There are few things better than hands-on experience in the subject matter you have been studying in theory for 3 years, I got this and more with my time at IT.ie

I started with IT.ie back in January on an internship as part of my degree (BSc in Computing in NCI) and was immediately learning on the job. There was a massive mindset change from the very academic, focused and more streamlined nature of college to the practical and dynamic nature of working in IT.ie. I enjoyed this (along with the free coffee) immensely, the idea of being trusted to do the work while also being able to ask for guidance and it being available from any member of the team was perfect for me. 

I was readily able to apply many of the skills I learned in college to my role, as the emphasis put on team projects throughout my 3 years made collaboration in the workplace much easier and natural to me. The many modules I had studied came into play, including Advanced Databases when dealing with client SQL servers and backups and Web App Development when dealing with DNS records and hosting panels. Not forgetting the wealth of programming modules which helped me create scripts.

When I joined in January the team was in the middle of a massive project, I believe one of the biggest undertakings to date. It included preparation and installation of laptops, firewalls and other networking solutions for a client with a nationwide presence. From day one the team could not have been more helpful, there was a good atmosphere about the place and everyone seemed to know what they were doing and as I learned later they did indeed know what they were talking about! Each person has their area of expertise on top of the basic troubleshooting skills and it made dealing with more complex issues a very collaborative effort. This baptism by fire, as I would call it, made every task and challenge from then on seem doable… given enough time and a few questions to the lads. 

There was plenty of variety in the job dealing with clients in nearly every sector including engineering, construction, finance and healthcare to name but a few. This brings with it a wide range of hardware and software needs, all of which I became more familiar with over the past few months. The people I dealt with were just as varied and were a pleasure to deal with throughout. Building a good rapport with many of the clients was definitely a highlight of the job. 

Following my internship, I will be going into my final year in which I will be specialising in Cybersecurity (which I will hopefully be getting a 1:1 in 😊). This choice was absolutely leveraged by my experience on the job. Seeing how many threats businesses face on a daily basis, from generic spam emails to spear-phishing attempts made me realise that many of these threats can, unfortunately, be effective against any organisation, big or small. Learning the measures, we took on behalf of the clients behind the scenes to secure their data was a real eye-opener and gave me plenty of ideas for my final year project!

It has been an incredibly enjoyable and interesting few months and I would like to thank everyone who has played a part in my learning journey. All the staff at IT.ie, the clients who I dealt with over my time and last but not at all least, NCI for integrating an Internship program into the course.