Cybersecurity Internship

Journal Review 1

The beginning of this internship started with a period of training that consisted of about two – three weeks. It started with doing training modules on their WordPress training site. It was quite detailed and took about 4 days of training to complete it in its entirety. The training site went over the major services that we would be using and how to use them. The same days that I was working on the training website, I would also go over other things like problem solving steps and procedures and applied these steps and procedures to solve certain mock scenarios of problems that might occur in the helpdesk. Towards the end of completing the modules on the training website, I started to shadow one of the student leads to see the process that they go through when completing tickets and answering calls. After a couple days of Shadowing one of the leads, I was tasked with completing any of the password resets that he would get on his computer. This was the first time that I had answered calls and was a good learning experience to learn how to converse on the phone clearly and give instructions so that someone could be able to reset their password. After continuing to shadow the student lead and do password resets for a couple more days, I progressed to logging in on my own computer and shadowing another student lead via a zoom call and completing the password reset tickets from scratch within service now. If there was any password reset ticket in the que, I was assigned to responding to them and give them the instructions they need to complete so that we could perform the admin password reset for them. I was also tasked with shadowing people with the walk-ins so I could learn this process. After a couple more days of this I progress to taking calls as well as performing the password resets. This was different than just calling to perform password resets because it involved a lot more problem solving due to the variety of the different reasons people could be calling for. This was the first time that the training I received was first truly put to the test. It was a good amount of learning on the go when it came to taking these calls and trying to assist the callers in the issues that they had. The training can only teach you so much, and the rest you have to kind of learn as you go and use your problem-solving skills. At first, I would need to ask the caller to hold as I ask my super visor for assistance on solving their issue and what exactly I should do in this regard but as I continued to answer more calls it became easier to ask for help less and rely on my own problem-solving skills to assist the callers. I was also tasked with assisting the walk-ins that we had when I could at this time and found that shadowing previously had really helped. After a couple days of answering calls and performing password resets, I was tasked with answering the tickets in service now and asking questions if I had any. I would share my screen via a zoom call with one of the student leads and they would make sure that I completed the ticket correctly. I feel that this helped a lot in me trying to do it on my own but not being too worried about making mistakes because I could ask questions and had someone making sure I was doing it right. After a few days of this I then progressed to logging into the computers at the helpdesk but was still allowed to ask questions freely. After a couple days in this staged I was told to try and figure things out more on my own via the one note that had a lot of valuable info need but If there was anything that I still couldn’t figure out I could still ask my super visor for assistance.

 

Journal Review 2

            In continuation from the last review, I left off with talk about how I was told to try and figure out things on my own by using OneNote and if I’m still unable to figure out the issue then I can ask my supervisor for assistance. Since the writing of that statement, some things have changed. One of them being that instead of OneNote we are encouraged to use the service now database that they have been working on. I found it to be convenient and cool in some instances, but it was more of a burden or simply lacked the information I was looking for, so I found myself still using OneNote at times. Some of the higherups that are working on building the database did ask that we flag some incidents so that they can add them to the database and make it more useful. Other than the change from OneNote to the service now database, some other changes are that I find myself to be asking significantly less questions than before and in general can figure out most issues. Of course, there are still some cases where I need the opinion of a supervisor to either verify what I was thinking or to just help in general. When it comes how the relationships amongst coworkers, I feel that I have built some good relationships where we talk about more than just work and I enjoy the overall atmosphere of the helpdesk. My supervisor was even understanding and allowed me to get off 15 minutes early for a pretty important personal matter. There continues to be those that are easy to help and those that are more difficult to help, yet I really do not appreciate when some people decide to take out their frustrations on us and be rude, but we still have to maintain a respectful attitude and provide the best possible customer experience.

Journal Review 3

In further continuation from reflection paper 2, there continues to be challenges with people not being tech savvy, which is quite frustrating, but it is part of the job essentially. As I continue to assist those at ODU with their technological issues to the best of my ability, I find myself being more and more self sufficient and making less mistakes regarding when I make tickets for the certain incidents. As the days go on, it seems that with me gaining more and more knowledge I am even able to give input on certain issues that other coworkers of mine may have to help them, even if they are more tenured than me. There are times when they ask me for assistance. I find joy and pride in that because it feels as if I am doing a good job and can be relied upon. I was also one of the workers that was able to work from home on election day which feels as if they have more trust in the individuals that they selected to do that. I feel that my comfortability on the phone and overall communications skills have improved; especially in regard to helping to walk people through steps to solve an issue. There isn’t much of a difference in what I do compared to the last reflection paper but more so just a lot of the same issues with the occasional unique issue that requires more troubleshooting or just coming to the realization that we can’t do anything on our end at the helpdesk and reassign the ticket/issue to the proper group that can help. Especially when there is a major incident such as Wi-Fi issues, it consists of a lot of “letting people know that there is an issue, and that the ODU is working on it” and then assigning the ticket to the group that is working on the issue.

