The Life and Times of a Gragg Intern
Coming from college to an internship at Gragg Advertising, I had no experience working in a professional environment. Transitioning from a part-time work schedule to a full time position was quite a transition, and took a little getting used to. Though, with the help of a great team, I was able to find my place quickly and learned a lot about the advertising industry.
One of the biggest differences between part time college work and being in a full time professional environment is self accountability. Up to this point the majority of my work experience involved managers always telling me exactly what to do. I was given a task, I completed that task, and I was given another task. At the beginning of the internship, we are given a project to complete for a new product, procedure, or new business opportunity. My project was to create a social media strategy. I quickly found that, while my project was assigned to me, the responsibility was mine to find the tools and contacts to complete the assignment. Additionally, it was my responsibility to find additional work and learn interdepartmental skills. While this seemed daunting at first, it was the perfect opportunity to personally define my contribution to Gragg. I was given the opportunity to own my internship. What I got out of it was truly up to me. Once I realized this, everything started to fall into place.
While the idea of personal responsibility and freedom is great, I would have been able to accomplish nothing without the help of the fantastic group of people at Gragg. While I may have all the ideas in the world, without their knowledge, expertise, and experience, none of those ideas mattered. To my delight, I found that everyone at Gragg is always willing to answer your questions. The more questions I asked, the more I learned. The more I learned, the more questions I would have. Don’t worry, not once did I get turned down on a question. Whether it be a question about Gragg procedures, or simply where a good place to get lunch would be, a willing and helpful response was always waiting.
After working my six week internship with Gragg, I can truly say it was a great, and eye opening, experience. Between learning to take accountability for my work day, and managing all my resources, my time at Gragg has prepared me for any challenge I may find in my next professional position. If you are a potential new intern reading this, I will give you this piece of advice. Spend your time wisely here and soak up all the information you can. Your time here is brief, so take advantage of every opportunity afforded to you.
