Oliver Jervis – Introduction & My Week – Work Experience 2023 at Orbits IT

Hello, my name is Oliver and i’m currently 15. I have came here to Orbits IT for the week as my choice of work experience which I have been allowed thanks to my school Stanwell as I am able to do it for my Workskills GCSE and thanks to all of the staff that work here to make this possible.

Introduction

I chose to do an IT related career for my work experience as I enjoy using computers and I am good at fixing problems alongside having an interest in computer hardware and the future of technology. I am also good at helping others on the computer to make them run better for their purpose and I use computers often. In school I have also chosen IT as I wanted to learn and develop more skills for a potential future career in this sector. This is because I am interested in looking more in depth to the departments of IT to find out what suits me best and to help me plan out what job I would and would not be interested in which will help me when I am looking for a job. This also allows me to be hands on and ask questions about the subject by talking to people here as they specialize in IT so I know exactly what I could be doing at a workplace like this one. This also helps me choose what path of education to take which would work best for me as it may be more enjoyable doing some types of education rather than others.

What I would like to do in the future

In the future I would like to do a job likely involving IT tasks like networking, building computers or a combination of things to do like these. Ever since primary school I have always had a natural liking for using the computer and finding out what I can do with it. I also like using VR to interact with friends in the virtual world inside of games and apps and I love what technology can do for us and how it can benefit us in our lives.

What I am looking forward to doing for my work experience

I am excited to start expanding my knowledge of IT and performing tasks like setting up new networks, building computers and understanding how an IT company functions and what kinds of things I will be able to do during my week. I am looking forward to using this knowledge in the future to help me choose my future career as well. In this self-introduction I will also document my experiences with the work I do and to get a better grasp on what would make my ideal career.

What I did in my Work Experience:

My experience on my first day at Orbits IT (26/06)

In my first day, I began with touring the office and going over the business structure, rules and regulations and by understanding the health and safety rules here. I had also began creating this blog about me to describe my experience. Downstairs with Morgan we grabbed 3 laptops to reinstall Windows for a client and we had done this by using the network boot feature on the laptop to connect with the server to download Windows from it. Once we had installed it, we set up the laptops to the required spec they needed.

We then took a further look at some separate laptops and configured these to a clients’ azure active directory. Once the laptops were configured, we signed in with the end-user’s details and configured it to be delivered to site. Then I had installed some RAM into a laptop with Remmy. This was useful for me as I had not done this before so it taught me so I can do this again if needed. I also set up a desktop for a project. This involved installing a new hard drive into the device to add more storage as it was required. Once the drive was installed in the PC I then used the network boot again to install Windows from the server. I also plugged some drives in to another PC to use for wiping them to remove all data. The most challenging and time-consuming process was when I had to copy settings from an old router onto a new one, which also helped me learn what type of things are used on routers. This was for a client that wanted to upgrade.

I enjoyed everything apart from the router configuration which was less interesting and fun due to just copying a configuration however I do believe I have learned from this day and performed all of my tasks well for starting off. Remmy and Morgan alongside Dean (Dean gave me the task of setting up the computer which was for a project) were pleased with my performance and the amount of tasks I had completed throughout the day. If I were doing these jobs all the time in employment, I would feel that it would begin to get a bit repetitive however tomorrow I am looking forward to going out to install a networking setup. Everything went according to plan and I have enjoyed my time here today.

My second day at Orbits IT (27/06)

Today I began by coming back to my desk and I went on to PII Protect to do some Cybersecurity training. This was to do quizzes where you would watch a video and answer the questions to improve your security rating in the company. After that, I went out with Dean in his Tesla to go to the Cardiff and Vale Credit Union in Barry to help gather details on their network infrastructure in order to get an idea and note down how their network works physically so we can help troubleshoot the issues they are having with their slow connection. After visiting the Barry one, we went to Cardiff to check their network too. This involved us inspecting their physical setup of the network (router, switches etc.) just like in the Barry one. After we jotted down some notes about how their networks were configured, we headed back to the Orbits IT building after Dean had an appointment and we ate some food. I had fun today and I enjoyed all of the tasks as I got to see things that I don’t usually see especially in public buildings when looking into a network and understanding how they can be troubleshooted and documented.

