As your first real experience in the world of national security, choosing the right internship can be the key to jumpstarting your career. Peraton internships give you mission-critical experience and networking opportunities that can sometimes lead to full-time employment opportunities upon graduation.
Carter Cross used the skills and connections that he gained as a Peraton intern to launch his career as a systems engineer, supporting the United States Strategic Operations Command (STRATCOM). Read about Carter’s journey from intern to team member, and his advice for emerging talent.
How would you describe the Peraton intern experience?
My internship experience at Peraton was instrumental to my professional development. It provided me with opportunities to contribute to impactful projects that directly affected ongoing efforts on the ITCC contract. The work I completed allowed me to collaborate with systems engineers and participate in technical discussions and meetings that enhanced my understanding of the DoD and IT industries.
I also gained valuable experience in briefing technical material, which sharpened my communication skills. Experiencing the culture and work environment solidified my desire to pursue a full-time opportunity after my graduation. Overall, my internship equipped me with essential skills and insights that I continue to draw upon in my day-to-day responsibilities.
Could you share how you became a Peraton engineer, supporting STRATCOM?
In the spring of 2020, I was in college at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln working on my B.S in mechanical engineering and playing on the university’s baseball team. When the Covid-19 pandemic occurred, our season was cancelled, and I began looking for internship opportunities. Fortunately, I was selected to be an engineering intern with Perspecta (prior to Peraton’s acquisition).
During my internship, I was exposed to the IT and DoD industry and the hardworking and amazing team on ITCC II. After the conclusion of my internship, I was presented with an opportunity to become a full-time employee once I had graduated.
Will you describe your role, the technologies you touch, and the team dynamic you work on?
I am currently a systems engineer on the Information Technology Capabilities Contract supporting STRATCOM. Specifically, I work on the Platform Services team supporting the Rogue Blue Software program. In this role, my team is responsible for engineering, implementing, and maintaining a DevOps platform for mission system application developers.
Some of the technologies that I work with are Kubernetes, Gitlab, Ansible, and multiple other continuous integration and delivery tools. The DoD environment is fast-paced and dynamic and as a result my team works collaboratively and diligently to engineer and implement solutions for the varying requirements of application developers.
What impact does you and your team’s activities have to STRATCOM’s mission?
The work we do impacts the STRATCOM mission by improving the development process of mission critical applications. Our work directly enhances the developer team’s ability to deliver and deploy secure, robust, and quality applications faster in order to meet the
ever-changing landscape of STRATCOM’s mission of nuclear deterrence.
What advice would you have for emerging IT talent that hasn’t worked within the DoD space before?
The advice I would provide to emerging IT talent is to step out of your comfort zone and embrace new opportunities. The DoD space is dynamic and constantly evolving, which results in amazing opportunities for IT professionals. The DoD provides a great opportunity to utilize your existing IT knowledge and be exposed to cutting edge software and processes supporting an incredibly important mission.
