Conner Burger – IT Internship

Last semester I had the opportunity to have an internship with the Garden Spot Technology Department in New Holland and within only a few weeks it has changed my view on the entire industry. When going through the process of getting all the paperwork in at the end of my junior year I expected the work to only consist of fixing computers. However, I was wrong; luckily that has kept me from getting bored. From the very first day, I learned more than I ever expected and was surprised at all we miss behind the scenes. Even within the few weeks, I picked up a few regular tasks, a handful of challenges, and some learning experiences.

In the first week, I was introduced to many basic tasks of the department. I was taught and expected to diagnose laptops for hard drive problems. This amazed because I did not know most laptops have diagnostic software built right in. As a guy who thought he knew everything about computers, this was the first time I realized I had much more to learn. Then, they began to add to these basic tasks with battery testing using the tech department’s method of running a video of a chimp until the laptop dies.  Over the next few weeks, I was tasked with getting thousands of dollars worth of decommissioned hardware ready for the tech sale. The process included updating every laptop to the latest version of windows and update the bios to the latest version. Then, I checked every laptop for the correct specifications. Finally, I cleaned the laptops, so the new owner gets a fresh laptop.

All of these tasks were completely new to me so there was a learning curve. The care of technology requires a great memory as important tools are hidden in the computer’s software. It quickly became frustrating for me to have to constantly ask my mentor where certain test software was located, such as the battery test. However, after a few days, I could quickly find everything that I needed. Furthermore, when taking damaged laptops apart to use for future repairs I unknowing and accidentally broke some connectors on the motherboard making them unusable. Luckily, before getting my hands on too many during an observation of my mentor he showed me the proper way to take them apart. The idea of trial and error has really been the best way to describe my learning with the tech department so far.

All in all, with a handful of tasks to keep me busy as of now my internship has brought lots of fun as well as some challenges. Now, I can see every day what it really is like to work in IT and I believe it is perfect for anyone interested in computers. Even for the technology wizards, the Technology Department will have at least something valuable to learn. The endeavor has been very fruitful for me so far and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the semester has in store.