My name is Travis Gibson. I am currently working on a bachelor’s degree in Network/Cyber Security and participating in my first externship at LEADistics LLC. Being Dr. Bingham’s extern is an interesting experience and she has made it an awesome educational journey so far.

I didn’t know what to expect, but Dr. Bingham had an orientation ready for my first day. Orientation was more than learning her expectations and various methods to achieve them. We discussed LEADistics’ core mission and values, which are instrumental in life and the workplace, and how each of our roles supports the mission. Dr. Bingham works as a coach and mentor to executives, leaders, and teams providing leadership and development strategies. My role, providing business and technical support, helps her meet the needs of these leaders. By collaboration, trust, discourse, and courageous communication anything is possible.

I’ve obtained knowledge and tools beneficial for my growth as a business professional.  For example, I was introduced to Trello. This is an online tool, which helps me keep track of my daily schedule, organizes tasks, and supports project management for individuals or teams. Trello uses cards that can contain checklists, images, attachments, deadline dates, colored labels, and discussion notes from others who share the board.  Cards can be categorized and moved to show priority or status.

Dr. Bingham shared the importance of thinking strategically about my career goals. The Quad Chart is another unique tool I’ve learned about that helps with career planning. I’ve documented the four sections with short and long term goals, my strengths, what I need to further my career objective, and plans to complete my mission. The content is sorted clearly and is easy and quick to read a glance.  In a work environment, the Quad Chart helps a person document and have conversations about career goals and helps the individual and organization focus on career priorities.

My biggest surprise was learning how to construct my own web page. I didn’t expect to be taught such an awesome skill. Designing a web page takes time and effort to master, but it is well worth it. I’m learning the fundamentals of WordPress, which gives you a lot of flexibility to create a site to fit your desired style and messages. Plug-ins add functions; for example, WordFence and Sucuri provide security for your site. Knowing you have protection puts you and your visitors more at ease. As I learn, I’m documenting processes so these can be repeated. I love every bit of the experience.

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