Joel Foster

What's your job about?

Leidos is all about creating solutions for our customers and therefore has endless opportunities in a multitude of areas. Software development, engineering, management, and cybersecurity are just some of the paths that Leidos has to offer. Leidos also gives you the support to continually learn and progress your skills, while allowing you to discover what you are passionate about.

I am currently working on a large scale integration project that looks to redefine and unify current dated methods to a modern all-in-one solution. As a software integration engineer, my job revolves around connecting the different facets of our solution to create a streamlined service that can then be incorporated into the Defence network. Tasks that I do as part of my project range all the way from having a say on some of the design decisions, to implementing those decisions, along with researching new methods of doing things, and discovering and fixing issues the team encounters.

There is so much to learn that you finish each week feeling like you have formed or improved another skill set. One week could be building Java classes, the next could be learning and using a niche market product, and the following week is learning how to store and sort logs to monitor the health and performance of a product. All while having a strong team that can support you along the way.

What's your background?

I grew up in Sydney and moved down to Melbourne in my mid-20s. I studied Music Production just out of high school but never made anything of it – although music is still an important part of my life. At that point, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in terms of a career. I always enjoyed technology and programming but was never sure how to translate that passion into a career.

Previous to Leidos, I spent 8 years in an optical retail store. As that was never meant to be a long term career, I decided that studying towards a degree part-time while continuing work would be the best option for me. In my last year of study, I started applying for graduate jobs without much hope that I would be lucky enough to get a position.

Leidos stood out from the start, and after a bit of research, I realised how many interesting sounding projects they work on. After a great application process - with plenty of communication and an interview, I was one of the lucky people selected to be part of the graduate cohort for my year.

My graduate year has been amazing, with so much support, learning, and a true feeling of being part of the Leidos family. It has now been almost one year since joining Leidos and I look forward to seeing what the future years hold while exploring all that Leidos has to offer.

Could someone with a different background do your job?

Yes – if you are up for a lot of learning! Every day is a learning experience as a big part of the work isn’t strictly coding (or things you would learn in a software development degree). Although the degree makes coding and understanding some of the concepts much easier, there’s still a lot of research, and trial and error.

If you are keen to learn, and happy to be learning as you go, most of the work could be done. It is something you really have to enjoy doing though!

What's the coolest thing about your job?

For me, it’s the knowledge that what you are doing makes a huge difference to others. The project I am working on will directly impact tens of thousands of Australians immediately, and even more over its lifetime. There are not many jobs where everything you do, whether it’s a major integration piece or a small code tweak, will impact so many people while helping them to remain safe and healthy.

You may be a small piece of the puzzle, but every piece is important in completing the project.

What are the limitations of your job?

Due to the nature of the work and the size of the project, certain things can take a long time. Making a major change isn’t an easy thing to achieve and may have to reach all the way back to multiple teams, customers, and vendors – where time and approval are needed.

This can be challenging, and what you think is a simple thing could need some number of weeks before the change can be made. There is still plenty of other work to do though so you never feel like you’re left waiting!

3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...

• Keep tabs on anything you do that can be added to your portfolio. Made a script to automate something? Add it! Did a project as part of your degree? Add it! This is a great way to show potential employers what you have worked on.
• Always aim to succeed. It’s easy to go through your degree being happy with just a pass, but you should always aim to learn as much as you can as it will put you in a good mindset of always trying your best and making the most of what you can.
• Find like-minded people. Either people doing the same degree as you, people in the industry, or just people you already know. It makes it much easier to complete your degree when you have others to speak to.