TECH Internship

This summer I was one of 12 students selected for an internship at Information Technology Services (ITS), a non-profit organization that monitors and supervises the entire Miami-Dade county public school system. Miami-Dade county is the fourth largest county in the U.S., with over 400 schools, so it was very cool to be one of the few chosen to participate in the internship program.
For the summer, each student intern was paired with an ITS technologist from that region. We accompanied our tech on visits to schools to help them with their computer problems. It’s amazing how many issues teachers and students have with technology!
However, this summer program wasn’t just about troubleshooting – we also got to experience how technology works in the real world. I know it may sound crazy, but I have only read books and seen pictures of certain devices like routers, switches, servers, etc., but it’s completely different when you see them implemented in the real world. I had the chance to do hands-on work, like taking apart a whole computer lab and reassembling it with more cable drops and new equipment. My overall experience in the nternship was phenomenal because it opened my eyes to the IT field. 
One thing I noticed in this internship was the lack of women in the field – it’s one thing to be told this, but it’s different when you actually witness it. I was shocked, but I noticed the women that were involved in this field were either bosses or known as one of the best school techs. It’s nice to see that women are slowly making a difference.