Why Internship With Leahy?

Looking for your doorway to enter the work scene? Our internship course is the key!

The Leahy Center and Champlain College offer internships that help students take the first big step in their careers. We provide an educational launch pad and give students a clear direction to move forward. Furthermore, these internships put tools in students’ toolbelts, giving them the confidence, contacts, and work experience to set out from college with their head and shoulders above the rest.

The Internship Class

The ITS internship course is a 2-credit class. As a part of the course, students complete 90 hours worth of a technology related internship at an internship site. But there’s more to it than that; the internship class is a treasure chest of opportunity and knowledge specifically designed to teach students how to be successful in a professional environment.

While researching what treasures are in store, we had the chance to talk to Zoltan Sachs, who teaches the internship class.

Zoltan said: “There’s two components to the internship course. One [piece] is, students select an area of interest and a corresponding team where they get technical skills. The other focuses on building soft skills: What does it mean to be equipped to communicate, dress, and act [professionally?]”

What Kinds of Internships Does The Leahy Center Offer?

Short answer: a ton. There are many different positions and teams that take in interns, each with their own focus and unique projects. Let’s look at just a couple highlights!

IT Intern

Considered entry level, the IT Intern position is designed for learning and training. It’s a position that students can enter with no previous experience, and exit with the required knowledge and experience for an entry-level IT position. Examples of entry-level positions include IT Technician and basic IT support positions. Throughout their internship the student will practice hands-on technical work in combination with skills in written content and presentation.

Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (or IoT) division is composed of several specialized teams you can be a part of. For example, you can be a part of the Analysis, Extraction, Database, and Offensive teams. All of these teams achieve different goals, yet they all explore one of the most hands-on types of technologies.

Check out our recent article on their work: IoT inside look

Mobile Forensics

Mobile device forensics focuses on recovering digital evidence or data from a mobile device under forensically sound conditions. Our main focus is to discover what data stored on modern mobile phones is useful and extractable to forensic analysts.

Additional requirements: Currently enrolled or have taken FOR-310

Security Intern

The Security Intern position is an entry-level learning position that teaches students a fundamental understanding of security system detection and monitoring. In this internship students join a Security Operations Center. They work through the research and implementation of a security tool known as Elastic Stack, as well as its accompanying software.

Marketing

At the Marketing Internship, you’ll get a chance to dip your toes into blog writing, social media marketing, and graphic design. If you’d love to be a part of The Leahy Center, but aren’t necessarily a technical major, Marketing could be the team for you!

Roles include: Marketing Strategist, Technical Writer, Videographer, and Graphic Designer.

Zoltan Sachs Interview

The Internship classes (ITS 192/292) are experiences packed full of more knowledge that can be described in a course description. So we interviewed Zoltan Sachs to learn more about the courses and student’s experience with them.

Unique Opportunities

Zoltan is a big advocate for students and their education; he talked about one of the things he does to help his students in their journey:

“I invite speakers to come in to talk about their journey and how [the students] can be successful,” He began, “I brought in the VP/Chief Information Technology Officer of a local financial institution. He took students through his professional journey and why he gave up a high powered job at a Fortune 500 company to come work in Vermont… Students came up afterwards and stood in line to talk to him, ask for more advice, and ask for his business card. It’s a good sign when students reach out to a resource like that… These professionals can guide and mentor students at the beginning of their careers. I also have two sessions to refine students’ “brand”, one for resumes and the other for cover letters and LinkedIn… It teaches the students how to build their “brand” to become more marketable [to prospective employers].”

Challenges And Advice

We also talked about what students going into their internships should expect. Zoltan advised:

“When [the students] start out they will be a bit confused; that’s OK. They should have determination to keep going, it does get easier. Another important aspect is to go in with an open mind and ask a lot of questions,” Zoltan said, “Also, don’t be afraid to ask for someone to be a mentor. Is there a paid student that is really good at something? Go to them and ask: can you help me, teach me, what did you do in this type of situation?”

He also expanded on the hurdles that these internships present:

“I think one of the challenges of the internship course, is that it is usually student’s first semester of their first year at Champlain College, and the class starts in week six. It requires 90 hours of combined work; so, managing their time to complete assignments and eight to ten hours of on-the-job work a week is very challenging. This course and keeping up with their other academics is a big time commitment.”

But Zoltan helps students meet every challenge with some good advice:

“I emphasize communication as number one, communicate with me, with your supervisor, and with your teammates. Communication is super important because if you go silent or MIA, we don’t know what is going on. But if you talk to us, we can extend assignments and make accommodations. The idea is for you to learn, that’s the #1 thing. We will do everything in our power to make it a good experience for you so you can learn.”

He also talked of the advantages the internships provide within the student’s stay at Champlain College:

“The notion about the internship is that you get to know the people, then you can apply for a paid position for the remainder of your time at Champlain. The internship is an opportunity to get to know people and for them to get to know you. Then you are able to interview for a paid position so you can stay at the Leahy center for the remainder of your time.”

Success Stories

We also asked about student success stories, Zoltan answered:

“There are always superstars, but what is most wonderful is to watch a student grow throughout their three years at the Leahy Center: to watch a student who is reserved become confident and gain credibility with their teammates. It is so magical.” Then he added: “With every project that the cybersecurity risk assessment team does, students sit across the conference table with CEOs, CFOs, and IT Directors; they kick off the project and deliver the final product. And I think it’s a huge success every time they do that… Every time someone solves a problem it’s a success story. To sum it up, it’s that growth, seeing them get better and better at what they do, and become more confident. Also, doing things that are not necessarily within their specialty or comfort zone.”

Internship Merits

And of course, we asked about the carrot at the end of the line. What the students gain from the internships:

“Well there are those technical skills and soft skills they should take away. But also Champlain College and The Leahy Center have national recognition. We have a good reputation, so if you do an internship at the Leahy Center and put it on your resume and LinkedIn, employers will think: Oh, you’ve done something significant. Plus, so many jobs now require prior experience, our students can say: I’ve had two or three years of real experience. These credentials are a lot more attractive to employers and they give graduates a significant advantage in a competitive market.”

Final Thoughts

The Leahy Center offers students the opportunity to get involved with a ton of different technical projects and teams. Within these, they can not only sharpen their personal skills, but also learn to apply said skills for their careers. All with trusty advisors like Zoltan at their disposal. And in this case the early bird gets the worm, don’t wait to start your career.