a lot more motivating and a lot more interesting. For a company like Northrop Grumman, there are labs where you can see things being built and tested. In an online environment, that's not possible. There's less of an opportunity to move around and see different things. My assignment and tasks for the majority of the summer remained relatively the same, but again, since it was remote working, it was harder to give interns work that they can purely do online. Given the difficult circumstance though, they tried their best to give interns meaningful and interesting work.
Advice
From this experience, I would tell others to not be afraid and really know what they want to do and why they want to do. Some people aren't built to sit in front of a computer for 8 hours a day, while some others are. Always be open to any and all opportunities because it'll allow you to get closer to knowing what you want. In the workplace, don't be afraid to contact other people and talk to them. I found that most employees when they have free time, are really willing to share their lives and their professional experiences. People are an excellent resource because they've done a lot of failure for you and can give you the answers to what they've learned and what you to do in the future. Reach out to people that you find interesting or are in a career that you want to pursue in and don't be afraid to ask them questions!
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Software Engineering Intern
May - July 2020 • Fairfax, VA
What I liked
Everyone is very friendly and it was a great place to work. I got lots of experience with a tool I have never used before.
What I wish was different
I wish it was longer, COVID cut down the internship to 6 weeks but I am glad they still even had a program.
Advice
Don't worry about equipment, they will send you everything you will need before you are about to start.
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College Intern Technical
May - July 2019 • Huntsville, AL
What I liked
I liked the atmosphere and how it was like a family. I also liked how professional everyone was.
What I wish was different
Advice
Get to know your supervisors! They will help you a lot with your professional career.
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Engineering Intern
June - August 2019 • Melbourne, FL
What I liked
I enjoyed the environment and the opportunities present within the company. My mentors and coworkers were all very friendly and helpful as well. I was able to participate in meaningful work and learn new skills during my internship.
What I wish was different
I wished that I had worked in a different department, but I ended discovering which fields I wanted to explore, and they gave me the opportunity to work in those departments next year when I return.
Advice
I would say to make the most of your time at your internship. Even if you aren’t working on the most exciting work, try to learn as much as you can and be proactive
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Accounting Intern
June - August 2019 • Elkton, MD
What I liked
Small department, friendly people, a lot of autonomy
What I wish was different
More work to do
Advice
You have to be comfortable working alone because managers don’t interfere with every day work. It’s very peaceful if you’re an independent worker.
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Software Engine
January 2019 • Fairfax, VA
What I liked
Was treated as a full-time employee. Was not put on an intern team, doing intern only work.
What I wish was different
Advice
You can work to change projects easily if you are unhappy.