Final Paper

Introduction

            The internship that I chose was within the helpdesk type of job at ODU’s ITS helpdesk. One of the main factors in me trying to do this specific internship is the fact that it is at ODU which greatly helps in regard to incorporating its schedule with my school schedule; the commute also was a big bonus. One thing I had hoped to gain from this internship aka “learning objective” was to gain more experience within the IT field so that I could have a better understanding and add it to my resume. In general, I also find technology very interesting which is a big reason as to why I chose cybersecurity as my major. Another learning objective that I had was to work on and improve my communication skills, whether it’s on the phone, via email, or in person. My third learning goal that I had wanted to achieve from this internship was to improve my problem-solving skills, which I believe would greatly help me in my future endeavors. My belief was that this internship would benefit me and improve certain skills of mine that would be directly applicable to future jobs of mine.

Beginning of Internship

            Old Dominion University is the organization that my internship is part of and more specifically, the ITS Helpdesk. The mission statement of ODU’s ITS department is to engage the University as a trusted and enabling partner, delivering innovative, modern, and customer-focused solutions, services, and support that align with university strategy, goals, and priorities. Essentially, the main service being provided by the ITS Helpdesk is to help with certain technical issues that people associated with ODU may encounter and if we cannot fix it on our end then we assign it to the proper group that can resolve the issue. The beginning of the internship started with the initial one-hour orientation which was to just familiarize me with the basics of the job, what’s expected, how the training will go, a tour of the office/building, and if I had any questions, it was the time to ask. Initially it seemed as if the workplace environment was quiet and you were to yourself, at least that is how it seemed after the very first and brief day of orientation. During that orientation, I also got to go over my class schedule and figure out which days and times would work best for my roughly three weeks of training. Due to my schedule, we found that Monday through Thursday before my class worked best for both me and the staff at the helpdesk to facilitate my training. After that, I started my three-week training with doing training modules on their WordPress training site. It was quite detailed and took about 4 days of training to complete it in its entirety. The training site went over the major services that we would be using and how to use them. The same days that I was working on the training website, I would also go over other things like problem solving steps and procedures and applied these steps and procedures to solve certain mock scenarios of problems that might occur in the helpdesk. Towards the end of completing the modules on the training website, I started to shadow one of the student leads to see the process that they go through when completing tickets and answering calls. After a couple days of Shadowing one of the leads, I was tasked with completing any of the password resets that he would get on his computer. This was the first time that I had answered calls and was a good learning experience to learn how to converse on the phone clearly and give instructions so that someone could be able to reset their password. After continuing to shadow the student lead and do password resets for a couple more days, I progressed to logging in on my own computer and shadowing another student lead via a zoom call and completing the password reset tickets from scratch within service now. If there was any password reset ticket in the que, I was assigned to responding to them and give them the instructions they need to complete so that we could perform the admin password reset for them. I was also tasked with shadowing people with the walk-ins so I could learn this process. After a couple more days of this I progress to taking calls as well as performing the password resets. This was different than just calling to perform password resets because it involved a lot more problem solving due to the variety of the different reasons people could be calling for. This was the first time that the training I received was first truly put to the test. It was a good amount of learning on the go when it came to taking these calls and trying to assist the callers in the issues that they had. The training can only teach you so much, and the rest you have to kind of learn as you go and use your problem-solving skills. At first, I would need to ask the caller to hold as I ask my super visor for assistance on solving their issue and what exactly I should do in this regard but as I continued to answer more calls it became easier to ask for help less and rely on my own problem-solving skills to assist the callers. I was also tasked with assisting the walk-ins that we had when I could at this time and found that shadowing previously had really helped. After a couple days of answering calls and performing password resets, I was tasked with answering the tickets in service now and asking questions if I had any. I would share my screen via a zoom call with one of the student leads and they would make sure that I completed the ticket correctly. I feel that this helped a lot in me trying to do it on my own but not being too worried about making mistakes because I could ask questions and had someone making sure I was doing it right. After a few days of this I then progressed to logging into the computers at the helpdesk but was still allowed to ask questions freely. After a couple days in this staged I was told to try and figure things out more on my own via the one note that had a lot of valuable info need but if there was anything that I still couldn’t figure out I could still ask my super visor for assistance.

