From the apprentice of a craftsman to a fellow studying under the guidance of a scholar, the mentee and mentor relationship stands the test of time.
A survey by the American Society for Training and Development found that 75 percent of executives point to mentors as the origin of their success stories. Forbes noted that 90 percent of employees with a mentor report being more happy at work.
When done well, the experience of finding a mentor — or a team of them — can be a transformative experience. Which is exactly where Bryan, an early career research scientist, is in his professional journey.
“My expert coworkers are fantastic mentors who help me apply the ideas that I learned about in school to real-world applications,” Bryan said. “The difference between theory and application can be significant, and having help during that transition is invaluable.”
The team at Caliola Engineering packs an intellectual punch. Full of PhDs and professional accolades, the team comes together to work on communication security for the U.S. government. When Bryan joined, he found that the team of experts was prepared to help him make the leap from academia to a full-time job.
“As someone who is early in his career, Caliola has been a great transition from school into industry,” Bryan said.
Caliola engineering’s team of systems, security and software engineers identify and solve mission-critical problems for customers across the U.S. government.
What is your role, and what attracted you to Caliola Engineering?
As a research scientist at Caliola, I appreciate the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world problems. As someone who is early in his career, Caliola has been a great transition from school into industry. My expert coworkers are fantastic mentors who help me apply the ideas that I learned about in school to real-world applications. The difference between theory and application can be significant, and having help during that transition is invaluable.
Additionally, I enjoy the variety of projects that we work on here at Caliola. While the skills I already have are relevant to my projects (e.g. mathematical analysis), there are also so many other skills I can develop in the process (e.g. software engineering). I have learned so many skills at a reasonable rate since I have started here. This balance is very important, and I really appreciate how management has made that happen for me.
What’s your favorite part about working at Caliola Engineering? The projects, the team culture, the opportunities for career advancement?
Going from product requirements to actual solutions takes significant expertise. I appreciate working with my many coworkers who are experts in their respective fields. They help me bridge the gap from requirements to solutions. When I have questions about anything technical, they can either answer my question directly or point me in the right direction. Feeling like there is room for me to grow is very important to me, and I get that here.
“When I have questions about anything technical, they can either answer my question directly or point me in the right direction.”
Another aspect of Caliola that I really appreciate is how accessible management is. Management trusts us to make decisions and get things done. When I have a question or concern, I know I can have a conversation to resolve that issue. We are small enough that it feels like I can know and interact with everyone, but also big enough that we have access to so much in-house expertise. Management also takes into account my skills and interests when planning projects, and I feel that every project I have been involved in has been a good fit.
What advice would you give to jobseekers looking to join your growing team?
Don’t expect homework problems or science projects; we develop real solutions to practical problems at Caliola. This is a place to apply all sorts of knowledge in innovative ways. Additionally, Caliola isn’t a place where you get siloed onto a small part of a single project. Each project draws on many skills, from mathematics to physics to software engineering to project management. Caliola is a place where we need to understand all those things.
