Name: Anthony Matter

Year: 2023

Major: Computer Science

Extracurricular Activities: Computer Science Club, Club Baseball, Former Intern at Delta Machine and Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) National Accelerator Lab.

 

In a few weeks, many Fowler School of Engineering (FSE) students will be graduating from Chapman University and entering various industries. For some students, that includes continuing their education in graduate school, such as in Chapman’s MS in EECS Program. For others, graduating from FSE signals the start of their postgraduate career journey, entering the workforce in fields such as engineering, computer science, and data analytics. 

One of those FSE students is Anthony Matter. Matter is a graduating senior who majored in Computer Science. Before transferring from West Valley College to Chapman University, Matter interned for Delta Machine, a 3D printing company. A year later, he interned for SLAC National Accelerator Lab at Stanford University. Now, he looks forward to his career with Raytheon Technologies, a defense contractor in Fullerton. Matter was kind enough to share his insight into the process and express his optimism for the future. 

 

Q&A With Anthony Matter ‘23

Q: What led to your decision to work for Raytheon after graduation?

Matter: Throughout the fall, it definitely was a struggle to find a job. I applied to practically every company I could think of, and wouldn’t hear back or would just get declined. This February, I reached out to David Hartmayer, Raytheon’s Senior Technical Sourcer, through LinkedIn and he was able to expedite my interview process. Through there, I was able to get an offer. With how small the job market is for entry-level jobs, it was a decision that seemed like a good opportunity to get exposure across different fields.

 

Q: Why did you choose Raytheon? What do you expect to do while working for their company?

Matter: The biggest reason why I chose Raytheon is because their program in the beginning allows you to be mentored. Their accelerated program also allows you to meet different people who can help you navigate that world, that space in the industry, so you’re not thrown into the fire right at the get go. In terms of what I’ll be doing, I’m still in the process of getting authorization, but I do know it’ll be associated with Radar and C5I Infrastructure.  

 

Q: What was your mindset going into this process? What are some things that you wish you knew earlier?

Matter: I would say LinkedIn was a huge help in reaching out to technical recruiters and working with them on how to make your resume better, how to make yourself look better as a candidate. Throughout the fall, I was just blindly applying to places with a resume that I thought was good enough. But when you feed it off to 50 to 100 companies, there’s no brand. Most of the time, they’re getting stacks of resumes. They may not even get yours, and at that point, they may just be skimming to see the “perfect candidate.” So, reaching out to people through LinkedIn in the spring and getting that personable connection was the biggest challenge. If I were to redo this process again, I would have begun networking in the fall.

 

Q: What do you hope to learn and gain out of your experiences at Raytheon? 

Matter: To be honest, I think what makes Raytheon a great choice early on is because I’m not entirely sure where I want to take my career. That’s the view of this position—it exposes you to many different avenues. The hope for me is, through that exposure, by then, I’ll know where I want to delegate all my skills towards. I have a fear that I’ll be complacent in my learning. One of the things I do enjoy is learning new things with people and companionship. I do not want to have a job that sits me in a cubicle and lets me do my own work. I love the teamwork and comradery that comes with working towards a common goal. That’s something I’m for sure going to hang onto throughout my experience in computer science. 

 

Q: What advice do you have for underclassmen overall who are looking for similar opportunities.

Matter: Persevere [laughs]. It’s a tough market right now. Don’t hang your head if you apply to 20-25 places and you’re not getting feedback. Just keep applying, keep tailoring your resume. Do side projects on your own, companies like when you’re more passionate about your field than just doing the schoolwork. That there’s actually some extra passion that lets them know you’re going to give it your all without directly saying it. One piece of advice is showing what you’re about rather than just saying what you’re about. You can show through your experiences that you’re capable of taking on any task that they put on you. That goes way further than just putting on your resume, “I am responsible,” “I am that.” Your experiences should be your biggest highlight.