After graduating with a degree in Mathematics from UCO, I was hired as an Embedded Software Engineer at Boeing’s Defense and Space Group in Oklahoma City. I joined the Controls and Displays team for the B-1 Bomber’s Block E software upgrade, a complete rewrite of the avionics system. My primary responsibility was to implement the Mission Data Loader, the core component responsible for distributing mission-critical data (including flight plans, target coordinates, and weapon configurations) to all other subsystems.
The central nature of this module required constant interaction with every other team on the 100+ person project. This forced me to quickly develop the professional communication and collaboration skills essential to a large-scale engineering effort. I designed and implemented a publish-subscribe interface for data distribution and became the go-to expert for debugging the system’s complex, multi-threaded codebase. As a result of this cross-cutting role, my work became highly visible, and my contributions were known throughout the project.
To this day, it’s a source of pride knowing that, for a time, every B-1 mission began with a crew member inserting a cartridge and running my code.
Key Takeaway
I learned how to be a professional programmer on this project. I was given a critical task, delivered on it, and earned my place as a core member of a high-performing team.