8 Things I Learned From My Marketing Internship

Ah, summer. A time for soaking up the sunshine, eating all things barbecue (or the vegetarian alternative, if you’re like me) and working that part-time job we oh-so love.

But depending on your major, summer is also the time for getting that much-anticipated real world experience with an internship. The real kind, not the “coffee run for everyone in the office” kind (hopefully).

This summer, I was a copywriting intern at a design and marketing agency, where I wrote all things copy (think blog posts, what you read on websites, social media captions and more) for various clients. I also worked with a whole lot of young creatives and learned everything there is to know about erectile dysfunction — thrilling, I know. (One of the clients was a sexual medicine center).

Well, 12 weeks later, and here I am. No longer am I newbie intern, but rather a “real world, here I come” professional copywriter. (Well, I gotta get that degree first.)

So! To tie a decorative bow on this summer’s internship bonanza, I’ve created a list of everything I’ve learned as an intern. (Sorry, this doesn’t include what I learned about ED.)

Your Drive to Learn Is More Important Than Your Experience & Talent

When you’re interviewing or going into a new job — whether it be a part time job, internship or “big girl” job as I call it — it can be intimidating af. Everyone around you looks like they know what they’re doing, and you’re just this baby trying to fit in. You might even be thinking “How the f am I qualified for this? I don’t have the years of experience or talent these other guys have.”

Guess what? Your willingness to learn is much more valuable than how much experience or talent you have. Employers would much rather you be open to learning new skills and, most importantly, be enthusiastic about learning them. 

Why? Well, this shows you’re adaptable, which makes good for a long-term employee and well-rounded person.

Life is all about learning, y’all.

Mistakes Are Okay

Mistakes can be scary, especially when you’re working in the field you’ve been studying for years and spending thousands of dollars on. I mean, when you fumble over everyday tasks like burning toast, it’s like, “Okay, well I’m not a friggin’ chef.” 

However, when you make a mistake in a field you’re supposed to be good at, it feels like you might as well just rip your degree off the wall and throw it in the fiery pits of Hell, because how dare you?!

Guess what? We’re human!

It’s totally okay to make mistakes, especially when you’re starting out. Even experts started as a novices who made mistakes! 

The most important thing is to look at your mistakes as “Okay, what can I learn from this?” rather than “I am a sham of a worker and human being!” Mistakes = growth!

You Get Out What You Put In

As an intern or a new worker, it might be intimidating to ask your mentor for more work or harder work. What if you can’t handle what they throw at you? What if you fail? What if they fire you?

One thing I learned at my summer internship is that you get out what you put in. 

I wanted to learn everything I could, even if it wasn’t related to copy, and there were many times where I asked for more work. 

And well, my wish was my command, because I wrote a ton and even created a few social media posts using Canva.

This led me to understand a lot more about writing and marketing as a whole, which has opened many doors to skills I didn’t think I’d learn at this internship.

Remember — this is your internship, so you get out what you put in.

Don’t Be Afraid to Give Your Input

When you’re an intern, it can be intimidating to give your input. I mean, in the eyes of your superiors, you’re a baby (but honestly, I feel like a baby in my own eyes, too). How dare you tell your boss or more experienced co-workers what you think?

But even though you don’t have the years of experience everyone else has, what you do have are fresh ideas and more motivation to figure out a challenge (Ah yes, the benefits of not yet having your job drain your energy and wear you down to the bone yet).

This means you shouldn’t be afraid to give helpful suggestions on what your co-workers might not see. Chances are they’ll thank you and be impressed.

Reliability Is Key

We’ve been taught this since we were kids. When you’re given a due date, it’s expected that that assignment is due that day. No exceptions (most of the time). 

Guess what? The same holds true at your internship and “big girl” job.

Gone are the days of handing in late homework and half-assed work. Now it’s time for you to get things done when you said they’d get done. This is how you exercise that thing we all suck at call “time management.”

If you don’t think you’ll finish the assignment in time, let your mentor or whoever know in advance. I mean, hey, sh*t happens. Maybe your brain isn’t fully awake in the morning and you need a bit of extra time to complete that assignment.

And that’s okay!

It’s all about being reliable and keeping everyone in the loop on assignment due dates.

Stretch Your Legs...Seriously

While I do make a point to exercise every day, I’m still use to sitting down a lot. I mean, I’m a writer who prefers sitting down when she writes (standing desks ain’t my thing), not a soccer player who runs an average of seven miles each game. 

However, what I am not used to doing is sitting down for eight hours straight. The amount of times my legs felt like Jell-O after sitting for too long? Too many. 

If your internship and/or job requires a lot of time sitting down, be sure to get up and stretch, gosh darn it. That could be using the bathroom every hour, walking around the office or filling up an inflatable pool in the middle of the room and doing a butterfly stroke for 15 minutes. Your legs will thank you for anything you do.

Take Plenty of Mental Breaks

When you’re grinding at your job all day, you’re going to feel burned out. Doesn’t matter what kind of job it is (Lord knows I need a mental break from working the fitting room at my retail job).

The important thing to remember is to take plenty of mental breaks to recharge your mind. This could be going for a walk, going on your phone for a few minutes or chatting with a co-worker.

Your mental health is important, even at your job. No one expects you to be society’s idea of “productive” 24/7. You gotta take care of your brain, man!

Your Work Environment Affects Your Productivity

I’m like most Generation Z-ers who own a mobile phone — I get distracted quite easily. 

When I’m home, I find it super hard to stay focused on writing and will often find myself stuck in the Youtube pit of watching countless videos for hours. 

However, what I’ve noticed at my summer internship is that where you work affects how you work. This means if you’re like me and prefer to sit on your bed while doing work, you’re going to find it hard to sleep at night and/or you’ll feel sleepy when you’re trying to get work done! 

But when I’m at my internship, I’ve noticed that I’m more engaged on what I’m doing, which means I’ve been getting a lot more done. My brain’s wired to think, “When I’m at this job, I need to be focused on doing work and avoid scrolling endlessly on social media.”

And voila! It’s worked!

If you’re struggling to be productive and focused, try changing up your environment to a place where you know you’ll get sh*t done, e.g. a library or desk.

You can also try to schedule a time frame during the day dedicated purely to getting work done. Doing this will kind of feel like that midnight chocolate craving feeling (*cue that “Spongebob” episode about chocolate*). When the time hits, you feel the need to do work.

So, if you’re about to start an internship or you’re still looking, there’s a lot to learn. Being “the new guy” can be intimidating, but it’s all about seeing everything as a learning process and not being too hard on yourself! 

Your friend,
Jane