Skills for Life

Here I am… 3 1/2 months later and it’s the last day of my internship. Looking back on the semester, I have come to appreciate the experience as a whole and the valuable learning opportunity it has provided me with. I’m glad I made the decision to fulfill my course credits by completing an advertising internship in the city because I was able to gain valuable skills along the way- skills I like to call Skills for Life. I’m not talking about practice with InDesign or Photoshop, though those did play a part, as well. Rather, it was the everyday things that I found most valuable.

For instance, in the real world, there is more of an emphasis placed on promptness, not just with when you arrive at the office, but with email communications and the completion of work, too. Before, I never thought I would be able to get up early to catch a train into the city and be at the office by 9 am. But once I got used to it, I was impressed with how easy it became for me.

Additionally, being thorough is something I quickly learned to be consistent with. I would often get positive feedback on notes I took that were very detailed, so I knew I was doing something right. On the other hand, I would receive instructions to be more explicit with research that I did was not as detailed. When that happened, I would revise whatever I had done and come up with something better. Hence, being diligent was a desirable quality in the office.

Finally, I can’t stress how important it is to have a good working relationship with others in your office. Knowing how to interact with people and work as a part of a group was a must, especially at such a small agency. That made it a lot easier to ask for more work when I had completed a project, and it definitely added an element of fun to the job.

I will leave MOD Worldwide today and know that my experience here has been a positive one. The skills I gained in these short 3 1/2 months will no doubt translate to any future opportunities I seek out in the professional world. I know I am in a better place now, having been on the inside of the industry, than I was at the beginning of the semester, not knowing what the ad business was truly like. So while it is bittersweet to part ways with my first internship, I know my future is looking bright.