MSUM students behind the scenes: IT Help Desk
The staff and students at the Information Technology Help Desk truly help this campus operate. If it hadn’t been for the help of the IT department, moving classes online this semester would have been extremely difficult. They continue to help faculty and staff remotely with computer issues, equipment replacements and updates, and much more.
We asked students Ryan Anderson, Joshua Voit and Yodgorbek Shukhratbekov what it’s like to work at MSUM’s IT Help Desk.
Q: Can you give a brief description of what you do?
A (Anderson): We troubleshoot phone calls and walk-ups from faculty, staff and students. A few of the main things we do is help reset passwords, fix things on computers, help with email, and provide tier one support with information technology in terms of all the services on campus.
Q: What experience are you gaining from working on campus?
A (Shukhratbekov): We get to talk to different people and help faculty and students with IT-related issues. It has improved our communication skills, and we develop personal relationships with most of the faculty.
Q: What are the benefits of working on campus?
A (Voit): The benefits of working at the IT desk are that we’re getting experience in the field, even though it’s tier one. We gain experience working with a ticket system for jobs that we can’t handle or finish in one sitting.
Q: What have you learned from your position at the IT Help Desk?
A (Anderson): I learned a lot about customer service. I had never been in a customer service role before, so when you get people that walk up to you and you’re put on the spot with a question and you have to figure out the best solution, that’s probably the biggest improvement I’ve seen in myself through this job. I work with a ticket system, a variety of people and various servers. We’re able to gain a lot of experience with overall information technology.
Q: How has this job prepared you for after graduation?
A (Voit): As a computer information technology major, this job has prepared me for my future career. If I want to continue working in the IT field, this is a great starting position that has given me real-world experience.
Supervisor David Schuman enjoys working with the students and appreciates all they do for the university.
“The students are excellent workers. It’s great working with them, and they’re always on campus for the most part, which makes it easy to reach them if I need extra help on something. They’re willing to listen and offer feedback to me that I need as well. It’s a great working relationship,” Schuman said.
We are so grateful for all the help that IT provides around campus to faculty, staff and students.
There are 25 staff members in the Information Technology department with eight students working every semester.