Work and Learn

What is "Work and Learn"? It is learning about your major through doing career-related activities. There are a multitude of ways you can get relevant experience before getting your first job in IT. Here's how:

class projects

You are required to complete several hands-on projects in your technical classes - some are individual, and some are team based. Make sure you document these projects (and applicable, post on your website or GitHub). Some class projects to consider:

Web Applications
Software Development
Systems Analysis
Project Management

volunteer

Volunteering helps your career more than you might think - check out this article.

VolunteerMatch.org. Find local and virtual opportunities to use your IT skills to help the greater good AND gain experience. Filter search results by "Computers & Technology" to see IT-specific opportunities.

Indy Women in Tech . Indy Women in Tech has several events targeting young girls and women interested in STEM. While not directly related to IT, these opportunities serve as a fulfilling and educational opportunity for you to learn about robotics, STEM, policy, and social issues surrounding underrepresented groups in technology.

IndyHub. Check here regularly for a TON of volunteer opportunities from Indianapolis area non-profits. It takes some time and searching through each organization.

Indy Public Libraries. The library is always looking for volunteers to help public computer patrons with basic computer tasks such as printing, saving information to a flash drive, creating an email account, and other general computer functions.

simulations

PC Building Simulator. On Steam - "Build and grow your very own computer repair enterprise as you learn to diagnose, fix and build PCs. With real-world licensed components and comprehensive hardware and software simulation, you can plan and bring your ultimate PC to life."

GNS3. Build, Design and Test your network in a risk-free virtual environment and access the largest networking community to help. Whether you are studying for your first networking exam or building out a state-wide telecommunications network, GNS3 offers an easy way to design and build networks of any size without the need for hardware.

Layer 7 DDoS Simulator. Simulates several zombie hosts (having random IP addresses) which create full TCP connections to the target server. Features: Application layer DDOS attacks • TCP based attacks • Several zombies simulation • Random source IP addresses

NET Simulator. NET-Simulator was created to help lecturers and students in the study of computer networks. Students can build virtual networks in the virtual environment provided by NET-Simulator. These devices are controlled by means of command line interface. Features: UNIX-like command line interface • Implementation of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd layers of ISO OSI • Export projects to html • Visual indication of packets transmission

Codepen.io. The best place to build, test, and discover front-end code. CodePen is a social development environment for front-end designers and developers. Build and deploy a website, show off your work, build test cases to learn and debug, and find inspiration.

You can find many more simulations on Sourceforge.net.

job shadows

Job shadowing is an effective way to see how a business or a particular job looks. While similar to an informational interview, this experience is much richer as it helps you visualize what a job in the field might be like for you.

internships/Co-ops

Internships are perhaps the best way to get experience in your chosen field, as well as create networking opportunities and a conversion to a full time job upon graduation. Ivy Tech Community College recognizes the importance of experiential learning in this capacity; your chances of learning, retaining, and skilling up are greatly improved when you do it hands-on! Check out this page for more information.

HOME LABs

https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/ This Reddit community not only includes a comprehensive Wiki with tutorials, but has over 200k members that share and comment on each other's home lab set ups.

Why a Home Lab? The answer is easy: to learn. IT professionals, amateurs, and people who just really like computers use homelabs to experiment in. It's a sandbox environment where if you break it, you fix it, and more importantly it isn't costing money while it's down. [continue]

EVENTS

Major League Hacking (MLH) - A list of national hacking events.

Eventbrite. Check out Eventbrite regularly to find area Hackathons.

HackIN. HackIN is a unique hackathon focused on hardware/firmware reverse engineering and cybersecurity. Presented by TechPoint.org - usually happens in November.

TechPoint.org. TechPoint posts IT-related events regularly, including conferences, workshops, and competitions.

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