If you have a passion for discovering how things work or you like finding creative solutions to problems, you may be just like Gideon Stowell, a student of Computer Engineering at Brigham Young University. Gideon’s fascination with all things computers inspired him to take many Computer Science courses as he began working towards his bachelor’s degree. “When I took CS 142 during my third semester at BYU, it really piqued my interest in computer engineering. It’s been developing over time ever since.”
Gideon’s growing interest in computer engineering has led him to pursue more extensive education, which cannot be found in the classroom. In January, Gideon joined the Raytheon infrastructure team to learn practical skills related to software development from on the job training. Raytheon is a major United States Defense contractor that specializes in manufacturing weapons and commercial electronics. Gideon detailed his efforts leading up to being hired, “I first learned about the opportunity to intern at Raytheon last fall at the STEM career fair. It was pretty lucky. I wasn’t planning on going but I went because my class got cancelled.” His previous work experience was immediately impressive to the potential employers at the STEM Fair. “I had done an internship the previous summer with the FBI, and so I had special security clearance. I wanted to see if I could use that in any jobs. I ended up talking to a guy at the Raytheon booth, and he immediately talked with me because I had that clearance. I sent him my resume and then a month later, the director of H.R. gave me a call. She basically just asked me when I wanted to start! It was really cool.”
Gideon’s internship at Raytheon has helped him gain a plethora of new skills. “Right now I’m working on software development. Raytheon has an automation tool that they developed a few years ago but no one had figured out how to use it very well. They asked me to figure out how to use it and how to get other teams to use it effectively.”
Gideon offered advice to other students currently looking for internship opportunities, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I think that in the technical world, everyone is so involved in projects and sometimes you just assume that nobody wants to help you out or be willing to. However, I think people are more open than you think, especially if you approach them and say that you want to learn from them.” Gideon also cautioned against becoming discouraged after making mistakes. Mistakes, he says, are valuable learning experiences which give you the opportunity to reconsider your options and try again. Gideon’s persistence is admirable and is undoubtedly the secret to his great success.