An LDG Information Technology Internship Experience with Donald McCoy

An LDG Information Technology Internship Experience with Donald McCoy
Posted in Employees | Information Technology | Professional Development by Brad Breneisen (Graphic Design) on November 21, 2011

Don is a busy guy, which sort of comes with the territory in Larson Design Group’s (LDG) Information Technology (IT) Department. I recently caught up with Donald for an interview. I thought this would be a good way to provide insight into LDG’s internship program and also to highlight some of the support roles & departments here at LDG. Here’s what Donald had to say:

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your education, and your work experience.

I currently live in the Watsontown/Turbotville area and attended High School at Warrior Run. From tenth through twelfth grade I attended the vocational technology program that was offered by (Lycoming Career and Technology Center (LCTC)), which is where I learned the majority of my IT-related skills. During my senior year I undertook an internship at the East Lycoming School District by way of LCTC. There, I performed a variety of IT-related tasks including; basic computer troubleshooting, network cable running and terminations, and cable closet reorganizations. During my time there, my colleague and I also installed the majority of a wireless network system for one of the district’s elementary schools, which ironically involves running a cable for each access point. The internship lasted from the beginning of my senior year until it was time to start school at Penn College in the B.S. Network Specialist Degree Program. From there I spent a year focusing on school, fulfilling my first year requirements, and finishing out with a 4.0. At that point, I was informed by my former LCTC instructor that there was an internship position open at LDG, for which I applied, and that brings us up to the present.

Can you describe some of your responsibilities as an intern within IT?

Mainly I strive to accomplish whatever IT support needs are most pressing – so it’s constantly changing. This often includes repairing problematic systems, or troubleshooting a range of issues that arise, and supporting the other IT staff members with their tasks. Aside from that, I mainly work on deploying and rotating LDG user workstations. I build the hardware of the system, install the operating system and software that the user needs, customize their settings, and schedule a data migration with the intended receiver of the new station. At that point, I transfer their data to the new machine and then swap them. Also, I do a bit of network switch configuration – a skill that I am continuing to develop.

What made you decide to pursue an internship here at LDG?

My previous instructor at LCTC informed me of the opening, and also that it was a fairly large firm in comparison to my previous work. She also made sure to inform me that it was a good place to stay busy and continue learning, mainly because of LDG’s strong support of students engaged in their internship program. Once I applied and began working I found this to be true through their willingness to help me out where ever they could.

What are the 3 most interesting things you have learned about the firm?

I’ve seen a lot of images of projects that LDG has worked on, and I recognized many of them. I was surprised to learn that LDG had worked on the Maynard Street intersection and Little League World Series Stadium. I also think it’s fascinating how our multi-disciplinary staff works together on a wide range of projects, often from inception to completion. That is a dynamite business plan in my opinion, especially considering the fragmentation of the rest of the market. Another thing I find interesting relates to our IT department. We actually build our own workstations, and generally build a lot of our projects from the ground up. That is a very rare quality in IT departments. Normally the employees are slightly apathetic and try to make everything easier. The LDG IT department employees aren’t afraid to undertake a large project from scratch – saving money and discovering opportunities for innovation along the way. A lot of things we do could be outsourced for a price, but we bite the bullet and do it ourselves. Our independent way of doing things allows for quality solutions, designed specifically to the firm’s needs. This approach not only gives LDG a competitive edge, but also creates an inspiring atmosphere for someone like myself.

You still maintain a part time position here after finishing your term as an intern and you’re a full time student on the side. That’s a pretty full plate. How do you manage all that?

It can be a challenge, that’s for sure. I originally planned to avert my full focus to school during the semester, but I ended up working part-time, and it’s worked out rather well with my class schedule. It’s a bit frustrating at times because of the limited hours I can spend at LDG, but I do what I can to help out while I’m here. I guess you could say it’s all a matter of getting the routine down, and working with it.

How has your time at LDG supported your own goals for professional development?

My time at LDG has brought me a lot of good insight into the future of my career. I’ve seen many new methods of doing things from my coworkers and have been exposed to new technologies that I had never seen before. That exposure is exceedingly valuable for me. Continuing to do a lot of the stuff I am already comfortable with has really helped to solidify those skills as well.

How did your experience here differ from your expectations going in?

I was a bit intimidated by the whole thing at first. It was much larger than anywhere else I’d ever worked, but I knew it could be a good thing. After working at LDG for a while I got used to the size and I’m pretty comfortable now. The biggest issue is learning who everyone is with 7 offices and nearly 250 employees! I also expected to do a lot of the things I’d done previously (cable running, workstation setup, etc), mainly because they need to be done for just about every organization. The difference here is that I learned some new things about the process involved in performing those tasks. One of the main things I’d hoped to learn about is how LDG’s network ticks, and pick up some new concepts. I haven’t quite been able to accomplish this yet, due to the amount of priority work required, but I’ve learned a few things so far and look forward to the opportunity in the future.

How about a favorite memory from LDG that you’ll never forget?

Ichiban is the restaurant of the LDG IT department, for every occasion!

Do you have anything to say to students out there considering an internship at LDG?

Go for it. It’s absolutely worth it. You get to work in a great environment with great people, and get exposed to a lot of things that you may not have seen otherwise. As I said before the employees of LDG are extremely supportive of students looking to gain work experience. It’s an all-around great learning experience.

Thanks for your time Donald, best of luck with school this semester, and I’ll see you around.