Who did you deal with in your day-to-day activity? Customers? Vendors? People in other departments of your company? How much of your time was spent with other people, either informally or in meetings?
I spent a lot of time with Honeywell contractors and Marathon employees outside of the IT department. I also attended weekly IT staff meetings where we discussed current projects and issues.
What technology did you work with? Mention both hardware and software. Include network components (routers, PBXs) and tools (sniffers, management tools, office applications).
The hardware I worked with included Cisco switches, Dell Servers, Dell PCs, Black Box Kernel based Virtual Machine, and EMC Storage devices. Software tools that I used included Solarwinds, ActiveBatch, Visio, Tree Size Professional, Putty, Active Directory, and Excel.
What certifications, if any, do you hold? Working/planning any? Are they vendor-specific (e.g. CCNA) or general (e.g. PMP)? Any advice for students here?
I currently do not have any certifications, but I am planning to get my CCNA certification. I would advise ITS students to get their CCNA certification because it corresponds well with the type of work we encounter in our field.
What about grad school? Have you entered, considered, wished, or whatever grad school? In what?
I haven’t considered grad school up to this point, but I can imagine that it will undoubtedly be a possibility in my future.
What was your office environment like? Cube farm? Data center? Work at home? Downtown, suburbs? How did you dress (professional, casual, grungy)? Big building or relatively small?
The building I worked in was relatively small and the environment was similar to a data center. There were two server rooms where we spent most of our time and everyone had separate offices. Dress was business casual.
How did you get this internship?
I received my internship opportunity by going to the Fall Career Fair and talking with the Marathon representatives. We met the following day for an interview, and approximately two weeks later I received my offer.
What are your long-term career goals?
My long-term goals include becoming a network administrator and eventually a project manager. My internship helped me realize that I would like to become a project manager in my future.
What courses helped more than you thought they would? What do you wish you’d taken?
ITS 220 and 230 helped give me a basis for my understanding and thoughts on the different projects I was assigned. I wish I had taken ITS 330 and a few electives prior to my internship just to give me more technical background.
Any advice for next year’s interns?
Communication is a big part of success during your internship. Check with your internship supervisor or mentor on your performance and suggestions for improvements half way and during review. Learn to speak in a professional setting and formulate ways to communicate your ideas and achievements.
Any general advice for ITS students who may find this internship interesting?
Talk to Marathon representatives at the Career Fair and give them your résumé. They have a large interest in ITS students and are a great company to intern with.
Please email Phil Campbell – campbelp@ohio.edu – with any questions.
