What's your job about?

Leidos is a global science and technology company that specialises in solving complex challenges in defence, intelligence, civil, and health markets. I specifically work as part of the Mission Software Solutions sector where Leidos provides advanced solutions to areas in data analytics, system integration and critical software products essential to our mission.

The majority of my role in this space is maintaining and developing new functionalities for pre-existing or new critical software products.  Some of the technologies/tools I have been able to work on for different projects are AWS Cloud Services, Dev-Ops tools (Terraform/Ansible), Java, C#, .NET applications, and Apache NiFi to name a few. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise any of these, I didn’t either when I started!!

What a usual day looks like for me:

• The day usually begins with me logging into Teams to check any updates or messages as well as checking my calendar for the day.
• Check the Jira board for the current ticket I am working on or pick up a new ticket. A ticket represents a specific task or issue that needs attention such as developing new software features or fixing bugs.
• We have a daily standup which are brief sessions held with the project team to foster open communication as well as making sure everyone’s on the same page. Usually, we just tell each other what we are working on, blockers or challenges that we faced.
• I work through the ticket trying to solve the challenge or problem using my knowledge or researching how to solve the issue.
• I usually eat lunch with my coworkers at a communal seating area
• After lunch, I either keep writing code or peer review my co-worker’s code
• Leidos has quite flexible work arrangements, so I don’t finish at 5 pm every day. Some days I come in early and finish early or vice versa.

What's your background?

During school, I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I did know I had a strength in maths, physics and presenting. Because of this, I chose a double degree in Engineering (Honours) and Commerce at Monash University.

During my time at university, I didn’t want to start a corporate job until I finished my degree, so I could spend more time enjoying the different aspects university had to offer. I joined a university club called the Computing and Commerce Association at Monash and was the HR Director for it. It was a great experience and a great way to make new friends. Throughout my time at university, I also worked part-time as a cocktail bartender at a bar!! Mixology has always been a great passion of mine and it was a great job to do alongside studying.

As my final year of university approached, I began looking for graduate positions and I found Leidos through Indeed. Before discovering their job advertisement, I hadn't heard of Leidos, but after researching what they do, I was intrigued by their focus on using cutting-edge technology in areas such as defence. I submitted my application, I was then invited to complete an online assessment and then I was invited to a face-to-face interview. I got the job within a couple of weeks after the final interview!!

Could someone with a different background do your job?

I believe that anyone would be able to do this job. A lot of the job is solving problems but mainly through self-paced learning. When I started at Leidos I felt like I lacked some knowledge that I thought I should have had before starting a software engineering role. Leidos however specifically acknowledges that everyone learns differently, and they put operations in place to help accomplish your job by providing Senior Engineers and learning tools in a way that suits you. As long as you have a willingness to learn and a growth mindset you really can do anything!!

What's the coolest thing about your job?

For me, it’s understanding that I am contributing to something greater than myself and being able to work as part of a team to solve problems every day. Before joining, I always felt like software engineering was a lone wolf career, but I was so wrong. Collaboration and teamwork are such a crucial part of the job and it’s what I love the most about it at Leidos. It's the incredible collaboration of many amazing people who come together to solve a massive problem that seems impossible, yet they somehow make it possible. I think that’s incredible!!

What are the limitations of your job?

Due to the nature of the work, there can be many hours or days waiting for approvals. This can be a little hard even when you think it is quite a simple request. In these situations, you won’t have much work to do which sounds like a good problem to have but it really isn’t at times. Having said this, there is always internal learning that can be done and Leidos provides many different learning resources.

3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...

• Don’t be afraid to try new things whether that be a career, hobbies, travelling or anything really. New experiences broaden your perspective of the world which I think is important.  As I got older, I understood that the “more you know, the more you realise you don’t know”, so be inquisitive!!
• Remember that your career or university whilst important, isn’t your whole life but a part of your life. Remember to balance and prioritize other aspects of your life such as your physical health, mental health and relationships.
• The last piece of advice is a quote I live by. “Don’t practise till you get it right, practise till you can’t get it wrong”. Whatever path you choose, give it your all and try your best. Keep getting better each day by taking space steps and even if you fail take it as a learning opportunity and keep going.