Jansen Holmes

Internships can be a valuable tool to propel your career. In addition to preparing students with real-world experience, they can lead to rewarding job opportunities.

Randall Reese is a Service Technician for Bridgenext, a global digital consulting company specializing in technology, data and creative marketing solutions that empower clients to achieve digital realization. Reese was a Wolfson High School student in 2016 when he began participating in a summer internship program through the Duval County School District and the company, which was then known as Emtec, Inc.

“I’ve always had an interest in technology and in history,” Reese said. “There is so much to learn in IT.”

The Bridgenext/Duval County School District internship program offers high school students training and hands-on experience. As part of the program, students help complete necessary technology-related tasks for the school district, such as cleaning devices, re-installing software and testing computers.

“The internship is a tremendous learning experience,” Reese said. “My advice to interns is to always be willing to help and take every job – you’ll learn something from it.”

Along with acquiring new technology skills, Reese discovered his passion and purpose during his internship.

“I like working with people to help solve problems,” Reese said. “I have an interest in troubleshooting, and I found my niche with repairs.”

After high school graduation, Reese continued in the internship program. Reese was also focused on earning a history degree from the University of North Florida. At that time, he believed teaching history was his ideal career pathway. While attending UNF, he continued to work with the company. The experiences included working on the company’s technology team jobs at the City of Jacksonville and JEA.

“These are the kind of opportunities that you only get through an internship,” Reese said. “I realized I could do this work professionally, and I had an interest in making this my career.”

Although he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from UNF in 2022, Reese switched his career pathway and accepted a full-time position on the Bridgenext JEA team.

“I have an affinity for technology,” Reese said. “I realized this type of work happens to be the perfect fit for me.”

In his role at Bridgenext, Reese works in the call center. He is responsible for troubleshooting, diagnosing and repairing technology issues. Callers may be seeking assistance on installations, resets or software issues. Some of the concerns are a quick fix. Others are more complicated. Reese’s goal is to resolve the callers’ problems efficiently.

“It’s customer service in a technology world,” Reese said. “I enjoy that I get to use my teaching skills in this role. My job is often teaching people how to use their technology effectively.”

Reese also uses his teaching skills on employee training assignments. His role on the help desk requires proficient technology skills. Reese says the position also requires the ability to demonstrate empathy, flexibility and patience.

“You have to listen to the caller and keeping your patience is key,” Reese said. “If they are having a technology problem, they are probably not having the best day.”