As this internship is getting close to the end, I have been reflecting and trying to observe the possible levels of advancement within my workplace. There are a couple different contracted groups that work side by side in the helpdesk environment that I work in. They have similar levels of advancement but my current company Apex does not have room to advance or be promoted. One of the other sub-contractor groups SAIC has some slight advancement opportunities. 

There are two positions, a Tech lead position and an OST (operation support tech) position. The tech lead requires that you have some experience in the field and that you have been adequately trained and experienced in most, if not all, types of calls and queues that we can come across. In addition to having at least one CompTIA cert and a high school diploma, the tech lead does have some introductory training before going into on-the-job training. Those in the position ensure that the technicians at my level are following the correct procedure and help guide us to the right troubleshooting path if we are truly stuck. The OST position is a step higher than the tech lead and deals with assisting more broad issues.  For example, they assist with picture issues such as command or base wide outages for power or connectivity. Additional duties for the OST position include looking at call volume and trends of the issues reported, reporting outages and make reports, handling scheduling, and doing troubleshooting ticket dives for any inconsistencies or issues that have new solutions. OST position requires the same level of qualifications as the tech lead with the additional preferred qualifications such as 1 year of experience in the field or more. While these are very helpful positions within the helpdesk environment, they are not positions in the same direction as the route I am pursuing. My goal is to secure a position as a security system analyst. Unfortunately, as of right now, there are no openings or advancement spots to get me closer to this end career goal that I know of. While the positions of OST and tech lead are still relevant to security and ensuring things are handled in a specific way, they do not lend any assistance or levels of experience to what I am ultimately trying to achieve. I am currently researching other possible internships and jobs within the cybersecurity field more suited toward my niche of interest to see what requirements are needed. This will help me structure my path in the most optimal way. Although this internship is not within my direct career path, it has helped me to shape and navigate the path I am trying to take in my career and helps me to narrow down opportunities to what best suits my goals and interest within cyber security.