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African-American Career World Magazine, launched in 2001, is the recruitment link between students and professionals who are African American and the employers that seek to hire them. The publication includes career strategies, industry trends, and role-model profiles that target the African-American community.

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 Achieving Job Success & Fulfillment

 
By Sandra H. Shichtman
 
 
There are plenty of unexpected and rewarding career opportunities within the government and military supplier sector.
 
 
Often, the career you first envision for yourself isn’t the one you end up with. Maybe that’s because of an unanticipated limited number of job prospects in the field you desire or a dwindling interest in the area you’d initially loved that caused a crucial career pivot.
Perhaps you simply needed to reassess your strengths and interests and find a better niche for yourself. Maybe it’s because a better opportunity or two presented itself and you confidently took a leap of faith to make it happen.
It doesn’t matter so much how you get to a career path you love and that allows you to grow. What matters is that you get there while enjoying what you do and not being afraid of taking chances to expand your skill set.
The five professionals working in the government and military supplier sector profiled here experienced some course corrections that ultimately led them to career success. Learn how they arrived at their present companies and careers through a number of different paths, and glean some advice as you journey on your own career path.
 
Howard’s Career Pivot Led to Handling HUD’s Web Presence
Sometimes, the route from college to a career is circuitous. However, a course correction prompted by limited job prospects and leading to a master’s degree can result in a more promising career path.
This held true for Brenton Howard, who’s currently a Web management analyst with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which supports organizations that counsel and help families find and keep their homes.
A 2004 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mass media communications from Morgan State University, Howard says he had difficulty finding work similar to what he’d done during an internship, when he was a production assistant for a news station in Baltimore.
What did he do? He returned to college and earned a master’s degree in public administration in business from Strayer University in Alexandria, VA, in 2009. After earning his master’s degree, he moved back home and began to explore his options. A family friend then referred him to a temp agency, which led to his initial permanent position - as an administrative assistant - at HUD.
That position led Howard to becoming a management assistant, which was directly related to working with management in the government agency. His responsibilities included providing Web support to deputy managers and filling in where necessary on specific Web projects. He gained experience posting critical documents, doing quality control for content on HUD’s website and serving on a technical evaluation panel.
In his current position as Web management analyst, he says his “first and foremost” responsibility is keeping content current on the HUD.gov home page. “This includes having the most recent national HUD news releases posted in a timely fashion, taking direction from senior staff about what items should appear on the main HUD.gov slide show, and keeping the latest posts from our blog site - the Huddle - on the home page,” Howard describes.
He further serves as the main contact for HUD’s national online event registration system, which acts as a tool for helping set up both internal and external events for HUD.
He advises those who are just starting their careers and want to work in his industry, IT: “Do your research. IT is a very fast-moving industry, so it’s important to stay current and try to anticipate where the next wave is going.”
For those wanting to work in the federal government, he counsels: “Research the department you want to be working in and have a strong knowledge of its mission and key programs.”
More information about HUD’s job opportunities can be found at portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/administration/careers.
 
Box:
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Headquarters: Washington, DC.
Description: Cabinet department in executive branch of federal government.
Mission: Create Strong, Discrimination-Free Communities.
Create Quality, Affordable Homes.
Strengthen Housing Market.
Bolster the Economy.
Protect Consumers.
 
Beckett’s Rise to Textron Systems HR Director Bolstered by Expert Advice
Having a personal “board of directors” is useful as a career guide. Just ask Sandra Beckett, director of human resources at Textron Systems.
She attributes the success of her career, in part, to the support of what she calls her “board of directors,” which she describes as “a trusted network of mentors, coaches, leaders and sometimes a devil’s advocate who have supported and challenged and provided me with different perspectives about my career.”
This idea was given to her by a previous mentor who encouraged her to identify go-to people who could offer insights from their own experiences and help her along her career path.
Because the Arizona State University graduate - who has a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and is currently pursuing an MBA from Villanova University - spent a good portion of her earlier career in the aerospace and defense industry, she was familiar with Textron Systems before coming aboard with the company.
When Beckett interviewed at Textron Systems, “I loved what they had to say about developing talent. Every employee has the opportunity to continuously develop their career.” But it was when her supervisor told her, “I’m so excited to have you, but I’m already thinking about your next assignment” that she knew she’d found the right company.
She was hired as a senior HR business partner to the company CIO and finance department at one of Textron Systems’ corporate business units. She provided “strategic support to IT and finance in all aspects of HR,” focusing specifically on campus recruiting, employee development and “a holistic approach for talent management for the IT function across the entire enterprise.”
Beckett communicated she was willing to relocate, since her goal was becoming HR director at one of Textron Systems’ business units, and, eventually, HR vice president. This ability to have crucial career conversations and relate her goals led to a promotion eighteen months later to her current position, director of HR.
“I have a very short tenure with the company, but because I expressed that interest [and] shared my aspirations, my leaders knew what I wanted, and they’ve given me the opportunity and empowered me to do my job,” Beckett states. She cites that as an example of how Textron Systems fulfills its promise to develop, support and promote talent from within the firm.
She says in recruiting and promoting talent with an eye toward diversity, Textron Systems seeks individuals with integrity, who are trustworthy and results- and excellence-driven, and can work collaboratively as part of a team.
“Since they eventually are going to be our future leaders, we’d want to look for some deeper competencies such as cultural sensitivity and the ability to manage people,” she adds.
Other favorable characteristics for future leaders include emotional intelligence and being comfortable with change, since Textron Systems is “an extremely dynamic organization.”
Beckett says having an internship or work experience prior to having a full-time career is extremely advantageous, and can help shape career goals. Besides gaining that hands-on experience, she advises job seekers to approach their job search aggressively, find that “board of directors,” and seek out individuals who can offer guidance toward the right opportunity.
“It [networking] doesn’t mean that that person has a job for you. But talk to that person about their experiences because you never know where that can lead,” she concludes.
Additional information about Textron Systems’ career paths can be viewed at textronsystems.com/careers.
 
