How would you describe your role?
I started as a Systems Administrator Intern during Ridgeline’s summer program, and was hired on full-time right after that. As a Linux SysAdmin, I monitor the systems for our different customers. So, if any alerts come in, we get right on it to troubleshoot the issue, or escalate it to our senior engineers. I’m what’s called Tier One support in our Network Operations Center.
What has your experience at Ridgeline been like so far?
It’s definitely been positive, beginning with my internship. As an intern, I was put on really interesting projects. I assisted in creating something we call a cyber range from scratch. It was an easy transition over into the NOC. I get the feeling that anybody is willing to help and I love that about Ridgeline. It’s one of the reasons I stayed on. I also have had many opportunities to try different things. We were encouraged in our internship to visit with people in different departments and ask all the questions we wanted.
How would you describe your team?
I work with about seven people and they’re a great group. I recently had my name erased from the “new people” list on our white board which was a little sad but also a good thing because now I’m someone new people can come to for help. I’ve always found that people are willing to answer any questions I have. It was a little intimidating at first because I was new to everything, but after talking to my teammates, they let me know that even if they’ve been here a while, they’re still learning too. So, I was like. “Ok. Well, we’re learning together. We’re all in this together.”
What’s been your biggest accomplishment?
I’m especially proud of building a cyber range as part of my internship. We actually did it twice. Once, my supervisors were walking us through the documentation, showing us each step along the way. The second time, we were on our own and had to figure out our problems. It was a big accomplishment and an awesome experience.
How have you grown professionally in your time at Ridgeline?
There’s a small portion of the things I do in my day-to-day that I learned in school already, but a good amount is something I’ve never seen before which is definitely a challenge, but I know I’m growing a lot. Getting to work with and learn from other people in my field – I’ve been able to learn so much just from talking with my coworkers. I feel like I’ve been taught so much and I like challenges now. I feel like I can handle anything that gets thrown my way.
What’s the most unique thing about Ridgeline?
Not to sound cheesy, but I think it’s the people. Everyone knows everyone here and we go out of our way to help each other.