Management Environment

            Regarding the management environment of the internship, I found that it was a very open and short of friendly space that encouraged a friendly discourse among the staff. My boss, Stefan, was always helpful and glad to answer any questions I may have if it wasn’t too basic or something he felt that I could figure out on my own. I was reminded once in the transition stage of my training to the actual front desk computers, that I should look at the one note first before asking questions to try and figure it out on my own. This sort of constructive criticism was something I appreciated because that is something that I feel helps me improve. Other than that Stefan sort of is there as someone that makes sure the front desk is running smoothly so if we are talking too much and there are tickets in the que then he’d remind us about the tickets so that we can focus quick and get those done. He doesn’t mind if we kind of goof off and talk if there aren’t any tickets that can be completed. Eddie is kind of like Stefan’s assistant, and he pretty much does most of what Stefan does too. Cliff is the actual manager of the ITS helpdesk, and we don’t really see him much besides the occasional check-ins that he does or if we are too off task and there are tickets building up then he would come out and sternly tell us to stop goofing off and work on the tickets. Other times he’d remind us that without us, the ITS help desk couldn’t do what it does, and he’s even gifted us garlic knots before which was much appreciated. I felt like the overall management at the ITS helpdesk was a healthy mix of discipline and freedom that promoted a healthy working environment to allow us workers to do the best job we can without feeling too stressed with management breathing down our necks.

Major Work Duties

            A day on the job as an ITS helpdesk employee looks like this, you come in and login at one of the available computers. You firstly login to the desktop 8×8 application, then proceed to login to service now, 8×8, and midas.odu.edu on a browser, I choose chrome. After everything is logged in and running, I am ready to accept calls and start responding to tickets if there are any. Some days I will immediately get a call and or there will be a lot of tickets in the bucket. Other days it is less busy, and we can relax a bit more. When answering an 8×8 phone call, we start with “This is the ITS Helpdesk, how can I help you?”. Then after the caller specifies their issue we try and troubleshoot their issue to the best of our ability. If we are able to solve their issue, we give them the steps to do so, if not then we let them know that we will create ticket for them to the department that will actually be able to assist them with their problem. Even if we can give them steps to solving the issue, we still are supposed to create a ticket for them. When filling out a ticket, we start by asking for the callers UIN, and then we enter it into the caller field of the ticket. After that, we fill out the short description with what the issue was, and then the normal description with what the issue was and what steps I went through to solve the issue. After that, we fill out the work notes with the steps that were taken to solve the issue. In the “additional comments” that are visible to the customer we would either use the “happy to help” template or a template that is for the issue that we might have helped them with. For example, if it was a user SMS reactivation, I would use the “user SMS reactivation” template and add my own happy to help line in the additional comments section. After that we then change the classification tab and change the category and configuration item to the correct things. Lastly, I change the assignment group, channel, and state to the correct fields. We do the same troubleshooting process when trying to complete tickets that are in service now. Some of the tickets are easy, if they have “WSP” then we just use the “Web content support” template which automatically fills out all the required categories for us. If the ticket is an incoming spam, then there is also a template that we can use for that. Another duty that we are tasked with is assisting any walk-ins that we may have. Walk-ins take the second highest priority, following the hotline phone. When it comes to the procedure for assisting any walk-ins, we just troubleshoot the issue and if it is a matter of working on their personal device then we must have them fill out a non-liability form so that they can not blame us if anything goes wrong on their device while we try and fix the issue. After we resolve their issue, we are still required to make a ticket in service now explain what we did and most the time will be saying “happy to help”. Anytime we receive a hotline phone call, someone is supposed to answer within one ring. If we answer then we essentially answer the same way that we would a normal 8×8 call but we will need to write down the issue, room number and Midas number for whoever is calling so that we know what to say and what room to tell ITS classrooms when we radio in the issue. After we radio in the problem to ITS classrooms, we are still required to create a ticket for it in ServiceNow. There is, however, a template for hotline calls which makes it easier; we just need to modify it with the issue and room number of the specific hotline call along with the UIN of the caller. Answering tickets in ServiceNow, answering calls from 8×8, and making tickets for those, helping with walk-ins and making tickets for them, and answering the hotline phone, radioing it in and making a ticket for it too are all the main jobs that make up the role of an ITS helpdesk worker. The completion of these tasks in the proper way is essential to making sure that the ITS helpdesk runs smoothly. If one person is either doing things wrong or not at all then there would be a build up of tickets on the bucket that we are not supposed to let happen too much. It can be felt if we are short-staffed by the frequency of calls, we each get and the number of tickets that might be sitting in the bucket at any time. If it wasn’t for the ITS helpdesk, then ODU University would be plagued with various issues. We are the intermediaries that make sure the more technical issues are assigned to the proper departments so that they can get solved. If it wasn’t for us, then it would be a chaos filled environment for the rest of the departments with many people likely assigning the tickets to the wrong department which would cause huge delays. Without us, most things would not function the way that they should, and people would be left to fend for themselves.

