Ethan Lawson 

Reflection Paper 6 

07/31/2025 

ODU Summer 2025, CRN 35529 

Professor Teresa Duvall 

Southwest Virginia Community College 

Internship Paper Reflection 6 

Sixth 50 Hours 

This position has provided a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the infrastructure and support that an organization depends on. This sort of insight is something that I can carry over to any tech position I hold in the future. I have spoken with our network administrator about how domains, email servers, print servers, PXE servers, switches, wireless access points, virtual machines, and VLANS, which Southwest Virginia Community College relies on daily for smooth operation. I can now identify when an issue is beyond our scope, so I don’t waste time trying to fix the impossible. It’s crucial to know when to voice such concerns to my manager so that he can contact the other companies whose software we’re using if he comes to the same conclusion. Sometimes they offer a fix right away because others have had the problem, or they will create a ticket for further examination. For example, just this week, almost all of our faculty and staff encountered an issue with Adobe Creative Cloud, which appeared to be a licensing issue at first glance. Luckily, when my manager called them the next day, they offered us an executable meant to clean all the Adobe products on the computer via the command line. I used my escalated permissions to access the storage of other users’ devices and added the cleaning executable. I used Quick Assist to remotely control their device and followed the steps via command line, and it fixed almost every device. I’m not sure what caused this issue on Adobe’s side, but the experience I’ve gained throughout this internship allowed me to confidently hypothesize about the root cause.   

One of the most important things I have learned from this internship is to empathize and communicate clearly with those you help. I’ve been lucky not to run into too many vocally hostile individuals over the phone or in person. However, there have been a few that make it extremely difficult to remain professional. I find it best to remain empathetic towards them and give reassurance that it will get solved, even if the issue is outside of my duties. I can’t afford to get snide back, which would reflect poorly on my department and organization or put my position in jeopardy. Clear communication is also important to avoid spreading misinformation and recurring issues with the same individual. Telling them wrong, even by accident, can lead to awkward scenarios in the future or push the issue on coworkers.   

In addition to work-related tasks, I have gained the confidence to take the initiative in many situations. Doing things in advance or without being told makes you almost irreplaceable and makes coworkers grateful you’re around. Most of the time, my tasks come directly from my manager, whether it’s setting up computers, updating software, or checking out a lab where half the computers stopped working. However, there are many tasks like removing outdated equipment or handling any tickets and phone calls that come in that I can do without being told. Taking care of these tasks frees up my to-do list and helps me build rapport with my coworkers. It alleviates some of their duties, builds trust, and shows that I’m capable of dealing with more advanced technical issues. Initiative is a requirement in this field to keep updated on the latest developments.   

In conclusion, this internship has given me the skills necessary not only to get a job in the tech industry but also to thrive in it. I have gained hands-on experience with complex systems and have a deeper understanding of what is technologically needed to keep a contemporary organization running. In addition to the technical experience, I have learned the importance of clear communication, empathy, and taking initiative. I’m more confident in my abilities and excited to apply them to future endeavors in the field. I wasn’t expecting an internship to give me such confidence in a technological environment or teach such valuable troubleshooting skills.