How This Bootcamp Grad Jump-Started His Engineering Career in Just 10 Weeks
Adam Lazar went from manufacturing parts at an avionics company to working for a cutting-edge space and defense technology company with the help of CNM Ingenuity’s Internet of Things bootcamp
How do scientists, researchers, and technology companies know how different objects will respond once they’re in space? It’s a question Adam Lazar, a graduate of CNM Ingenuity’s Internet of Things (IoT) bootcamp, works on every day as an engineering intern at Redwire, a space and defense technology company.
“To create an accurate physical simulation of how things will deploy in space requires 3D printing, coding, sensors, and computer-aided design (CAD), and I learned how to do all of those things in the bootcamp,” Adam says.
Before enrolling in the IoT bootcamp, Adam was a technician at an avionics company and was enrolled in a few CNM classes. In 2023, he was encouraged by Nora Mendoza, an Academic Affairs program manager at CNM, to participate in the STEM Summer Bridge program. The intensive three-week program gives students the chance to explore different areas of engineering.
His cohort participated in a mini version of the IoT bootcamp. By the second day, he was ready to enroll in the full 10-week version.
In the bootcamp, Adam learned about 3D modeling, rapid prototyping, coding, smart sensors, and circuit design. For him, the bootcamp paired his interest in engineering with practical skills to turn ideas into working prototypes.
“I’ve always had an interest in mechanical things and a good intuition for how they work, but I didn’t have the software or coding knowledge,” he says. “The bootcamp brought those pieces together for me and now I can design, code, and prototype ideas from start to finish.”
Every Friday during the bootcamp, Adam and his classmates also heard from local employers about relevant career opportunities in Albuquerque. That’s where Adam met Chuck Sullivan, Redwire’s senior robotics engineer, who encouraged him to apply to the company’s internship program.
Shortly after graduating from the bootcamp, Adam was hired as a paid engineering intern.
“I didn’t know any of the skills I learned in the bootcamp beforehand, and in just 10 weeks I left with the knowledge, resources, and confidence to land an internship and find a viable career option right here in Albuquerque,” he says.
Adam has been working at Redwire since 2024 and hopes to continue as a full-time engineer with the company after his internship. He will also graduate from UNM with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in fall 2027.