IT and Cybersecurity Skills

            Within this internship I found that certain background information of cybersecurity/Information technology were used/beneficial with being able to have a general understanding of certain issues that might arise and be able to better understand how to solve them. For example, when it came to the two-factor authentication, I understood exactly why the university was requiring people to use it now and I also understood the general reason as to why people are required to create a new password every 6 months. My knowledge of networking also benefited me with being able to understand that some people’s issues are related to their internet jack. My cybersecurity knowledge also helped me with being able to explain to people about phishing attempts they might have or certain pops ups that they have and not to click them. This job also exposed me to more phishing attempt which has a direct relationship with that of cybersecurity. We would receive a lot of “incoming spam” tickets that would often be phishing attempts sent to the university or just be advertisements. We would also have people forward emails that they suspected to be phishing attempts which helped as a way for me to be able to better spot phishing attempts. Some phishing attempts that I’ve seen since starting this internship have been pretty detailed an elaborate with them even making their email address “ITShelpdesk@gmail.com“, which would likely fool many people.  Following this internship, I have been exposed to a plethora of different IT related issues and can more easily decern what kind of issues certain issues are and what departments they should be assigned to. My cybersecurity knowledge was also broadened with being exposed to real world phishing attempts on the university and its students/staff.

ODU Curriculums Help

            I would say that the ODU curriculum did somewhat prepare me for the internship by introducing to basic networking principles, cybersecurity principles, and by making sure we take writing intensive courses so that we know how to effectively communicate through our words. The networking concepts that were taught to us helped to build the base knowledge regarding IT issues so that some of these issues were not totally foreign to me and made things easier to understand. The principles of cybersecurity that we are given through the curriculum help in regard to understanding why we do certain things the way we do at this university and just help us to be more secure as employees with increased access over the average ODU affiliated individual. I found that learning how to write concisely yet still be able to get my point across has benefited me greatly when it came to explaining things to people and what they should do to solve some of their issues. Learning to do this when writing also was able to be applied to when I spoke to people either on the phone or in person because I can explain things to people clearer. These experiences did reinforce the knowledge that I learned from school due to me seeing it working in the real world and its benefits firsthand. There were plenty of things that reviled new concepts to me that I had not previously been exposed to in my ODU curriculum. Most of the techniques that I haven’t encountered are in regard to the more specific technical issues that we might encounter like specific issues related to canvas or zoom.

Learning Outcomes Achieved

            The first learning objective that I had wanted to fulfil with this internship was to gain IT experience that I could add to my resume. I feel like the internship very much did satisfy this learning objective of mine by exposing me to how an IT helpdesk operates and how it efficiently solves problems or reassigned them to those that can. It also exposed me to many different IT and cybersecurity related things to broaden my understanding and knowledge in these fields. The next learning objective that I had with this internship was to work on and improve my communication skills on the phone, in person, or through writing. I do believe that this internship greatly helped when it came to the improvement of my communication skills in all those aspects of being that I must be able to effectively communicate with people that would walk into the office seeking help and directions, people over the phone and people via email. There were times when my patience was greatly tested with those that were not the most tech savvy, but I do believe that it benefited me in making sure that that when I would talk to them and give them direction that I told them in a wat that people with very minimal technical background in what we were trying to solve could understand. Lastly, the final learning objective that I had was to improve my problem-solving skills. Yet again, this internship did not disappoint and continues to test my problem-solving skills with novel issues that I may encounter each shift. Even initially in training I must go over the proper troubleshooting techniques to solve issues that I would encounter at the ITS helpdesk. Going over how to troubleshoot certain scenarios really just confirmed that I knew and was comfortable with he basics of troubleshoot/problem solving but as I was thrown in the fire I would find out that I still had plenty to learn. During the internship I discovered many different avenues to take in the troubleshooting process before I may have to reassign the issue to a different group or ask for the advice of one of my supervisors. Some of these avenues include the ServiceNow database, one note, google, or just looking up previous tickets with the same or similar issues to see how they were resolved.

