From Classroom to Career: RCC Student's Experience as a Technical Engineer Apprentice

RCC student and apprentice, Luke Jensen Jr

Meet Luke - a current student at Riverside City College studying IT / Cyber Security. Through the Network Kinection team's help, Luke was able to obtain real-world experience as an apprentice with SystemGo IT as a technical engineer.

In his own words, Luke shares what his experience as an apprentice has been and words of wisdom for future students looking to become apprentices.

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My interest in this field began in high school when I built my own computer. It was through troubleshooting and fixing my computer that I realized this is something I could see myself doing in the future. One person who really inspired me to focus on cyber specifically was Skip Berry. On my orientation day at RCC, I met Skip, and we got to talking. After listening to him speak on the topic of cyber, I knew this was the program for me.

Focus on learning well, not fast.

Going into the job, I felt pretty confident in my ability and knowledge with computers. I had a solid background in understanding troubleshooting steps, as I had fixed and built a few computers up until then. Once I was actually at the job, it was quite a lot to take in. All the new tools were very exciting but complex. It took me a while to adapt to the environment, but once I was settled in, I felt comfortable and confident. One challenge I faced was understanding all of the different software. There are so many tools and specific settings, it takes a while to learn. To address this, I spent hours outside of my job to understand how to navigate and properly utilize the software. I feel as though this challenge allowed me to understand just how many resources are out there and how important it is to continue to learn them.

I contributed to the team not only by easing their workload but also by enhancing the overall community and culture of the workplace. When asked how I was performing with my coworkers, they were all surprised at the progress I was making and how quickly I had fit into my role.

It took me a while to adapt to the environment, but once I was settled in, I felt comfortable and confident.

Network Kinection has been very helpful as they have reached out on multiple occasions to check in on my progress, as well as provided me with an apprentice kit. Through my coursework at RCC, I gained critical knowledge that ultimately helped me land my job and also perform well in that role. Being able to speak technically was one of the most important skills I acquired from RCC.

My advice for future apprentices would be to focus on learning well, not fast.