During my time as a work-study student at Wharton’s IT Help Desk, I quickly learned that technology support wasn’t just about fixing broken printers or resetting passwords. It was about managing people, expectations, and security — all while keeping operations running smoothly for faculty, students, and staff.
Ticket Hygiene
Every incoming request was a small story: someone locked out of a system, lecture hall AV failing minutes before class, or a research project that couldn’t afford downtime. Good ticket hygiene — clear notes, tagging, prioritization — was essential. I learned to write tickets as if the next person picking them up had no context, which kept the queue efficient and reduced repeated troubleshooting.
“A clean ticket saves the next technician twice the time.”
Security Posture
Working inside an academic institution meant security was always part of the conversation. Phishing attempts targeting faculty, forgotten laptop encryption, or password resets weren’t just annoyances — they were potential risks to sensitive research and student data. Even small interventions, like encouraging multi-factor authentication or explaining why updates mattered, made a noticeable difference in strengthening overall posture.
Troubleshooting with Empathy
The most valuable skill I picked up wasn’t technical — it was empathy. Faculty preparing for class didn’t care about driver updates or network logs. Students stressed over deadlines weren’t interested in packet loss analysis. They just wanted reassurance and a solution. Learning to listen, calm nerves, and then solve the issue built trust and often turned tense situations into grateful conversations.
Lessons Learned
Supporting a diverse academic community taught me that IT is both technical and human. Strong documentation, proactive security, and empathetic troubleshooting aren’t just help desk skills — they’re professional habits that scale to any tech role. The experience showed me how small, everyday practices keep a large institution running without anyone noticing — which, in a way, is the ultimate success of IT support.