Motivating Aspects

            After the completion of this internship, even though I will still be working there, I find myself with a sense of accomplishment and anticipation of what future endeavors I may have. The most exciting part of this internship was that it was my first taste of an IT related job which felt like a first steppingstone of sorts for my future career in cybersecurity and information technology. What was the most motivating from this internship experience would be the fact that I accomplished all my learning objectives and could even notice the difference and see myself improving in all the aspects that I listed. I even felt as if I was improving in other aspects such as being a leader at times when others may struggle It seems that more and more people feel like they can ask upon me for advice before they decide to ask our supervisor. I even found a time where I believe that I thought outside the box and was able to think of a solution that my supervisor didn’t think of at the time which was very motivating. Another thing that was very motivating would be when the people that we helped would be super thankful for our help, it would leave me with a sense of accomplishment and a feel-good feeling.

Discouraging Moments

            What I found to be the most discouraging at times would be the fact that sometimes you just will not be able to help people with the issues that they have and the most you can do is reassign their issue to the team that can do something about their issue. There would be times where I would field bad and wish that there was an immediate solution, I could give them. I would kind of feel as if there is only so much, I can truly do and find myself mostly just assigning things to other departments. I hope one day I can truly know and be able to help others even more but for now I can only help to the extent that I have the power to do.

Challenges

The most challenging or difficult aspects of the internship would have to be the difficulties of dealing with callers that are not tech savvy and make things difficult and or those that take their frustrations out on us. I find that those interactions with those that think they know more that us when they are clearly wrong or those that are just severely ignorant in the field of technology to be very soul irking.  The only think that balanced these interactions out was the fact that they did not happen too often, and most times people are very respectful, kind, and appreciative of the help we give.

Recommendations for Others

            Before starting this internship, I would recommend that you brush up on your problem-solving skills along with your communication skills. You will find it difficult to help people with their issues if you are not able to adapt and think on your feet so that you can think of solutions for the technical issues people may face. Something else you should work on before this internship is your patience. You will find your patience test a lot at times with the ignorance and lack of empathy from those who you are trying to help. You just need to be able to stay calm and relaxed while being able to convey in a way that people who are not technically savvy could most likely be able to understand and even then, be prepared for them to still be confused and have issues with what you think to be simple and basic things. When people are being rude to you, you will have to maintain the best customer service that you can without letting your emotions get out of check. It’s important to realize that the people are just taking their frustrations out on you and that it is not anything personal.

Conclusion

            Following the conclusion of this internship, I found that it was very beneficial to me both in a professional aspect but also on a personal level. When it comes to the benefits it had professionally it is pretty apparent that it had drastically improved my overall communication skills in all the different ways such as over the phone, in person, or through writing; it has also improved my overall professionalism along with my communicative skills. There has been a huge benefit to my ability to troubleshoot and solve problems in an efficient manner. Overall, I can add this experience to my resume and confidently state that I have garnered a fair amount of IT experience in regards how it operates in a helpdesk form. Now when it comes to how the internship has affected me on a personal level, I would say that with the overall development of my skills I have noticed that it has improved how I communicate with people in general and not just while I’m at the job. I also have noticed that the improvement of my problem solving had influenced the speed that I am able to solve issues that I may occur on my own time. Being able to solve problems quicker on my own time is very nice to say the least. The internship experience will continue to influence me during the remainder of my college experience in a few ways. One of those ways will be the fact that I will be able to communicate with my professors, classmates, and advisors more effectively and efficiently. The improvement of my problem-solving will helps me to be able to figure out any issues I might have with classes and classwork which will allow me to be an even better student. This internship has allowed me to get a foot in the door in the field of information technology which is what I want to pursue as a career in the future along with cybersecurity. This experience that I am getting will help me be more competitive when the search for my next cyber related or IT related job begins. Now I will be able to add the fact that I have worked in an IT helpdesk at a university. Now that I have experience with IT my next step will be to get experience with a cybersecurity specific job or internship.