New Graduates
Just completed or getting close to completing college or graduate school and looking for a great career?
We are always interested in hearing from graduates regardless of your degree subject. We greatly value military experience, but do not require it. Depending on your degree subject and/or military experience, you will join our Engineering & Technical Program or our Project Management Program. You will be partnered with a senior mentor and work within a team that provides support and training while giving you the opportunity to jump right in. If you do not have a military background, you will also be partnered with one of our retired or separated military people. Ready to get started? Explore our current openings and apply via our online application process.
Comments from our recent grads
“My wife got me into defense. One of her classmates from her MBA class pulled her into the world of government contracts and I started gaining exposure to the DOD through discussions with her, at least the portions of work she could tell me about. I always liked the fact that she was supporting our military and when given the opportunity, I really wanted to do the same.” - HDG new grad
“I had always wanted to make a difference and thought of working for the government in the past but once I graduated college, I found myself applying to a plethora of jobs that did not offer fulfillment or pay enough to live in San Diego. After working in marketing and sales for over a year, I heard about Highbury Defense Group through a friend of a friend. I took the interview, accepted the job, and have not looked back since.” - HDG new grad
“Embrace your skill sets and the experience that you do have. It is easy to get overwhelmed when you are in an industry that is new to you, especially when you work with people who have been in defense for decades but embrace your talents and put them to work. Everyone learns from each other and you will be surprised at the mighty impact you can have.” HDG new grad
“At some point in your career, you are likely to step into a job that does not entirely align with what you studied. Even if you did study something directly correlated to your line of work, a new job is always going to throw you some curve balls and will require you to be flexible. The best companies to work for are going to look as best they can at who you are as a person and fundamental characteristics that show what kind of a person you will be within the company and if you have the fundamental skills to get the job done, the rest you'll learn along the way. Be flexible, hard-working and a good team player!” HDG new grad
“No matter what your degree is, there’s a need for your major in the defense industry. I majored in finance. I thought I wanted to go into commercial banking but I wasn’t sure. I talked to an HDG project manager at my school’s job fair (SDSU). She explained how my degree and interest in finance could relate to jobs in the defense industry. She arranged for me to meet with two HDG financial analysts who gave me a good understanding of what my days would be like as a junior financial analyst in the defense industry. I’m just starting my second year at HDG. I am using my degree and helping manage a $100M budget for a US Navy satellite program. I feel like the skills and experience I am getting would also translate to a commercial job if I ever decide to leave the defense industry.” HDG new grad
“With almost anything in life, communication is key. Keep the lines of communication open and, especially early on, err on the side of slightly over communicating. Ask questions, relay information, and take notes!” HDG new grad
“Ask questions. In the beginning very little made sense but every time I asked a question, I was surprised at how eager everyone was to help me add to my knowledge base. The more you know the more you can grow.” HDG new grad
“Working with great people and knowing that what I am doing is helping the Navy.” HDG new grad
“The most important thing for me will always be the organization that I work for. I can’t do good work if I do not feel supported by my team and at Highbury, you will never stop being encouraged and supported.” HDG new grad
“You are going to work with all kinds of different people and that variety is part of what makes the job great. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and different people have different approaches to solving problems, so you help your client navigate those issues and compliment their skillset to help your team succeed.” HDG new grad
“It's a bit difficult to paint the picture of a typical day. Some days are pretty routine, some days it seems like there are 10 different things pulling in 15 different directions. As much as you work with people from around the world, you do kind of separate out into your own little bubbles, so every bubble can have its own unique situation from one day to the next.” HDG new grad
“The day-to-day work ebbs and flows with a mix of structure and go-with-the-flow. There is usually always a system in place but like life, the defense industry is dynamic and full of opportunities to learn and make a difference.” HDG new grad
“Staying organized, developing a general approach to your day/week/month, remaining a bit flexible, and looking for ways in which you can help your client/team/coworkers accomplish the collective goal.” HDG new grad
“Have a positive attitude and do not give up. Some days the work you do makes an impact that same week but other times, the impact could take months or years for completion. As long as you keep moving forward and keep in line with the mission to serve, then your progress will not stop.” HDG new grad
“Feeling within a relatively short period of time that I am making a positive impact based on positive feedback from those around me.” HDG new grad
“My proudest career moment was being able to identify a problem no one else saw and articulate a solution that ended up saving the government over $1M in the first three months of my career in the defense industry. Working with complex systems is new to me but being valued on the team and given free rein to use my skill sets helped me realize that I can and do belong in the defense industry.” HDG new grad
“It's always rewarding to know that you are helping our troops. Contracts may move around but the industry, as a whole, is not going anywhere”.
“I recommend the defense industry to new grads for three reasons: stability, career growth, and learning opportunities.
After I graduated, I found myself applying to dozens of full-time jobs at legitimate companies but the pay was less per hour than I was making when I worked in retail. I knew I was capable of more and wanted a job that would be fair and just in their pay and work expectations. Furthermore, the defense industry is less affected than other industries to typical ebbs and flows of the economy. Defense offers a steady and stable career path that you can feel comfortable working in.
Unlike most industries, there is no cap on where you can go or what you can do in the defense industry. Having started at an entry-level position, I was shocked at how many different types of jobs were available amongst so many different skillsets. There is a job for everyone.
I think everyone has a lot they can learn, especially if you are a new grad. I have learned so much in terms of how to perform specific tasks and how to forge my way through such a dense industry. No other work experience has provided me such a depth and breathe of valuable skills and lessons. Wherever I may go in the future, I know these lessons learned will help me be more successful than I would be able to be otherwise.”
“There are a lot of embedded processes to get from point A to point B. Some processes are slow and can be frustrating. The challenge is to start figuring out ways to improve the process, generally little bits at a time.”
“The most challenging thing about the defense industry is that you will not be able to know everything, even if you spend 40 years working in the industry. My first few months I asked so many questions and was confused a lot of the time but I learned quickly and have been able to make an impact.”