I haven't gotten a chance to explain to most of you why I've decided to go work for Raytheon at Fort Wayne, Indiana, so here are some of those reasons!
Good Company
Raytheon is a large defense contractor and industrial company with around 76,000 employees that does just about everything in the world. Because of the diversity of their products, Raytheon's eggs aren't all in one basket and can survive the different ebbs and flows of the economy (such as the recent cut in military spending). Also, the size of the company allows me to try new things, so I could work on different products and in different engineering areas in my time with Raytheon. I'm not completely sure what I'm going to be working on but I'll be in the Network Centric Systems division of Raytheon, of which there are around a thousand employees in the Fort Wayne location. When I visited Raytheon, it really seemed like all the people that I talked to really enjoyed working for Raytheon, and many of the employees talked about how good of a company Raytheon is and how well the company treats its employees, so I'm excited to be a part of this company! Also, isn't "Raytheon" just a really awesome name for a company?!
Good Work
I've always wanted to work on something that's meaningful, or at least meaningful to me. Ever since college started, I've felt like God has been leaning me towards this defense sort of work. I worked for the Army at Fort Monmouth for two summers and worked at Harris Corporation (another defense contractor) last summer. I don't remember all that much of what I did at Fort Monmouth, but what I will never forget is the feeling of working on and being a part of something that was bigger than myself or even the project that I was working on. There were signs and posters in hallways all throughout every building with pictures of soldiers and inspirational quotes and reminders like "You are supporting the warfighter!" and "Information security starts with you!". Since that internship experience, I've told myself that I want to do work that makes a real difference in people's lives.
When I was interviewing for a job at Harris Corporation, I shared this desire of mine with my interviewer (his name was Tim), and he said that part of working for Harris was this chance to really make a difference. Tim told me this awesome story of being at an airport wearing a Harris shirt or jacket or something and having a soldier come up to him and ask him, "Do you work for Harris Corporation?" Tim said he did. The soldier then asked him if he worked on some specific radio, and Tim said he did. Then the soldier went on to tell Tim that the radio that Harris made ended up saving his life because he was trapped behind enemy lines (or something like that) and he was able to use the radio to call in for help, and the soldier thanked Tim for his work. Tim told me that what struck him is that usually it is us civilians who thank our armed forces for their service, but it was actually the soldier who thanked Tim for his work!
Now I'm not going to work for Harris, but I want to be part of a company that makes products that makes a real difference in people's lives. I'm not talking about a "faster browser" kind of difference or even a "make a rich man richer" sort of a difference, but a real, life-saving kind of difference, and I think that Raytheon will give me an opportunity to do that.
Good location
It may not seem like Fort Wayne, Indiana is a great town to be in, and while it's not a college town like Ann Arbor, there are some certain advantages of living in Fort Wayne in comparison to the other places that offered me jobs.
Low Living Cost
Fort Wayne is very cheap to live in! The housing is cheap, the groceries are cheap, and the utilities are all cheaper. Plug in some numbers on this site to compare living costs! $100,000 earned in Fort Wayne is comparable to a salary of $132,237 here in Monmouth County in NJ.
Close to Ann Arbor
Fort Wayne is only around 2.5 hours from Ann Arbor, so I could go visit my likkle sister and all the other kiddies still in college! So if any of you people in Ann Arbor want to hang out on the weekends or want to come visit me, just let me know!
Proximity to big cities
Fort Wayne is around 2 hours from Detroit, 2 hours from Indianapolis, and 3 hours from Chicago. This makes it possible for me to go to different cities to do different stuff, though I'm mostly just interested in watching sporting events, like watching Lions games, maybe attending some Bulls games, and watching whatever Big Ten events are held in Indianapolis.
Churches
Fort Wayne is also known as the City of Churches, with around 365 churches in the area for around 250,000 people. Not only are there a lot of churches, there should also be some quality churches in the area. I have already been recommended two churches that have congregations of 2,500 and 1,500 people. Church hopping may take a while...
Good Career Decision
To put it simply, Raytheon not only offered me the largest salary in comparison to the other companies I was considering, they also offered me a higher starting position. I think that it is the best decision for my career to go to Raytheon, as I will be able to have some sort of a head start and possibly advance a little faster.
All in all, I'm very happy and excited at my chance to work at Raytheon. Thankfully, I do not feel subject to the following comic!
Prayer Requests
Life isn't going to be easy, so I would really appreciate your prayer!
Living Situation
Pray that we will be able to find a fitting and cheap apartment next week and that I will be able to find and buy a car, furniture, and all the other essential things that I need.
Work Lifestyle
The working lifestyle is completely different from a college lifestyle, and it may take some time for me to fully adjust to it. Pray that I will be able to be awake in the morning and to do good work throughout the day.
Christian Community
Pray that I will be to find a good church and a good Christian community that I can be a part of and contribute to.
Personal Growth
Pray that I would continually be renewed day by day and that I would be constantly growing closer to Jesus!
Again, thanks so much for your prayers!
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