With the exception of one month, I’ve been working since January 2019 with Bechtle Internet Security & Services (BISS) where I busied myself with everything to do with the field of networking and security. From customer consultations and the setting up of lab environments to troubleshooting—a little bit of everything! And topics were varied as well, ranging from e-mail security, VPN, and cloud computing to my favourite subject and focus of my project work, SD-WAN, covering the basics of routing and switching which are a component of every project.
In October, I was able down tools at BISS and join Corporate Communications. How does a technical trainee end up in a department that’s normally only seen by online media students? I simply told my supervisor what I would like to do and after a chat with CC, my one month was approved. (It’s always worth asking ). It was pretty exciting to be working on blogs, and planning upcoming events and photo shoots.
Sadly, the whole time, my final written exam in the middle of November was getting ever nearer and I had my hands full juggling my revision with the work with Corporate Communications. While we’re on the topic of exams, I’d like to share with you some of my tips that might be of use to you during your preparation.
1. Don’t start too early.
What do I mean? I’ve discovered that if I start too early, I get through all the material quickly, but it’s not the most productive way of learning. Of course, it’s absolutely crucial to go over what you’ve learned again, but don’t give yourself so much time that you forget it all again!
2. But you shouldn’t start too late either.
We’ve all been there. There’s a paper due on Monday and on the Friday before, you plan to get up really early on Saturday and get started on it. What happens? It’s 10pm on Sunday when you remember there was something you had to do and at 2am you’re still trying to get it all done. Make a list of all the subjects and think about how you want to study and how much time you want to spend on each one. I always find summaries work best for me, but that comes down to personal preference.
3. The biggest piece of advice I can give is don’t drive yourself crazy!
You aren’t the first to sit an exam. Approach every topic in a structured way and set yourself targets such as writing up a summary within the next two days and make sure you stick to it.
I personally found these three points to be very helpful and I was very well prepared for the exam.
End of November – Exams are over! *Phew* Well, the written part was done and as I was switching back to BISS, I had to start thinking about a topic for my project work. As I mentioned, I settled on SD-WAN and the title “Analysis and Integration of a Software-Defined WAN Solution for SMEs”. If you’re interested and want to know more about the topic, take a look at our AZUBIT Instagram page.
With the project work handed in by mid-January, I was home and dry. Now all I had to do was wait, but not for the results. For the oral exam set by the Chamber of Commerce at the beginning of February during which I’d have to hold a 15 minute presentation on my project and then answer the examiners' questions on it and a range of other topics. It’s these other questions that are important because they could be about anything we’ve covered in school or come from our record books. Network configuration and their existing security mechanisms, RAID systems, data protection and operating systems are all among the most common topics. It’s therefore definitely a good idea to have a quick look over your work beforehand.
The last few months of my training were pretty hectic particularly regarding AZUBIT. And now the time has come to say goodbye. It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of the initiative and I’d like to wish the whole AZUBIT team a lot of luck in their training and keep up the good work showing what everyday life at Bechtle is like. Thanks for everything!
AZUBIT Hendrik
