IT Intern
Over the course of the summer from June 9th to August 8th, I had the great pleasure of getting hands-on experience in the Information Technology department at Charles Rivers Laboratories, a relatively large pharmaceutical contracting firm. Stationed at the Horsham P.A. location, I learned from their IT team full-time for 8 weeks, with my term concluding on August 8th.
During this internship, I had a fantastic opportunity to work closely with an experienced supervisor to troubleshoot computer system issues impeding business operations, implement and manage network security, and implement new both software and hardware systems on-site.
Examples of some projects I was assigned to during my term include:
- Setting up computer monitors for the site’s histology lab
- Imaging 12 Dell 3000 Opti-plex form factors for stations
- Decommissioning older Dell Opti-plex computer models to be replaced with newer hardware
- Running network cables to systems on-site to connect them to the firm’s local area network (LAN)
- Resolving other hardware/software issues impeding performance via a ticket system.
Throughout my semester at Fox as an MIS major, I was able to learn how to use technology to create software solutions that optimize business efficiency in the form of databases, cloud computing solutions, and web application development. During my time at Charles River Laboratories, however, I was trained to better understand how to maintain the physical hardware on-site that run these software solutions and keep operations moving. My time at Charles Rivers has prepared me excellently for my future career goals as a systems administrator (or possible network engineer), and I’m excited to hear about any full-time employment opportunities I might receive post graduation.