Box:
Textron Systems
Headquarters: Providence, RI.
Description: Provider of innovative solutions to the defense, homeland security and aerospace communities for more than 50 years.
Manufactures: Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
Marine Craft.
Armored Combat Vehicles.
Electronic Warfare Software.
Customers Include: U.S. Military.
International Governments.
 
James’ Engineers Success at L-3 via Resolve & Adaptability
Volunteer to take on new challenges and opportunities to learn new skills has been the career mantra of David James, who’s now a system integration engineer at New York, NY-based L-3 Communications.
By the time he arrived at L-3 Communications 23 years ago, James had had a few years of work experience under his belt. James worked two internships via INROADS - the nation’s largest non-profit source of paid internships for undergraduate, diverse youth - at a telephone company. There, he was hired as a first line manager the first summer and rotated as replacement manager for out-of-office managers the second summer.
This provided the impetus for James, a mechanical engineering graduate, to pursue a career in engineering management.
Following graduation from Texas A&M University, James went to work for an aircraft company as a design engineer, working on B2 bombers; he soon became a lead engineer there. He then moved to a company that manufactures helicopters as a contract engineer.
“Working as a contract engineer gave me the ability to adapt to different work environments,” he explains.
Wanting to advance his career in management - coupled with having also had advanced studies in business administration and a certificate in program management by this time - he found the opportunity at L-3, a contractor in aerospace systems and provider of a broad range of communication and electronic systems and products used on military and commercial platforms.
He joined the L-3 platform integration division, where he worked on commercial aircraft programs. His career progressed to senior engineer in mechanical systems to principal systems engineer, then to manager and senior manager in systems engineering, and, finally, to his current position as engineer in system integration.
The challenges he faces range from managing subcontractors to making purchasing decisions and meeting customer delivery schedules. He explains that communication is the key to dealing with these challenges; he uses a whiteboard as a tool whereby he and his team develop an action plan to deal with them.
“I live by an acronym I refer to as EOS, which stands for exposure, opportunity and sponsor,” James says. He advises those entering the workplace and those already there: “Raise your hand for opportunities that interest you. Seek out a mentor or sponsor who will make recommendations to help you gain insight into your career aspirations. Take inventory of what your goals are and how you can best serve your organization and the business.” As for himself, James feels, he alone is responsible for managing his career and he’s willing to take on new challenges and opportunities that would broaden his skill sets.
To learn more about L-3’s available job listings, go to l-3com.com/careers.
 
Box:
L-3
Headquarters: New York, NY.
Description: Prime contractor in aerospace systems and leading provider of a broad range of communication and electronic systems and products used on military and commercial platforms that was founded in 1997.
Specialties Include: Three Business Segments: Aerospace, Electronic and Communication Systems.
Support of a Wide Variety of Aircraft and Ground Systems.
Customers Include: Military, Government and Commercial.
 
