Sean McKenzie

What do you do?

I am currently working in Whitewater Wisconsin for the WUSD as a System Technician. My primary responsibility is maintenance and installation for technology devices across the district, including Promethean Boards, Laptops, Chromebooks, Printers, Desktops, Network Infrastructure, Phones, Security Cameras, TVs, Access Points, Projectors, and anything else as needed.

How did you get there?

Most of the knowledge needed for this job I learned from my 4-year internship here that I had while at college, which was actually recommended to me by Ms. Masbruch. Much of the knowledge I have gained from technology has come from interactions with other technologically-minded people, with whom I have shared experiences and troubleshooting tips. There is some information that I learned from networking courses in high school and college that is relevant at my position here, primarily physical maintenance such as punch-downs and wire coloring, as well as some switch configuration and network addressing.

What advice do you have for current computer science students?

A big thing I would say is make sure that you aren't just in it for fun; it can be a lot of fun but there's also a lot of hard work involved, especially with keeping up your knowledge. It can be a very competitive field and there are a lot of people that want the top positions. There is also a lot of need for it, so it's a great field to get into. Also it's good to have both a broad knowledge of technology as well as some very specific areas that you are especially good at - narrow in on a specific computer language, server software, or networking knowledge and challenge yourself to get as good as you can at it. Don't be afraid to pursue certifications.

Contact information:

seandmckenzie1@gmail.com

Posted December 29, 2018