Describe your reflections on your internship project – what went well, what should you have done differently, what stands out to you (address all three of these)?
Overall I feel as if my internship project was successful and came full circle, which is pretty cool. I enjoyed how much I learned thought the project, things like: web design, an aesthetic eye, what conversions are, and an understanding of analytics. I think If I could change anything, I would take on a more challenging role, I wouldn't of liked it in the moment, but I would've benefited in the long run. What stands out about my project is that it came full circle. I made ad templates, I posted one of the ads I made on Facebook. Then I made landing pages and thank you pages to go with them. If you click on the Facebook ad, it will direct you to the corresponding landing page, which sends code back to Facebook. Wild.
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The advise I would give to the next generation of HTHI interns is this: don't be afraid to try new things. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started my internship, all I had was a basic idea of Photoshop and a bit of coding knowledge. Now, almost four weeks later, I have learned completely new skills and I have more direction then when I started. To be successful in your internship you have to be open minded and allow yourself (or your mentor) to challenge you. To get more out of your comfort zone before internship starts could be a good way to prepare yourself.
In what ways has your internship inspired you to think about college? Have you discovered new colleges that you are interested in attending? Have you learned about new courses to study or majors to pursue?
I might want to pursue graphic or web design in collage. I find this field very interesting and definitely something I want to explore more, and maybe consider going to collage for it. What collage I want to go to on the other hand, I have no idea. I should probably start thinking about that. I feel as if I have picked up qualities or characteristics from the people around me. When you are in the same room with a relatively small number of people, they start to rub off on you. I feel as if my desk-mate, Taylor has rubbed off on me the most. She is extremely calm, helpful, and warm. I feel like I've picked up on her calming and patient nature. I've noticed this in how I've started to handle things I'm working on. Instapage does this lovely thing, where is you move something on a page, in a way it doesn't like, it will scramble the top of the page. When I first started working on Instapage, this would frustrate me to no end. But now, I'm going with the flow. If the page gets scrambled, I know how to fix it and I can stay calm while thinking about my next steps.
I feel like I've gotten a pretty good view on what life outside of high school or even collage is going to be like. There are flexible hours and freedom, but I still have responsibilities. For my IPOL I am planning on using my computer and crome cast, so I can show my advisory landing pages, Facebook ads, and social media templates that I have created. I am going to rely on some notes that I've taken on what I need to cover. I have a pretty good understanding of my internship and I think I can take any questions that come my way, if I don't know the answer, I have learned from Brett how to avoid questions by asking questions and talking in circles. I appreciate getting to see my friends everyday and different the classes that school offers. Internship has taught me to work with others and receive and give feedback better. I have also learned a variety of skills that I will definitely use in the future. Week one I made templates for social media Facebook posts and then added client information. Week two I made finishing touches on the ads and started making landing and thank you pages. Week three I am finishing up the landing pages. Everything I have made is going to be used in the near future, or has already been used. It's a good feeling. I am going to be using my DP as a means of showing my advisory content I've created. See my "IPOL" page for more information.
Communication has played a huge role in my internship. Because I'm not a professional website designer, I need help and direction. In order to complete the projects they want me to, I need to ask questions and get critique from not only my mentor, but my co-workers too. Today I had a video call with one of my co workers that is out of state. We worked on connecting a Facebook ad I made, connecting it to a landing and thank you page. She showed me how to add coding to the website that tracks the number of site views there are. My ad goes live tomorrow. Once I asked her if she was available that day, she immediately made time for me. My co workers always make time for one another and help each other out by picking up by picking up slack and easing one another's work load.
My internship project is going well, I am in the final stages of posting an add on Facebook for one of the clients and having it go live. In order to get to this point, I made templates for Facebook ads and posts so they can use them for all of their clients. Then I used the templates to made posts and ads for two clients. Right now I am making landing pages for the ads, so when someone clicks on them it directs them to this page. Thought this process, I learned that I really like building websites, I like to create color schemes and add in pictures of the client's offices. A challenge is not having a tech background. My mentor would have to describe everything to be and I felt kind of bad for taking up his time when he was so busy. But he was totally okay with answering my questions because it meant a better finished product. Taylor, who sits next to me, always has advise and will help me if I don't know what to do. I've learned to ask her questions because she always has an answer and knows what works aesthetically. But, I've also learned to go with my gut. I tend to feel more confident in my work when I have my own ideas and I create a product that is out of the box.
LOOK AT THIS FANTASTIC PARALLEL PARKING JOB. I ALMOST COULDN'T GET OUT OF IT WHEN I LEFT IT WAS SO GOOD.
School has definite hours, we have people who are giving us assignments with definite dates, and the schedule rarely changes. I have had a different experience in my internship. Everything at my internship is flexible: dates, times, if you even come in that day or not. As long as you are productive and getting work done, you're golden. School is a different story.
I think that looking forward, I MIGHT want to go into design. This week I've made landing pages, posters, social media posts, and business cards. I really like trying new aspects of it and figuring out what works best. I am learning a lot of real-life skills that I wouldn't of learned while in school. I've had to call businesses and create content that is going live for real clients. instead of doing things for a grade, I am doing them because I have to eat (metaphorically). One thing I will bring back to school is patience. I am slowly but surely learning how to sit still over a long course of time, and manage my time when I'm waiting for others. Another lesson I will bring back is trusting others and being a team player on a team that I'm not the leader of. I have had to ask others for help making things and others have asked the same from me. Everyone has come through and all is well.
