This week was extremely productive in every aspect of my learning goals. On the hardware end, I was able to refresh some of my computer assembly skills and strip down several desktops to troubleshoot and replace their power supplies. Another good experience was  replacing a laptop’s motherboard. I also learned about the buildup of gasses in lithium ion batteries and how they can cause bulging and potential failures. It was fascinating to learn that the bulging is a failsafe measure meant as a sort of relief to prevent the encasement from popping. All of these hardware related tickets I dealt with this week have helped in working towards my A+ Certification.

In addition to the technology side of this internship, we must learn to address the business and administrative side of things. Every client we deal with on campus is a new lesson in business communication. As I’ve learned in my business classes at Point Park and my previous experiences, one must adapt communication depending on a client.  For example, some people will fail to respond to email but are happy to have a lengthy discussion on the phone over their technology issues.With others I find them drafting in depth messages on email but won’t pick up their office phone. In relation to business communication, this week’s software lesson is in the configuration of Microsoft Outlook. I had to learn to add multiple mailboxes and configure group folders with varying levels of access within that mailbox. This week I’d give myself a 5 out of 5 rating for surpassing all of my weekly goals and being so productive.

One of the things that I enjoy most about the organization I am working for is the varied people that I get to meet and network with. It’s this networking experience that turned me on to the various continuing education opportunities and conferences available to our industry. This weekend I am attended Wordcamp Kent in Ohio. The weekend was spent delving into the various features, benefits, and limitations associated with using WordPress. For the non-coder, it is definitely a powerful content management tool that allows people and businesses to get their message out to the world. For someone with coding experience, it provides another tool in their arsenal of development. I definitely look forward to bringing this knowledge I am learning this weekend to the students of our IT club at Point Park.