During my time at Semgeeks, I had the pleasure of both working on the web development team as well as the PPC marketing team. Before I began working at Semgeeks, I had a bit of background in programming, which facilitated the transition into working with the web development side of things, but all in all, I didn’t have too much experience to work with. Coming in with only my knowledge of the subject from what I learned in class, I found that applying what they teach you in school to a real job is completely different.
I came into Semgeeks having just looked up the definition of search engine marketing, and I found myself barely understanding what the company even did. I only knew they made websites for different clients along with seemingly endless other marketing services. Fortunately, the entire Semgeeks team was super helpful in helping me understand exactly what it was that went on at the company, and the intricacies that came with each department. I still remember my first few days working at Semgeeks and feeling super intimidated by everything – the desks you could adjust the height of, the three computer monitors I had to myself, the open space in the building, and even the friendly, always-smiling faces of my coworkers seemed scary to me. Then, one of the partners of the company walked me through everything I needed to know, step by step, and was patient enough to sit through and answer all of my simple and dumb questions until I understood the ins and outs of each department.
I began my internship with Semgeeks on the web development side, but eventually transitioned into the marketing side of things in PPC advertising. Both of my mentors were extremely helpful, kind, and informative about learning each new topic. When I was working upstairs in web development, I found myself, starting right on the second day, helping make websites for Semgeeks clients. I was terrified because I really had no prior job experiences like this, and this was my first time doing anything of this magnitude. My mentor guided me through the whole process, critiqued me where I was messing up, and helped me learn from my mistakes. By the end of my time with the web development team, I found myself super comfortable not only making websites for clients, but also with the entire team. Everyone was super inclusive, whether it was letting me shadow in on different client meetings, getting a bite to eat with me, or helping me through each step in the process.
By the time I got to the marketing side of Semgeeks, I found myself already very comfortable with the company. As I was getting onboarded, my mentors wasted no time getting me right into the thick of things – attending client meetings, suggesting different keyword searches, and analyzing all of our clients’ PPC strategies. This was one of the things I loved most about working at Semgeeks – as an intern, I expected to be fetching coffee or doing other mundane tasks that almost every other workplace has the interns do, but at Semgeeks, they fully trust you with many responsibilities and treat you as an addition to the team, not as a coffee machine for the day.
Going back to college with my new experience in web development and marketing, being a computer science and business administration double major, I felt more than prepared for anything thrown my way in the future. I’m extremely grateful for my time working at Semgeeks, the experience I gained, and the relationships I formed with my coworkers. I’ll never forget the experiences and lessons I learned from working at Semgeeks, and I’m looking forward to whatever may come in the future.
