I am a government contractor in DC - ask me anything
Monkeys,
I stumbled upon WSO several years ago when I was thinking about going to B-school and figured someone here might have questions about government consulting/contracting and working in DC.
About me:
I have been working in government contracting (mainly defense) for around 5 years in a range of capture/BD type positions in the private sector. Prior to that I spent some time in the military so I can answer questions about transition, GI Bill, perceptions, etc. I grew up in the DC area, am in my early 30s, and went to a public "target".
Cheers,
Garfield
Silvio,
I got a history degree in undergrad because I love history. It has absolutely nothing to do with my career field and has not hindered me in anyway. I read the comments from younger users on here asking what they should study to best position them for X. When you are 30, no one cares where you went to school or what your major was; study something you love.
Anyway, did the undergrad thing, did the military thing for 4 years shortly thereafter, and worked at an armor company provide subject matter expertise on how troops react to different armor configurations and designs. Got the interview because I knew someone's brother at the firm, and got the job because I am awesome. Quickly moved on to proposals/contracts, and from there capture and business development (BD), eventually with some program management involved. My role now is mostly BD, managing customer relationships with the federal government, finding problems and providing solutions, and winning new and expanding existing business. I definitely do not have a IBD or finance background, but I think a fair analogy might be that I started doing back office work and now do front office work (not sure if that works, but I thinks is somewhat analagous).
I have done a bit of international work, both in overseeing/developing programs being run in foreign countries, Foreign Military Sales (FMS---don't get me started on ITAR regulations), and joint defense programs for developing/procuring better protected military vehicles. The international market can be VERY lucrative if you have the right connections.
What I enjoy most about the field is that I have an opportunity to work on cutting edge problems that can be VERY public and VERY serious (e.g. people dying). I can legitimately say that troops are alive today because of work I have done, which is very fulfilling.
Regarding your last question, allow me to expand on the definition of defense contracting. This could be a host of things, such as working for the federal government in accounting, contracts, program management, or analysis. It can also be working for the private sector in behind the scenes work (analysis, contracts, proposals, compliance) or more up front such as client engagement/management and program management. I guess you might have to be more specific about what exactly you want to do with defense contracting!
In general, defense contracting offers a wealth of opportunities regardless of undergraduate background or pedigree. If you are an IB analyst I would suggest getting involved with deals involving defense companies (obviously), but also reading up about national security/defense issues. Highly recommend reading the Washington Post, but mainly online media.
Hope this helps!
Garfield