The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

I'm at the Corps of Engineers ERDC and I've been involved in 3 projects so far. Two of those have been working on physical models and actually running the experiments. Helping hands do not go to waste here, if you can contribute to the project they make sure that you get very involved. The other project involved data processing and creating some code. Overall, I don't feel like I'm in the way and I think I've put my engineering degree to use.

I still have over a year to go on my commitment, but am actively looking and keeping my eye open for a real, technical, engineering job.

For those that have gone into the defense industry in the private sector - how's employment in the defense contractor world? Everyone knows they have access to awesome hardware, but how is the pace of work? I want to feel challenged, and work in a fast paced, innovative environment, and I am just not getting that here. Also, obviously, the government imposes tons of paperwork and requirements on contractors - not that I am not expecting to do at least some paperwork in my job, but how much of your job consists of fulfilling government requirements as opposed to working actively on technical design / analysis / experimental test? I would imagine that the requirements are separated into two separate jobs to some extent... (ex, project manager and design engineer?)

Has anyone transferred from DoD employment as essentially a paper pusher into anywhere in the private sector as a design / analytical engineer? Going from a job that doesn't require one's schoolwork, technical experience, or major to one that does seems like it could be a challenge to sell. By the time my commitment is up, I will only have been out of school for 2 years - but a lot happens in a short amount of time (ex, trying to keep up with software, especially when the only software licenses your facility buys is for Microsoft Office), and heck, it can be a challenge to keep sharp on your mechanics and classwork learned.

I'm in phase 2. My work is almost all contractor oversight with very little engineering, so needless to say I'm disappointed. As an added bonus, I have a Ph.D. in an engineering field which is pretty much going to waste.

I've read at least one research paper out of the Army Research Lab and it looks like they work on interesting problems. I imagine that if I'd gotten assigned to a location such as that I would have better things to say.

I have/had contact with a number of phase 1 and 2 SMART Scholars at ARL who are happy with the work they do.

It may help that it's the Army RESEARCH Lab. There isn't any rubber stamping contractors here.

conclusion: if you work for the Army Corps of Engineers you get to engineer, otherwise no

Phase 2 participant. My job consists of reading contracts and doing paperwork as well. There is very little, if any engineering or analysis.

I am on my first and last internship, I am working at USACE Tulsa District. It is going great, I am involved in two dam rehabilitation projects and having lots of fun. I can't wait to be done with school and come back for full time.

Good luck to you all with your internship experiences!

USACE New Orleans

Where is your internship ^^?

Im doing my internship now and we do inspections but we also get to do engineering work. I've been out in the field almost every day this week

Phase 3 participant, and I work for a defense contracting agency.

Phase 2 was a lot of babysitting of defense contractors, reading over statements of work, pushing paper. No engineering at all.

This goes out mostly to everyone in phase two, but feel free to chime in about what you are doing in your internships.

I had gotten into this program thinking I would be doing engineering, but now it seems all my facility does is contractor oversight. Are any of you actually doing engineering (or research) in your day to day jobs? I'm talking about using what you learned in school as opposed to reading over contracts.