Back at the office, I watched the full 2023 cyber security training video, finished the quiz and then I went back downstairs to do some more work, where I helped configure a router and I learned some new things about the tech that is in there with Remmy. I enjoyed going out to see the networks outside of this building because it allows you to see how different companies set up their infrastructure for their specific needs and to learn how the physical networking equipment works. If I was doing this job all the time I would find it a bit overwhelming as I would not want to move around and constantly jot down details and observe different networks as I would much rather to be doing something with the network however I did enjoy this experience outside of the building which is more hands on with companies outside of this business. I believe that today I have performed all of my tasks well and that Dean was pleased with my knowledge and understanding of the subject alongside my patience and commitment to the work.

My third day at Orbits IT (28/06)

On my third day, I began with jotting down some notes of mine for questions that I have on the computer. After that, I had gone downstairs to the workshop to set up Starlink satellite broadband for a client. I enjoyed this task as I like exploring new technology and that this technology has the ability to bring a stable and fast internet connection to the masses at almost any location in the world. We found the setup fairly easy but we had to use our teamworking skills to help resolve issues and ask questions about how we should carry out the setup. After that was updated and speed tested, and everything was completely ready, we placed all of the parts back inside of their box so they are ready to be delivered to the customer. We had also used the sticker printer to place a sticker onto the router so that the client knows how to log onto it. Additionally, I went to install Windows on another laptop which is for Dean to give out where I had to complete updates and to encrypt the computer and change some settings. I then went on upstairs to complete my PII Protect by getting a 100% grade on the training and by completing the micro training and making my way up to #2 in the whole company with a score of 782/800 with #1 being 784 points. I have enjoyed this day as I was able to use some unique tech and I was able to finish my PII Protect with a great score and I am happy with my work and I believe I have done well today.

My fourth day at Orbits IT (29/06)

Today, I began by going in the car with Dean to visit a construction company’s old and new buildings as we went to have a peek of their network setup and offices. We were there to observe and briefly view how their networks could be improved. After this, we had picked up a laptop from the company van, as Mark was currently fixing a setup in Penarth. So we had to visit there on the way back.

After bringing the laptop back and placing it into the workshop, I went back to attempting to set up the virtual machine from yesterday. I wanted to complete this task but it was not working so I had to use my problem solving skills to try different settings on the VM to try and get it to boot. After looking on Google, I found that the operating system needed more RAM than I was able to give it due to the computer not having enough so I took the computer to a table and Remmy got another computer for me to take the RAM out of to place it into the computer we are using for the VM. After taking apart the computer and installing the RAM I encased it back up and plugged it back in to the multi-machine setup. After increasing the RAM of the virtual machine and doing some troubleshooting, I was able to boot from the USB drive through the VM into Windows. From there the machine was now ready to be logged in once Dean is back. After that was finished for now, I used Remmy’s drill to add a screw under his desk after drilling the hole to put his power bar on.

Afterwards, I went back upstairs to email myself my PII Protect certificate and then I went to do some shadowing on Caitlin’s operations on the computer to see how she does her tech support and what she needs to do to help clients fix issues and to do work in regards to filling in data. Back downstairs in the workshop, I then installed Windows onto 3 laptops and printed the labels to go on to their boxes. This requires me to be efficient at repeating actions on multiple computers in succession to help finish these tasks quicker. After that, Remmy and I had installed all of the software and updates to the computer along with setting all of the settings up for how the client required. After this we had a break and played darts while the VM was installing Windows updates. I have enjoyed my day today as I managed to get the VM up and running by finding the solution and I enjoyed looking at another network setup outside and doing some new things.

My last day at Orbits IT! (30/06)

I begin my day by thinking about how quickly the week has gone by, and by walking in with my thank you bag for all of the staff. But as I still have some work I can do, I start off by logging on to Atera with Morgan to go through some company laptops to edit their names to include their asset numbers given in a spreadsheet so they can be searched for more easily. We then attempted to install some ink into the printer… but after we had taken it apart we weren’t able to figure it out so we put it back together successfully to have somebody else to do as we didn’t want to break anything. Then I went to finish my work with renaming on Atera and after that we headed down to the workshop to see Mark and Remmy so we could set up a new laptop and desktop following the same typical procedures for the clients as needed.

I have enjoyed my week here and have had lots of fun with staff helping around the place and of course, playing some darts too. Thank you Orbits IT for having me for my work experience.

Follow us

A quick overview of the topics covered in this article.

Sign-up to our Byte-Sized Newsletter on LinkedIn for monthly updates, tips and tech news
Latest articles