fresh graduates with an engineering degree who want to "make a difference in the world"

I mean, if your ethics are for sale, just skip to the end and work for Meta so you can get dat 200k new grad comp package.

Companies with ongoing military contracts may be much more lucrative in the long run.
- The pay is shit or at most on par compared to tons of web dev jobs in e commerce etc. I make more aligning divs than my friends in aerospace and defense who are leveraging their advanced degrees. Abandoning your morals hardly even pays ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Companies, yes. Employees, no.
Is meta looking to hire a bunch of MechEs?
- This would be more in the realm of CS

I applied to LockMart and they rejected me :(

For the last time, a picture of yourself riding a missile naked is not a job application. We are also seriously concerned about how you were able to obtain a missile in the first place.
- We are also seriously concerned about how you were able to obtain a missile in the first place.
  
  Prior work experience
Same here. Rejoice! For we have been saved from the MIC.
Taking your own fighting jet is a huge help though.

Most fresh grads just want to make enough of a living wage to one day afford a house. Morals can be fucking expensive.

It very very much depends on the country you're from. In Ukraine a better slogan would probably be "my moral compass led me to Lockheed Martin"

Some people would do much worse for even less…. Xd

I saw a video about some incompetent, alcoholic spy the CIA hired that sold state secrets to the KGB that got 12 of his fellow agents killed all for the incredible sum of $25,000.
- $25k when? Because that’s like $130k in the 70s. Not enough for me, but chance dictates someone was eventually going to be bribable.

Does it come in Google?

They're not wrong. still a difference.

direction is totally fucked though.

This implies you had one at some point.

In 2016 I started an entry level job in cybersecurity for a small Family-owned defense contractor making $55k. 7 years later in 2023 I'm working at one of the Big 4 defense contractors and I'm making $173K.

My degree is in criminal justice from a State School.

As long as you have a 4 year degree, can obtain Secret clearance, and can get CompTIA Security+ any defense contractor on the East or West Coast will take you.

Yes, I am a cog in the military-industrial complex which makes me part of the problem and not the solution, but I live comfortably and my family is happy, so I'll sacrifice my morals for them.

How does one find a defense contractor job?
- Step one: Throw away moral compass.

I at least appreciate the great stuff they make for the Ace Combat series...

Although maybe we could design cool jet fighter assets without designing multi-billion-dollar real ones first...

My moral compass is calibrated to "Mad Scientist"

Evil Minion is a pretty good entry-level for that position