Riverside City College student Anna Vargas made a recent transition into the field of Information Technology and is absolutely enjoying her experience. Inspired by a family member and her own desire to fix her home gaming PC, she took initiative to learn more about the field through a Google course.
In her own words, Anna shares her experience about her interest in I.T. and her experience at her internship with Stronghold Engineering, Inc.
Students should take these opportunities with internships, it gives a lot of experience and knowledge, and opens doors to bigger opportunities.
NK: What influenced your decision to study I.T. at Riverside City College?
ANNA: My major has recently been switched to I.T. I really like that there is always something to do even when there is nothing to do. You always have things to look for or even write about as notes to yourself or others. What contributed to my interest in I.T. was taking a course through Google and having a family member in I.T. I was able to start doing some basic troubleshooting on my own with my home PC and got the problem fixed.
NK: What were some struggles you faced throughout your internship and how did your classes prepare you for your internship experience?
ANNA: Struggles I overcame was the fear of not asking for help; I feared being wrong or asking a question that might seem silly, but no question is silly. My goals were met and some exceeded. The class prepared me by explaining what might happen in the internships when you get chosen, what you might learn. and even how to do the things that we learned in the class.
NK: What project(s) did you have at Stronghold Engineering, Inc.?
ANNA: A project I had at this internship was to wipe PCs to be able to send to other locations, backup personal files, and wipe and clean iPads. From learning how to do all these things, I was able to fix my own home gaming PC with guidance of the person teaching me at this internship, troubleshoot my hardware, take apart my PC, put it back together, and even replace some parts on my own and with practice at the internship.
NK: What would you say to other Riverside City College students interested in taking on their first career-related opportunity?
ANNA: Students should take these opportunities with internships, it gives a lot of experience and knowledge, and opens doors to bigger opportunities. This internship is very valuable to my career, it has many different ways that IT works, it isn’t always just working on a computer or fixing things for others remotely. It was really fun, and I gained so much more knowledge. I.T is very hands-on. You are able to start doing things with supervision on day one and eventually do things on your own.
