YCP@Work: Vincent Chang '21

Vincent Chang graduated from York College in Fall 2021 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology Management. He currently works as an LTS Help Desk & Knowledge Base Specialist for Library and Technology Services (LTS) at York College.

What made you choose to pursue a degree in this field?

The decision was partly made through family influence and also through personal interest in the technology side of the world.

Describe a typical day on the job.

A typical day on the job usually starts with checking my emails to see if I need to expedite a problem or if any new ones show up. Then, depending on the day, I will either spend most of my time at the Help Desk providing in-person support, or focusing on providing support for higher-tier tickets. The tier system goes in order of importance and what needs to be done by priority. So for example, a password reset would be somewhere in Tier 1, whereas something that requires an admin's help would be put in Tier 2.

If I'm not doing either of those, I would then be working on the TDX Knowledge Base or any other personal projects I have. TDX Knowledge Base is where we keep all of our Help Articles so students, faculty, administration, community members, or prospective students can refer to them for help before contacting us.

How have you used your York College education since graduating?

I have used all the knowledge I gained from my major every day while working (but on a smaller scale). My YCP education taught me how to work my way around multiple types of devices and computer hardware and software. I was also able to utilize some of the coding I learned at YCP to help with making articles more aesthetically pleasing. Being involved in a lot of situations where I have to interact with people has helped me provide quick and efficient support to the patrons of YCP. Additionally, project management helped me better lay out my personal projects and fit them in on a day-to-day basis. There is more, of course, but the list would be too long.

What is most challenging about a career in this field?

Finding the most efficient/convenient time to push out updates and upgrades. We deal with a wide variety of updates and upgrades relating mainly to laptops and computers, phones, and specific software. Additionally, we do a lot of equipment replacements all over campus as they are needed/required.

What do you like best about your career?

The face-to-face interaction with all the patrons on campus.

What advice would you have for a student who is just starting out in this major?

Ironically, I didn't start my IT career in a student-worker position. A lot of my interest and how I picked up technology-related knowledge came from a personal interest in understanding how computers work. I would recommend networking as much as possible and, if possible, getting a student-worker position anywhere that has IT openings.