An internship is a great way to get your foot in the door at a company. It will provide you with a real-world experience, that will help you get an upfront view of what your career could entail. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with different teams, and build a professional network. Do not be afraid to form relationships with people from other departments because you never know if that relationship could land you a job.
I have been able to work in a number of different internships over the years. When I was a senior in high school, I completed my first internship at McHenry Community College. I worked directly with the Athletic Director/Varsity Girls Basketball Coach. While completing my undergraduate degree, I was able to complete my second internship. This was with the Game Operations Department, at Ball State University. During this time, I was tasked with the game management for field hockey, soccer, basketball, baseball, and softball games. Assisted officials and coaches game day needs and made strategic game operation decisions. I am currently in my final semester of my master’s degree program, and have just started my third internship, with Nine13sports, as their Marketing and Communications intern.
Business Strategies: Learning about business strategies in the classroom has helped me at Nine13sports because I am seeing how they communicate with other businesses, to obtain funding. I have been asked to complete research on potential partners/sponsors, to see if they would be a good match for both organizations.
Marketing Concepts: Marketing concepts are all around us, even if we do not realize it. It was not until my second week at Nine13Sports that I realized how often they use these concepts. I had the opportunity to complete a deeper dive into marketing concepts by completing the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing course on Google. I completed this course and have received my certification. While I was in the classroom I did not think I would use a lot of the concepts I learned, but I was wrong. Additionally, having knowledge about social media marketing has been beneficial due to how the world has changed and more people turn to social media to obtain information. I have learned that many people have found Nine13sports through this channel. With this knowledge, we can channel additional efforts into this path to keep our followers updated.
Event Management: During my undergrad I had the opportunity to be part of the team that facilitated a couple of different events; from a 5k to an esports tournament. Working on these has shown me what it takes to put on an event, and all the behind-the-scenes work that is involved. Those experiences have helped me at Nine13sports, as we are travel to different schools and set up our program for kids.
Only a few weeks into my internship at Nine13sports, and I am participating in the Kids Riding Bikes program, attending company meetings, generating marketing ideas, and collaborating with other team members. Having the information, I learned from the classroom has helped me navigate through my internship. You may not think some of the information you are learning in the classroom will help you in your internship or future career, but I can tell you that it does.