Emily’s summer internship at Prudent Pedal ended last week. Before she left she wrote two blog posts, In her first, she shared her learning about Marketing and offered a little advice to future interns. In this post, she answers 8 prudent questions about being a part of Prudent Pedal.
WHAT SURPRISED YOU THE MOST DURING THE INTERNSHIP?
WHAT SURPRISED YOU THE MOST DURING THE INTERNSHIP?I was most surprised by the amount of technology that went into Marketing. In introductory marketing classes, you tend to hear a lot about the B2B world of marketing and the cutting edge advertising tactics these companies are using today. Walking into a smaller B2B company, I was able to see more of what the analytics behind what marketing looks like. I had heard of just about none of the technologies I initially starting using in my first week on the job. The biggest learning curve I faced was figuring out how to use HubSpot, Google Analytics, Active Campaign, and various other tools for marketing automation. It was interesting for me, as a marketing major, to be exposed to these platforms that I had no idea existed and see how important they are in the marketing world.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY?
It’s hard to get the marketing “make it pretty” image out of your head, but what I discovered from this internship is that I am far more interested in learning about the analytics behind “making it pretty”.
WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF THE INTERNSHIP?
The best part of working for Prudent Pedal is having Jeff as a teacher. The first time I met with him we went over what the internship would like and he asked me what I was most scared of. I responded that I was most scared of failing or letting him down. He said that would be impossible because this Internship wouldn’t be a test. It was all a giant learning experience. Working alongside Jeff wasn’t just a learning curve, but a life lesson as well. He always explained every decision and made it clear that it was okay to ask questions and talk about different aspects of the job I didn’t fully understand. This working environment is one that I have thoroughly enjoyed and I’m hopeful that I find a culture like the one of Prudent Pedal in my first job out of college
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MORE ABOUT MARKETING TODAY? LESS?
After completing my time at Prudent Pedal, I like that there are so many opportunities out there for a career in Marketing. From working with clients this summer, it has been interesting to see how different firms need different aspects of marketing implemented within their business. There is more to marketing than just making a product seem appealing to a target market. It’s exciting for me to see the different paths available in my career and while I’m still trying to figure out exactly what I want to do, I’m thankful for this experience for exposing me to a variety of opportunities.
WILL YOU BE CHANGING YOUR MAJOR TO ACCOUNTING? FINANCE? HISTORY? AFTER COMPLETING THE INTERNSHIP?
Absolutely not!
WHAT WILL CHANGE WHEN YOU GO BACK TO SCHOOL?
As I head into my second year at Texas A&M, I will be more aware of what a career in Marketing looks like. At school, it is very easy to get caught up in the stress of classes and it becomes harder to see the end goal. From my experience with Prudent Pedal this summer, I feel more prepared for life after college and I will be better able to focus my career in the direction that I want to take in marketing.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANOTHER STUDENT THINKING ABOUT AN INTERNSHIP?
The best piece of advice I could give someone looking for an internship would be to evaluate all your options. Don’t just take an internship because it was offered to you. It’s important to feel a cultural fit in the company and a genuine interest in what your job might entail. Jeff was always very honest with me about what this internship would look like and even encouraged me to keep my options open when looking for other jobs. He told me there were two types of internships you could get as a student. First is the big fancy brand name one that stands out on a resume, but might not give me the most beneficial learning experience. The second being an internship with a smaller company that isn’t a household name but will teach me more about myself and my career. I chose the latter. This honestly took away a lot of the BS of finding a job and made me very excited to have him as a mentor for the summer.
DID JEFF AND PRUDENT PEDAL OFFER YOU A JOB?
No. But, he did tell me to come see him before I graduate. 😉
