What I Learned From The Philly Foodies
My name is Olivia O’Neill and I am a junior Advertising major with a concentration in Media Planning and a minor in Communication Studies. For my spring semester, I have a social media/strategic business growth internship with Philly Foodies Tours (PFT). When I got hired for this internship, I got hired as a social media intern where I would be in charge of content creation, posting on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and managing all direct messages, comments, ratings, etc. I did all of these tasks from January to the end of February and then my roles changed. My boss wanted to focus more on paid ads and analytics. He asked me if I would be interested in having a change in roles and I said yes, because I have been taking classes on subjects related to paid ads and Google Analytics (GA) and it is something that really interested me. When I was learning about paid ads and GA in class, I wasn’t sure if I would want to pursue either of them as a career after I graduate. But, being able to apply the skills that I was learning to something outside of school helped me realize that I love data and analytics. It helped me realize that I might want to do this as a career.
This internship is the first internship experience that I have had, which makes me feel like I am gaining real skills. It has given me good insight into what having a real job is going to be like. Although PFT is a pretty small company as of now, it is a really good start and is letting me experience everything that comes with creating a start-up company. This has taught me how much hard work and dedication it takes to be the mind behind a start-up company. One of the biggest skills that I have gained from this internship is being collaborative. I have been able to be collaborative on some of the projects that I have been a part of like launching an internal business acceleration program and working with the multimedia intern on producing video content. I’ve had collaborative experiences all throughout my Temple career being in group projects. But, doing it within a real workplace and applying those skills to the business gives a whole new perspective to the skills I thought I already had.
I think it’s really cool that you had a change in job roles halfway through the internship experience. I feel like internships often are social media based so it’s cool that you got to have a hand in that but then learn something a little more advanced. It’s always awesome when you find a passion for something in an unexpected place. I am happy that you feel like you’re accomplishing a lot and I feel like Philly Foodies Tours has been a perfect experience for you. I totally understand what you mean about how gratifying it is to take something you’ve learned in school and apply it in the real world. It makes the whole college thing feel totally worth it.
This sounds like a great first internship! Working at a start-up company really gives you a true sense of everything that goes into creating a business. I also just had my first internship and it can be strange not knowing what to expect at first, but it sounds like you really enjoyed your experience. It also sounds like you had a lot of responsibility and your boss saw potential in you for even bigger, better things, which is great. Although we all have group projects in school, being in an office really forces you to work with those around you. Collaboration is key, so it is great that you were able to work on your teamwork skills!
Hey Olivia! I think that this experience sounds super interesting, especially the fact that your position changed partway through and offered you the opportunity to take on a bigger role! It’s exciting that this change of position opened you up to a whole new option in your career path that you can now explore. On top of that, starting at a smaller company is such a positive, especially when it gives you the opportunity to work with a smaller team and get a more well-rounded experience. I completely agree that interning showed me the importance of collaboration within a real-world context and outside of the classroom. So glad you enjoyed your experience!
Hey Olivia! Your experience at PFT sounds awesome, and very similar to my current internship! Although we are not a startup, we are a very small company and it really does force you to be collaborative, as well as give you a better sense of what goes on in the company “behind the scenes.” I always imagined myself in a company much bigger upon graduation, but working for a smaller company really does allow you to get your hands on some of the projects and opportunities that otherwise may not have been granted to you.