RADical Thinking
My job is RAD. Need I say more?
Alright, maybe a bit more.
I met Josh and Drew around the conference table in the back room of the office. Great guys, smart, and easy to joke around with. The next week I started my internship with River Avenue Digital (RAD) – a smaller full-service marketing agency in the Philadelphia suburbs.
I had the choice to work from home or show up at the office – my time has been a mix of both as the pandemic has rolled on. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to learn from Josh and Drew in person, but working two jobs while attending classes has made working from home a necessity at times.
Staying connected and up to date with projects can be a challenge at times, but my bosses have been extremely helpful in answering any questions and allowing me room to learn on my own.
My work has been all across the board: from building websites to finding clients and managing social media posts. I’ve gotten a taste of copywriting, digital design, and even SEO during my time. Overall, I had the most fun writing blog/social media posts for a client of ours in the Luxury Wristwatch market; I’ve had to study the tone they’ve used and rework it; each time I stumble across a new insight. I myself have also gotten a good response on my work from the CEO of the Watch brand and that is just wild to me.
I stumbled across my position and believe I couldn’t have found a better fit if I tried. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity. After the semester closes, I’ll be continuing my work with RAD. I look forward to continuing to learn from the guys.
If I were to give any advice on the experience, my first would be to keep a running log of everything you do. From day to day, I’ve done dozens of tasks and learned something new for each one – after a week, the knowledge gets covered up with something new.
Even just using keywords to remind yourself of one thing or another can go a long way.
Another bit of advice, one which I wish someone had told me, is to take full advantage of the knowledge of your coworkers. In the same line of thinking, remember you are an intern – it is literally your job to try to make sense of something you’re unfamiliar with, so don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t worry about looking ‘dumb.’ If anything, you’ll just appear inexperienced and that is beyond expected.
At worst, they ask you to lay off – at best they offer you a job because you’re dead set on understanding how the business works.
Beyond all the technical knowledge I’ve obtained from my time at RAD, I’ve also come away with a mindset. The running motto of River Avenue Digital is “I’d rather be someone’s shot of whiskey than everyone’s cup of tea” and it truly fits the way they work. Some thing’s don’t click – some businesses aren’t a good fit, but you can’t let that deter you. This doesn’t mean to hold fast and never budge when it comes to your approach or values, but rather know that some fits are more natural than others and that’s no one’s fault.
