Ethan Lawson 

Reflection Paper 1 

05/28/2025 

ODU Summer 2025, CRN 35529 

Professor Teresa Duvall 

Southwest Virginia Community College 

Internship Reflection Paper  

First 50 Hours 

Working as an IT helpdesk technician for the first 50 hours has given me new insight into troubleshooting, maintenance, and customer support. My duties can vary drastically because our smaller IT department tackles any technical problems that arise, and we assist each other when needed. Our team includes a network administrator, database administrator, 2 help desk technicians, help desk manager, internet security officer, and IT manager. Each member has unique skills and knowledge that help us solve any difficult or new issue within our bounds through collaboration. Fellow employees and students alike can call, meet in person, or create a ticket if help is needed. Also, there are multiple Southwest Virginia Community College off-site locations that we offer support to and occasionally visit. Part of my duties is manning the customer support line to assist students with any technical issues. Most of the time, it’s new or returning students having trouble accessing their accounts. Through my own Southwest account, I can update their contact information, password, and authentication methods, one of which is typically the culprit.  

The value of establishing professional connections, determining priority, and remediating issues efficiently are the most important things I have learned. Our main campus is relatively small, employing around one hundred faculty and staff. Given our size, it is plausible to form strong bonds with many of my fellow employees over these 300 hours. There seems to be a handful of people who need assistance regularly due to a lack of digital literacy. Helping them effectively and politely ensures they are not hesitant to reach out when they experience a technical problem.  It is beneficial to walk them through the steps you used to resolve their issue. This improves their troubleshooting skills when they run into the same issue, so they are not dependent on you for small things. I’ve noticed that the workload has increased drastically as the start of the summer semester approaches. With the increase in tickets, calls, and in person meetings, it is crucial to create a list of priorities. The two highest things on my list of priorities are ensuring that students have the access they need to complete work and that employees can complete assigned responsibilities. It is important to take advantage of free time by maintaining digital devices, updating operating systems, applications, inventory, accounts, tickets, documentation, and providing follow-ups. 

In addition to work, I am creating a professional network, learning the inner workings and politics of Southwest Virginia Community College, developing technical skills across a wide range of software and hardware, improving customer service skills, and submerging myself in the latest industry advancements. We have weekly tech meetups to discuss significant or recurring issues and decide on the best course of action. These meetings create an opportunity to receive insightful feedback on any questions or concerns regarding recent developments. Collaborating with other departments has introduced me to the organizational culture and helped me gain a better understanding of their inner workings. For example, we work closely with the admissions office to assist new students with navigating Canvas and getting logged in. My troubleshooting skills have increased dramatically by being introduced to a wide range of issues involving printers, computers, phones, projectors, and specific applications. I have learned how IT managers must establish relationships with vendors to solve any issues that might arise with loaned equipment or software efficiently to ensure business operations are not impacted. Ultimately, the IT department as a whole plays a pivotal role in not only maintaining daily operations, but also in fostering a reliable technological environment for the entire organization.  

Overall, the first 50 hours were a highly rewarding and insightful experience. I have been exposed to both the interpersonal and technical aspects of this role, which has helped me refine my skills and adapt quickly depending on the issues at hand. I have already made steps towards meeting learning objectives such as strengthening professional communication and documentation practices, developing technical skills in troubleshooting hardware/software, participating in routine system upgrades and IT operations, and transferring what I learn from my classes to the real-world. However, I have had some challenges with helping individuals with low digital literacy, especially over the phone. It has also been difficult familiarizing myself with all the different hardware, software, and procedures that this organization has. I am excited to continuously improve my skills and knowledge through these foundational hours. Furthermore, I am slowly integrating myself into this dependable team, who have been extremely welcoming and helpful when I run into a problem that is over my head. So far, my favorite projects have been preparing computers using a PXE boot server and configuring a switch, so the ports access different VLANs.