With Thanksgiving break getting closer and closer, I have been thinking a lot more about my internship and how it came to be after I got accepted. The first step to the internship process was attending a Town Hall for the LCDI. This was an orientation meeting for the entire workforce where we went over the in’s and out’s of the Center. This took place about a week after finding out that I got the internship. Later that week was my first day, where I was immediately thrown into the mix. There was’t much direction on what I was supposed to do, but some students who’d worked at the LCDI for awhile helped me get down to business.
Tools of the Trade
Some essentials when working at the LCDI are being able to use Trello and Slack, two apps used for all communication purposes. Trello is like a team checklist for staying on task. Cards are placed in different sections depending on urgency and the order they need to be completed. Slack is a messaging app that helps keep work talk within the workplace. There are different channels for different groups of people, and it’s how everyone stays in contact.
Slack is essential to my team, Tool Evaluation, because many of us do not work on the same shifts. I have a partner who I work most shifts with and we’re assigned to the same tool, Autopsy, an open source digital forensics tool used to analyze data sets. Every group has the same set of data, but a different tool to use for analysis. We can communicate our updates on our specific tool through messages, links, files, and even gifs! Our final product is a collaborative report the eight of us contribute to, so updating each other is vital.
Finding a Balance
To help with the transition from students to young professionals, there is a class that is paired with my internship. The Information Technology & Sciences’ Career Coach, Mark Zammuto, teaches the class on Wednesday mornings at 8 am. I personally hate waking up early, but the classes are short, informative, and honestly really helpful. Mark has encouraged us to accomplish important tasks including updating our LinkedIn profiles, creating email signatures, and updating our resumes. The class is designed to give us the tools we’ll need for our futures and I know I’m gaining valuable knowledge I’ll utilize for years to come.
The most interesting part of this process has been connecting my current coursework outside of Mark’s class and my internship. My Laws of Digital Evidence class helps me gain insight to the legal side of gathering evidence, while my Intro to Cybercrime gets into the technical side of acquiring and analyzing evidence. In my Technical Writing class, I learn how to write in a more clear and concise way for technical reports. I learn new things in these courses everyday that help me with the internship, and vice versa. It’s insightful to be able to make these connections and get a more well-rounded learning experience my first semester. I’m looking forward to the next steps of my project and completing my internship at the end of the semester.