In celebration of National Engineering Month, we will highlight our organization’s talent to inspire the next generation of innovators and aspiring engineers. Colleagues will share their stories, pathways to success, and what ultimately led them to an impressive and impactful career.

Starting a new job is naturally an exciting and challenging time for anyone, but Benoit Vermette found himself in a particularly interesting new hire situation last year. 

He joined us as one of the first colleagues at our new Centre of Excellence for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems in Sherbrooke, Québec. Having learned about General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada and this new venture at a recruitment event while studying at the Université de Sherbrooke, he saw an opportunity to not only join a world-leading defence organization, but to work in an innovative area of the rich aerospace and technology sector. 

When he was hired, we had not yet opened the doors of our new office. Benoit describes those first few months as very exciting, explaining, “There were a lot of responsibilities from day one. Once we secured a building, we needed a lab to work and we aren’t lab or network technicians – or really even IT-skilled – and so we developed the labs with a lot of remote support from colleagues in Ottawa. We also had the opportunity to visit our partners for integration trips. It’s the kind of experiences you don’t usually have fresh out of school." 

Another aspect of his role that is not typically expected of recent graduates is the opportunity to help onboard new team members. While he was one of the first, the team is now 20 colleagues strong spread out across Ottawa, Montreal, and Sherbrooke: “There’s a bit of a teaching role; providing training and supporting them.”

Teaching and coaching others is something that Benoit comes by honestly. His father – an Electrical Engineer who taught Electronics at a local college – ignited his passion for working with computers. “When I was about six years old, my dad wanted to find something to keep me busy and have fun throughout our summers off. He had a bunch of computers laying around that were either broken or not working correctly and I was fascinated by what changed when I removed one piece of the hardware or reinstalled windows. That was the beginning of everything. I started coding around the age of 10, working with small robots to make them go forwards and backwards.”

Benoit’s curiosity and interest only grew from there and eventually solidified his decision to pursue Computer Science in college and move into Engineering in university.

“It is part of the culture of engineering to not just find a solution, but to take time to find the best solution for the problem you’re solving. That’s how we bring value to this environment,” he explains.

Outside of his role with us, Benoit is a big music fan and plays the guitar. He is practically buzzing when he tells us that he is going to see The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, in concert which has long been on his bucket list. He’s also a big fan of football and Formula 1 racing and a self-professed geek. “Working here is not just work for me, it’s a passion,” he proudly shares.

And that passion is something that he describes as integral to have a successful career in engineering: “You have to love what you do; that should be the only reason you go through engineering. Without passion, I wouldn’t have finished this degree. I worked so hard to get where I am today and it’s all been driven by the passion I have for computers and software.”