For most people, their senior year of college is the most exciting time for them and they get to make one more final set of memories before they graduate and enter the real world. I have no idea what any of that feels like because COVID-19 came and abruptly swept away the rest of the spring semester of my senior year. It introduced a whole new way of life that consisted of remotely working from home, daily zoom classes, and most importantly social distancing.
Luckily, I was able to get a Semgeek’s internship experience that not many students can say that they have had. Not only was I able to work in the office, but I got to experience working remotely from home during the current pandemic.
During my time at Semgeeks, I was introduced to concepts and topics that were not covered in any traditional college marketing class. It is impossible for colleges to teach these concepts because technology is just advancing too quickly. By the time it takes to publish a textbook, all of the best practices would have changed. That said, it is imperative that students like me get a chance to learn about these topics through in-person experiences. Experiences where things like search engine optimization (SEO), content calendars, and blogs become a part of everyday conversations.
While looking back on my internship, I believe that the work environment was something that impacted my learning the most. Not only were all of the employees there to answer any questions, but the casual environment made it easy to be comfortable and relaxed. Every day there was a new Spotify playlist playing in the background along with talks about sports and important events going on in the world. All of the people made me feel very welcomed and appreciated.
Although I was not able to have the full office experience for my entire internship, I am grateful to be a part of the Semgeeks family during the current pandemic. Working from home definitely has its struggles, but it is nice to know that I was not experiencing this on my own. I really started to take advantage of the Google chat during my hours working from home. It was the only way to communicate considering I could not turn around and ask either of my supervisors a question.
It might not have been the exact ending that I was looking for, but the experience I got with Semgeeks during the pandemic was extremely valuable. I have learned so much more within the past couple of weeks than I would have in any marketing class. I believe that internships are really important because you can get the hands-on-learning that colleges cannot provide. With this experience, I can now apply it to the real world once I graduate in May.
