Need Internship advice

[computater]

I'm planning on graduating this December with a Bachelors in Information Technology. Our program here is half business, so you could probably call it management information systems if you wanted to. I have recently begun a summer internship for the government, and although I'm not currently doing much, if any, IT related work (which I am supposed to be doing) I have a contact that has offered to put me in touch with someone from whatever area of IT that I'm interested in, and hopefully they'd be able to find stuff for me to help out with. Herein lies the problem, I'm not entirely sure what direction I want to go into because I don't know what all is out there.

Assuming I can at least get a little bit of hands on experience, what should I try to get experience with while I'm interning, and what jobs should I be looking at once I graduate? (I have a clearance if that makes a difference.) I'm just sort of lost I guess, since I haven't really had much hands on work so far in my program. (Just on the computer for the few C++ classes I took early on, a little sql, and data modeling, windows server 2k3, that type of stuff. I don't hold any certs and would like to stay away from them unless absolutely necessary. I'm just finishing 4+ years of school and have literally 0 free time right now.) Are there any particular areas that are in demand right now? I'm sure there are many jobs I would also like that I don't know exist, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I just want to make use of my time during my internship so that I can further network myself and get experience in at least one area of my choosing.

Thanks for reading I know it was sort of long.

 

[Boscoh]

What do you want to do? Do you want to be in management, or be implementing/supporting, or selling stuff?

Some of the things really in demand right now are: storage, voice and video over IP, security, mobile computing, and application and WAN optimization. Routing and switching will always be in demand.

If you got that internship specifically for hands-on with IT stuff, I'd go to your boss and ask them why you're not getting what you signed up for. They're not doing you any good if you aren't getting what you came on board for.

 

[computater]

Bump

 

[Orinthical]

Statistically, turnover in the IT field is five years. Most people will leave the field in five years unless they find their niche and are happy... this is why we're seeing a bit of a rebound now that the "You can make 65,000 right out of school!" folks are starting to filter out of the field.

So the "what do you want to do?" question is very valid. No insult intended but if you just got out of school with a bachelors in "IT" and don't have an idea of what's out there you -really- need to take issue with your school.

Here are a few of the primary fields to consider... Management, Networking, Helpdesk, Desktop Support, Server Support, Systems Engineering and IT Consulting.

Management? Scratch that without real-world experience. See IT Consulting.

Networking? This is infrastructure at its root level - planning and implementing the backbone which everything else rides upon. I think most people will agree that the planning is often more 'fun' than the implementing part and the day-to-day can get rather boring.

Helpdesk? I think we all know what a 'Helpdesk' is but for the purposes of this definition I'll say it's base-level phone support. Trying to solve problems using a quick-sheet of FAQ and then sending the calls to desktop support if you cannot solve them in X amount of time.

Desktop Support? This is the more advanced form or second/third level of 'Helpdesk' which usually requires demonstrated skills and some years of real-world experience.

Server Support? Generally considered level-one of the server side of things... handling day-to-day operations that have to do with the servers. i.e. creating accounts, verifiying anti-virus solutions, etc.

Systems Engineer? Generally considered the upper tier of the server side... handling the planning and implementation of the server/domain infrastructure and interfacing with the various other support teams to get the job done.

IT Consulting? Along with Management this is commonly viewed as one of the end-game paths someone who has risen through the ranks must choose. It generally requires alot of real-world experience not only with the technology itself but also with various situations which may arise.

Within the government though there are often several niches which may be ideal for you straight out of college... for instance the 'Computer Operator' title: these are people who typically work in the various NOC (Network Operations Center) environments and keep an eye on the systems twenty-four hours a day. Minimal experience is required as the monitoring itself is often scripted. If a server or connection goes down, you look at your list of contacts and call someone to fix it. The pay scale is generally low but it will give you something to do, expose you to various elements of IT and allow you to study for some certifications.

Other than that see if you can get into the Helpdesk at your location. Talk to the leads in those departments and see what they are looking for. Be confident and be prepared to demonstrate skills.

Other than that... ask specific questions... because I don't know how much more generic I can get.

 

[Boscoh]

Just a little addendum to the great post above...

The title "Systems Engineer" can also be used in reference to networking guys. Companies like Cisco and Juniper use the term (aka "SE") to refer to those in their organization who can sell, implement, and troubleshoot networks.