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Cody McDowell lands dream job after internship with U.S. Court System

By Chris Caldwell 

By Chris Caldwell Cody McDowell’s career was already taking shape weeks before he walked the College’s 2022 commencement stage. McDowell earned an A.A.S. in computer information technology, systems administration and management while interning with the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Before graduating from Southwest, he had secured a full-time position with the court. "Southwest made it very easy to get an IT internship and through hard work, dedication, and the knowledge I gained in my classes, I felt confident I could secure a position with the court,” McDowell said. “It’s a perfect fit for me and complements my major and the skills I learned at Southwest.” McDowell’s internship with the IT department was originally positioned for five months beginning in fall 2021 but district court Information Technology Directory Clay Taylor accepted McDowell for a full year which eventually led to a full-time employment opportunity. "The Tennessee Western District Court is very thankful to Southwest for providing graduates who are entering the workforce with a comprehensive education,” Taylor said. “We are excited to welcome our previous intern, Cody McDowell, on board to be full-time with us. We look forward to continuing the internship program to mentor more of the next generation of professionals in the industry,” Taylor said. The Computer Information Technology program at Southwest gave McDowell the confidence and knowledge to flush viruses, maintain servers and assist in data recovery for the court’s IT department. “Through the course of my internship, I mainly worked on the help desk, assisted in evidence and data recovery, maintained backups, and headed up a few projects such as swapping all the court cell phones from AT&T to T-Mobile,” McDowell said. “A lot of the concepts were pretty much the same ones I used in all of my courses. The things I learned in my server course, where I updated servers and also took snapshots were very helpful.” McDowell’s accomplishments do not just end on the job front. He was honored for his service and leadership at the 2022 Student Honors and Awards Convocation April 12, 2022 with a Career Services Internship Certificate. Congratulations, Cody, on a job well done!
Bruce Wiedner (left) swears in Cody McDowell as a
full-time employee with the United States District
Court for the Western District of Tennessee

Cody McDowell’s career was already taking shape weeks before he walked Southwest's 2022 Commencement stage. 

McDowell earned an A.A.S. in computer information technology, systems administration and management while interning with the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Before graduating from Southwest, he had secured a full-time position with the district court. 

"Southwest made it very easy to get an IT internship," McDowell said. "And through hard work, dedication, and the knowledge I gained in my classes, I felt confident I could secure a position with the Court. It’s a perfect fit for me and complements my major and the skills I learned at Southwest.” 

McDowell’s internship with the IT department was originally positioned for 5 months beginning in fall 2021 but district court Information Technology Director Clay Taylor accepted McDowell for a full year which eventually led to a full-time employment opportunity.

"The Tennessee Western District Court is very thankful to Southwest for providing graduates who are entering the workforce with a comprehensive education,” Taylor said. “We are excited to welcome our previous intern, Cody McDowell, on board to be full-time with us. We look forward to continuing the internship program to mentor more of the next generation of professionals in the industry,” Taylor said. 

The Computer Information Technology program at Southwest gave McDowell the confidence and knowledge to perform his job duties such as fluhsing out viruses, maintaining servers and assisting in data recovery for the Court’s IT department.  

“Through the course of my internship, I mainly worked on the help desk, assisted in evidence and data recovery, maintained backups, and headed up a few projects such as swapping all the court cell phones from AT&T to T-Mobile,” McDowell said. “A lot of the concepts were pretty much the same ones I used in all of my courses. The things I learned in my server course, where I updated servers and took snapshots were very helpful.” 

McDowell’s accomplishments do not just end on the job front. He was honored for his service and leadership at Southwest's 2022 Student Honors and Awards Convocation April 12, 2022 with a Career Services Internship Certificate. 

Congratulations, Cody, on a job well done!