How well do the defense contractors pay engineers?

<p>Just wondering how well they pay compared to other positions a mech engineer could hold. Also, how selective would a company like Lockheed Martin be? At first I would think very selective, but then I think that non-US citizens being eliminated from the potential candidates immediately would increase my chances substantially.</p>

<p>I can't speak for MechEs, but as a software engineer working for a defense contractor I'm pretty happy. I'm paid a little above average for people coming out of my school with a bachelor's and working in this field, and I have considerably better benefits than most of them.</p>

<p>On the whole, they're pretty selective, but not impossibly so.</p>

<p>is there a chance for minorities and immigrants to get opportunities in the defense industry?</p>

<p>It would be ridiculously hard, if not impossible to get a job in defense if you're not a US citizen because you can't get security clearance.</p>

<p>I don't know about minorities, i doubt there's an affirmative action policy.</p>

<p>I'm a US citizen, but my name doesn't make me seem like one. Lockheed Martin called me and I have an interview with them next week.</p>

<p>You <em>need</em> to be a U.S. citizen. After you pass that hurdle, it's really up to you and your academics.</p>

<p>From what I've seen, its seems like it's easier to get a job at a defense company than a job at a commercial company. The starting salary is above average but the raises and bonuses are below average, unless you're really good. From what my friends tell me, you don't get promoted very quickly. So they reel in good candidates with above average salaries and hope they get comfortable and stay. Quite a few people I know work in defense for a few years then move to more dynamic commercial engineering companies, or financial engineering positions in banks or consulting firms where the bonuses and raises are higher.</p>

<p>When I interned at Boeing two summers ago, the recruiter told me he was having trouble filling the hiring quota because Boeing was winning so many defense contracts.</p>

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is there a chance for minorities and immigrants to get opportunities in the defense industry?

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<p>It's difficult for non-US-citizens. It is not impossible, but it is much more difficult, because it's much harder to get a clearance. I think at my small defense contractor we have one non-citizen (from Canada), and two people with dual citizenship (one US/Switzerland, not sure about the other).</p>

<p>There's nothing special that would preclude minorities from the defense.</p>

<p>Theres a huge Northrop Grummen near my school and many of the grads from my school end up working there. Most of them seem to think NG is a huge **** hole.</p>

<p>But either way, working for a huge company has its advantages. If you do not like your department or do not fit in, you can change locations, positions, etc etc.</p>