The Unexpected Benefits of an Internship
Hi, I am David Menold, a senior at Temple University and an Advertising major on the Media Planning track. I am currently interning at Digital Force Agency as a digital marketing intern.
My path at Temple has been anything but ordinary. Originally I came to Temple as a biochemistry major on the pre-pharm track, I switched to the TUTeach program for one semester before jumping to chemistry for another three – finally landing in advertising second-semester junior year. As a chemistry/ science student, internships aren’t something we really have to think about; the focus is more on research and with that, you usually work with a professor here at Temple. So, when it came time for me to find an internship within advertising, I was feeling very overwhelmed. I felt inexperienced having only been in advertising for one full semester, nervous having never been on a formal job interview before, and scared that I wouldn’t be able to find one. All of these emotions were going through my head when I went to go interview at Digital Force. However, my soon to be bosses were impressed with the combination of creativity and analytics that I brought to the table. Before I knew it I was walking into my first day of work.
Always a bit shy, at first it took me awhile to open up in the office and get to know everyone. Mike, my boss, eventually worked me out of my shell with the help of the copious amounts of snacks he would bring to work every day. I soon began to realize that these weren’t big scary business people, but instead regular people that I could relate to and ask for advice. Breaking down this wall helped a lot – I wasn’t as afraid to ask questions or to raise my opinion in meetings. I also felt less awkward when the office would go out for lunches, Digital Lunches, as they have been surnamed. I have gained reliable colleagues and friends that I can turn to for advice not only at work but also in life. That is the one thing they don’t tell you you will get out of an internship. The experience and knowledge are great but you also gain a network of great people.
Hello David!
I didn’t start off with advertising either, and it was tough at first. I came into school wanting to be a doctor and realized that wasn’t the path for me. I’m glad you finally found out what you truly wanted to do. The fear of putting yourself out there is so real especially when you’re a college student with little experience. I feel like that’s a huge part of why people are timid when it comes to applying for internships, but you got over that! It’s awesome that you broke out of your shell and was able to connect with so many people at Digital Force Agency. Networking is so important in our field and you can learn so much from the people you met. Hope you had a great experience at Digital Force Agency and good luck with everything!