First Co-Op Rotation @ L3Harris
Michael
Experience Information
Employer: L3Harris Technologies
Job Title: Test Engineering
Major: Electrical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
L3Harris is the newly formed company from the merger of L3 Technologies and Harris Corporation that produces defense and communication products for the government, defense, and commercial sectors with a goal to make the airspace safer with new products. L3Harris is among one of the largest defense contractors in the world with approximately 50,000 employees worldwide.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
This semester was my first co-op rotation of three with L3Harris. I worked on a few different programs that test different products before they are produced, like calibration tests and temperature tests. My goal for these programs was to make each program better than it was before, whether it be making it more efficient, adding new quality-of-life improvements, or reducing memory usage. I also helped fix hardware for these tests, like computers or proprietary hardware, to make sure that everything was functioning as desired.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
This rotation really helped me refine my programming skills, which were not the greatest before this co-op. Programming for an entire summer really helps with learning new problem solving techniques or different ways to optimize a code. Another valuable thing I learned was the business side of engineering, such as managing budgets, learning product numbers, and hearing about some of the financial side of things.
Favorite Part of the Experience
It was great being able to work on programs that make other workers' jobs a little easier. When you work on a program and being able to see it change and progress with more time and effort spent on it, it motivates you even more to finish the next project you work on, which is great.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
Prior to this rotation, a position that is very programming heavy didn't really appeal to me, but the more work I do during my co-op, the more likely I would be to consider a position that relies heavily on programming in the future.