More Research Before Applying

Do some research about the company you’re interning with and then do some more. When I started applying for internships I was just sending out my resume like crazy. I would go to the company’s website and poke around for a bit and as long as they seemed interesting and legit I was sold. I’m an advertising major in the art direction track but I do a whole lot of graphic design work so when I saw that Skai Blue Media was looking for a graphic design intern I hopped on it.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with Skai Blue. I’m having fun interning there and more importantly, I’m learning all about different aspects of the industry. The reason I’m being adamant about doing your research is so you know exactly what you are getting into and what you can expect to get out of your internship. I was looking to be working under Skai Blue’s graphic designer to see how one functions as part of a public relations agency (which is what Skai Blue Media is). The problem was that I assumed Skai Blue Media had a graphic designer. A little research would probably have revealed that to me.

What I ended up doing at Skai Blue was working directly under the owner doing whatever graphic work had to be done. By no means do I regret interning there. I’m learning far more about public relations and the how the industry works in general. I’ve also met some really great people. Interning at Skai Blue Media has opened my eyes to the world of PR and has taught me to act as the only graphic designer in a small company but I still would have liked to be under the watchful eye of a fellow graphic designer to get a better feel for what I’ll likely end up doing for the better part of my career in advertising.