Computer Technologies Program The Bridge to a Career
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By Joshua Yates, CTP Computer Technician Training Graduate
Earlier this year I completed my classroom training in CTP’s Computer Technician Training (CTT) program. As part of my training, I had to work with a company for some time in order to get hands on work experience. My externship took place at Eden I&R, a local non-profit that helps connect people to community resources.
My experience with Eden I&R was extremely positive. Although it did not begin smoothly, overall it was a great opportunity to learn more about working in the IT industry.
I started the externship not knowing exactly where to start, however, once I was given my first few projects, I had plenty to focus on throughout the work days, and I was able to put all of my energy into completing the tasks at hand once I knew what to do.
Customer facing was a new idea for me, but my past in retail made it easier to pick up. I was able to draw on information from a video I watched in CTP’s Computer Skills Bootcamp class that touched on the concept of communicating with customers. Customer facing, in my words, would be the method of building rapport with the other person while offering support. An example of this would be verbally assuring the client of each step you take while troubleshooting.
My responsibilities at Eden I&R included some troubleshooting instances, for which my CTP training came in handy. I set up a new LaserJet printer and successfully connected it to the local network, labeled many devices with important information, and helped my coworkers with any software or hardware issues that arose.
Adding a printer to a local network was something I was already familiar with, thanks to my CTP training. I even created a plan to move forward with a device replacement project, for which I received a lot of good feedback. Near the end of my externship, I worked on the technical aspects of a disaster preparedness project, which involved a lot of research on electrical generators.
Overall, I really feel like I became a member of the Eden I&R team, and would love to find work there. The experience will benefit me greatly in my pursuit of a career in IT, and my training at CTP is a large part of what made this such a success.
