Riverside City College student Gilbert Murillo has been fascinated by technology since he was little. Since then, that passion has helped him explore his interest in studying Cybersecurity.
With the help of the Network Kinection team, Gilbert was recently able to get an internship with Keen IT Services. During his time with Keen IT Services, he's been able to grow into his role and learn valuable skills that will help him in the future as he continues in the cyber world.
In his own words, Gilbert shares what his internship experience has been like and the benefits of getting hands-on experience.
Hello, my name is Gilbert Murillo. I am currently studying at Riverside City College working on completing my associate degree in Cyber-Defense. As a child, I was always fascinated by computers and technology, but it wasn't until I found out that ethical hacking was a career that I found my true passion. When I learned that Riverside City College offered a certificate and degree program in Cybersecurity, I was immediately intrigued. What drew me to the program was the emphasis on hands-on training, which I believe is essential in preparing students for real-world challenges.
I was able to gain a solid foundation in the fundamentals of IT support, including network troubleshooting, hardware and software maintenance, and customer service.
I am currently working as an IT Support Technician at Keen IT Services as part of my internship. In this role, I am responsible for taking calls and working with the ticketing system to handle customer requests including technical support. One of the projects I worked on was onboarding a new client to our remote monitoring and management system, which required me to go onsite to ensure that all their devices were properly integrated with the agent and configured to meet our baseline checklist. Through my classwork, I was able to gain a solid foundation in the fundamentals of IT support, including network troubleshooting, hardware and software maintenance, and customer service. One struggle I faced was learning how to effectively multitask when a customer calls in requesting assistance while still in the process of learning. I was able to overcome it after learning from my coworkers the system they use to make this process smooth and organized. After implementing that routine, I did notice a drastic change in the way I handled incoming calls.
As to why this position is valuable to a future career, it provides an opportunity to gain real-world experience and develop essential skills that can't be taught in a classroom.
My advice to Riverside City College students that are interested in taking their first career-related opportunities is to not be scared to take the next step that will get their foot in the field. As to why this position is valuable to a future career, it provides an opportunity to gain real-world experience and develop essential skills that can't be taught in a classroom. If a student wants to land their first internship or entry level career-related position, they need to put the effort to stand out in the application and interview. This consists of practicing common interview questions and researching the company in advance. Most importantly, always coming confidently with a positive attitude prepared for anything.
