Much has been written about software engineering programs from the viewpoint of the academician, but do these programs really reflect the needs of industry? This paper provides some insight into the needs of practicing software engineers at Texas Instruments who are developing software according to military specifications and requirements for embedded real-time systems. The needs of our environment are compared to the entering skills of a typical new-hire, with the differences noted. These differences can be satisfied by internal training that covers all aspects of software engineering, from communicating with co-workers to understanding the system life cycle.