Dandy Fulfills Engineering Dream at Lockheed Martin
LaTasha Dandy knew from age seven that she wanted to be an engineer, hence her current role as systems engineer sr. at Bethesda, MD-based Lockheed Martin, a global security and aerospace company. However, she didn’t always know what kind of engineer she wanted to be.
She’d always loved chemistry, so she thought about becoming a chemical engineer. But by the time she got to Tennessee State University, she’d lost interest in chemistry. So, perhaps, a computer engineer? That held no interest for her. “I wasn’t too keen on writing code for the rest of my life,” she says.
Undecided, she left school and spent the next 10 years working in retail, becoming a manager before returning to Tennessee State as an electrical engineering major. She earned her bachelor’s degree as an electrical engineer in 2011 and, three years later, received her master’s in systems engineering from Southern Methodist University.
While still an undergraduate, Dandy completed three summer internships/co-ops. She did data analysis for a defense contractor, assisted with updating the electrical systems wiring for a company that supported a U.S. Air Force base, and, when Lockheed Martin recruiters came on campus, she interviewed with, was accepted by and did an internship at Lockheed Martin.
Dandy worked with the systems security engineering team. She remembers: “The team that I did an internship with actually hired me on when I graduated.”
With a year of full-time work under her belt, Dandy was nominated and then inducted into the Engineering Leadership Development Program, a three-year program that gives its members the opportunity to rotate and explore different avenues at Lockheed Martin with the hope and intent of preparing them for leadership in the company.
During one of her rotations, she worked in supply chain as a technical subcontract manager working with suppliers in the field. “My last rotation in that program was into the role I’m in now,” she says.
She is a control account manager, helping the same team she started with manage their costs, schedule, and performance. She is also still involved in the technical side of the business, but wants to expand the program management side of her job.
She considers herself “the middle voice” between the people doing the actual work, which she says she assists with, letting them know what the execution plan is for success and the expectations of management, who need to be aware of any challenges and delays. Part of her job is to keep abreast of current data and to inform those on the three teams she supports who are not up-to-date on it.
“I love working with people,” Dandy says. “Had I not gone into engineering, I probably would’ve been a teacher because I love sharing what I learn with others.”
She also loves Lockheed Martin’s corporate culture, which she describes as one of accountability and where diversifying its culture - from race, gender, educational and background perspectives - is important.
She emphasizes the importance of building a network to help you advance both personally and professionally. Her own network began even before she came to Lockheed Martin as she was involved in professional societies at her school and in her community. She continued and expanded her network during the five years she’s been with Lockheed.
She also learned, early on, that it’s okay to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, whether it’s because you’re taking on a new role or a project you’ve never worked on before.
Go to lockheedmartinjobs.com to find out more about Lockheed Martin’s career paths.
 
Box:
Lockheed Martin
Headquarters: Bethesda, MD.
Description: Global security and aerospace company founded in 1995 and principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacturing, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
Develops: Aircraft.
Ground Vehicles.
Missile Defense Systems.
Naval Systems.
Specialties Include: Aerospace, Defense and Space.
Customers Include: Military, Civilian and Commercial.
 
Ligon’s Keen Interest in Collecting Photos Led to Success at NARA
A lifetime of collecting documents and photos resulted in a career in the government for Tina Ligon, supervisory archivist at National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
But how did that lead her to becoming an activist at NARA? Ligon says she’s always been one, but didn’t know it: “I’ve always been interested in [my personal] history, in things like family documents and photographs.”
She kept all that information and found a way to store it. But it wasn’t until her undergraduate days that “I found out that people actually do those things for a living.”
She recalls that “when I got my degree I was [placed] in the archivist development program (ADP), then converted into an archivist position. Last year, I was promoted to a team lead position, assisting a supervisor who oversees the processing projects. And then recently I was moved to a supervisory position.”
Today, Ligon’s a supervisory archivist with a staff of fourteen archivists, archives specialists and technicians. She says her responsibilities include making sure her staff receive necessary training, have projects on which to work and receive the materials and people they need to complete their projects. In this role she also plans future projects and handles personnel and interpersonal issues that can arise and affect the job.
 “We’re made up of many different divisions,” says Tina Ligon about the National Archives. She herself has been in the textual processing division since her arrival as a graduate student at the University of Maryland, where she earned master’s degrees in both Library Science and U.S. History. She also has a Ph.D. in African-American history.
“We have a mix of personalities here.” Ligon adds that many activists are introverts. “It’s just the nature of the field.”
The National Archives provides certain training that all employees must take, such as how to deal with emergencies, secure new materials and protect personal information. Within the textual processing division, Ligon explains, training in handling records, database training for the databases the division uses and, currently, training in using Microsoft Excel and processing, are offered to both new and existing staff. The division also offers informal mentoring. If someone is struggling with a problem, then he or she will be paired up with a longer-time employee, known as a “guru,” she notes.
“We look for people with a history background since we’re dealing with historical records,” Ligon says about the textual processing division. “A lot of our new activists have master’s degrees in library science. A lot of people are getting into digital history - digitizing records, put them online and telling stories about that.”
She has this advice for those doing this and seeking to enter the field, advice given to her by older colleagues: Enjoy what you’re doing. To this she adds, “Take advantage of every opportunity given to you. If it’s training, then take it. If it’s a rotation in another division, then go for it. If you find records you’re really interested in, then write about it.”
Ligon edits and writes a blog called Rediscovering Black History for the National Archives.
Find more information about NARA and job opportunities at the agency at archives.gov/careers.
 
Box:
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Headquarters: Washington, DC.
Description: Government agency and the nation’s record-keeper.
Mission: Manages Archives.
Preserves National Historical Records, Documents and Photographs.
Preserves Military Records of U.S. Service Members.
Locations: 36 Facilities across U.S.
Archivists Duties Include: Preserving Records, Documents and Photographs.
Making Them Available to the Public.
 
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