Updates Galore!
I have really been slacking here. This post will cover 3 months of crazy news, so I am unsure if I will just be blunt and not write much about each topic. Either way, I guess I will break it down into sub-categories.
Jaw Surgery Update
So, as with the majority of my blog posts, there is an update with my jaw surgery from December (see earlier posts by clicking jaw surgery if you’re just joining me). Although this update is more about me essentially almost dying from infections. Basically, in early May, my face started swelling again. Turned out I had infected tissue. The surgeon removed it as soon as I went in for the check-up (the pain killers didn’t work either so it was not a very enjoyable experience). He had to cut down to my bone and remove the tissue along the right side of my face (no actual structural change).
They thought after this, everything would be fine. Apparently not. Three weeks later during a required check-up they find more infected tissue. At this point my surgeon tells me he has to put me under in order to fully ensure that he removed all the tissue. I get put under two days later. Turns out, one of the bolts that was placed into my bone from the original surgery was causing the infection. He removed all three bolts on the right side along with some infected bone and tissue and so far so good!
Now, if you are a person who was worried about having a bad experience with this surgery. Keep in mind this infected tissue issue is extraordinarily rare. The fact that it was one of the bolts is even more rare. The original surgery went really smoothly and wasn’t too hard of a process (just make sure you follow their directions exactly). If you want more information on the entire process, please visit my other posts on the subject matter. You can filter by subject matter on the right side of the page. Older posts even include swelling pictures of before and after my lower jaw surgery.
Internship/New York City
So on top of this, I am working for KPMG this summer as an IT Consultant (IT Enabled Transformation). I have been living in New York City for this internship for the past 4 weeks. So far, I love the city. I have gotten used to how to get around and gotten used to how to walk and the social norms of NYC.
As for the internship, it has its pluses and minuses so far. Positives first: I am learning a lot, the pay is nice, I am being treated just like one of the team, my engagement team is astounding and very helpful. There is only really one con, but unfortunately for my own aspirations it is a rather big con. The IT Consulting is not as “tech heavy” as I would have originally hoped. I am learning a lot about controls, documentation, and implementation but where it is lacking is understanding the tech systems and the processes and securities of said systems. This is partially due to me being placed into technology implementation (and working for a client on wall street). I am getting in touch with people in the security division (which apparently does do Pen Testing) and I hope I can get some questions answered there. Otherwise, I am really happy to be here this summer. Really happy to finally have a job that doesn’t involve working for bare minimum wage and being treated as a little kid.
The Future
Ah yes, it wouldn’t be a post by me if it didn’t incorporate a portion devoted to my pondering of the future. I am fighting between continuing my education for at least one more year (Master’s degree in Information Assurance) or just going straight into the industry. There is also a third option of getting my Master’s part time while working full time in the industry.
A big plus to just going for a 1 year full time master’s is so that I can get another summer internship with another company so that I can be more sure of where I want to work professionally. Although this presents the problem of paying for a year in Master’s school. As much as I want to jump right into a full time job, I really want to make sure I am working at the right place so I am hesitant to just jump right in after graduation with only one true professional internship under my belt at the moment. I will have to update this subject matter when I fully decide (within the next few months I guess).
Projects/Other
Have some new projects going on, so if anyone wishes to help in making some small change, let me know!
First one is I need someone who is skilled in app development for android, iOS, or any mobile system really. The app development is rather easy as it will just pull information from a new website that will be announced after its completed (so there aren’t any people who take my idea). It currently involves 4 people and should be able to bring in quite some change if everything goes according to plan.
Secondly, I am wanting to get my CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) soon. Preferably before fall job searches start. It should be relatively easy as I have a few friends who are going to be studying with me and we have plenty of resources that should allow us to pass relatively quickly, but if anyone else has any additional information, let me know!
I think that’s all I have for now, I am typing this really early in the morning so it is probably full of typos and incorrect grammar. I will fix it tomorrow after work. Too tired right now, good night.