Here is a photo of a very large mushroom I found while eating lunch outside: A challenge that I'm facing at internship is learning all of the programs the agency uses. I have had to learn how to use: Canva, Wrike, Hootsuite, and right now I'm learning how to use Facebook Business.
One challenge my internship site has faced, is currently going on right now. One of the staff's emails was just hacked, and an email was sent to everyone on her email list. This email had a virus. Now the office is currently freaking out because all of their clients just got an email with a virus. Michael, one of my mentors, is currently on the phone with google staff and people are suspended from their accounts, passwords are being changed. It's a bit chaotic right now. Update: It is now 11:40 - three hours later - and everything is back up and running. All of the clients were called and notified and it looks like there isn't much damage. My mentor called google, and assigned tasks to the staff to make sure their clients aren't in harm's way. Aspen Lee:
What stands out to me is that Aspen works in a cubicle, as someone who has trouble sitting still, I applaud her. Another thing that stands out is how cute and minimalistic her DP is, it is so easy to use and clean looking. For my internship I also have to sit for the majority of my six hour day but I have people around me that I can talk to or ask questions at a moment's notice. I am a little confused about the project she is working on. Is she creating a 3-D model of an idea her co-worker has for an area or is she re-designing this area based on traffic analysis? Renee Begin: What stands out in Renee's internship is the beautiful scenery and outdoor area. I love all of the colors and murals. My internship is similar in a way that there is trust between my mentor and I, but can't relate with being able to go outside and find inspiration in my surroundings. My only question is about what her film is going to be on. Tim Matista: A standout in Tim's internship is that he is surrounded by some of the things I have come to find he loves the most, stuff that he can tinker with, and learning. In one of Tim's blog posts he talked about the raw joy he felt when Leo is proud of his work. I can relate to this, as I got the same feeling when when my mentor told me how proud she was of my work. I can't even compare my environment with Tim's, I am sitting in a silent room while he is experiencing hands-on learning. Even with Tim's description, I am still confused as to what his project is, something about fusion? Dedicated to Hailey, my biggest supporter in not only the art of selfie taking, but in life. Love you.
After only a week on Internship I've realized that I can't work at a desk job. Sitting down for six hours a day has taken a toll on not only on my back, but on my sanity. I haven't stopped squirming in my chair. I don't know what I want to do when I'm older, but sitting still is not it. Which I guess is helping me narrow down my search for a possible career path. Some office photos: What are the social interactions like at your internship workplace? Do people spend a lot of time socializing? Are people isolated, doing their own things? Do they work in open spaces, cubicles? Lots of collaboration on work projects? Not much collaboration? How does the social dynamic impact or reflect the organization’s work?
It is completely silent. So silent that I could hear someone's headphones from across the room. I was self conscious about eating my carrots because I knew people could hear me chewing. When ever people do talk it's either talking about a client or saying a dental joke. Everyone is working on their own things, so they are productive and in the zone. The work space is two rooms, one for calls with clients and the other is for working. There are two large square tables that everyone sits around and does their work. There are also comfy chairs to the side that you can work in. One of my jobs is organization for this very reason. I am going to have more then one project. My first one, I have already started. I am creating templates and social media designs for client's facebooks. This is to help me learn how to use the sites they use. Ever since I started this project, becasue I know how to use the platforms, they have given me tasks on designing headers because they were behind and now they are starting to trust me more. Every day around 1:30 one of the co-owners comes and checks on my progress and gives me critique.
My second project is going to involve an event one of the clients is having. I am going to re-create their landing page and create social media posts to promote it. My goal is to fill as many seats for this event as possible. So far I've learned how to use a website called "Canva" to make the majority of the content. I feel like I've almost mastered how to use the site. Other then that I have been using Photoshop and Wrike, a task manager. I am also slowly devoloping an artistic eye for layout and design that I definatly didn't have before internship started. This first project will help the agency be more organized and eficent in the future. Who benefits from the work that you do at your internship? Who in the community benefits from the work? Overall, that happens at your internship site? How or why do people benefit from this work? The agency I'm currently working for serves desntist and orthodontist offices all over the united states. Here is a picture of a map they have in the office that has a pin on all of their clients. (the pins are blue and a little hard to see) Looking in on an average work day, it dosnt lookk like a lot happens, there isnt a lot of movement, it is either scilent or there is jazz music playing in the background. There is almost always someone on the phone. Almost everything, if not all of the work they do is online. There are people making websites, updating them, creating facebook posts and talking to clients. We are making dentists more wealthy by getting them more clients.
The biggest surprise was the dogs. The two co-owners own three dogs they bring to work almost everyday. They have a little Yorkie, a miniature poodle, and a cocker spaniel. They are all licenced therapy dogs who roam the office and take naps in people's laps while they work. Unfortunately the dogs were not in the office today because one of them is sick. (I will post photos the next time I see them)
The company I am interning at doesn't have a mission statement, but I feel as if "whatever is best for each particular client" they go out of their way to personalize their help for each dental office they help and will never recommend to do something that isn't best for that client. I saw this happen today, a client had dipped in their steady stream of new patents and they didn't know why or what to do. The agency's team members had a meeting discussing it and how they could help the client gain more new patents. They didn't break until they had a set plan they could immediately take action on. The individual client is always first.
My mentor grew up in Wisconsin, she co founded her company with another Wisconsinnative. She originally wanted have a personal digital marketing company for all lines of business. What ended up happening, was her first few clients ended up being dentists and orthodontists. She quickly learned a lot about the field and decided to dedicate her company completely, so she could be more knowledgeable and become make a name for her company in the industry. So far she has been very successful. She has clients from all over the US, she is beginning to hire more staff due to the rising number of clients and demand for the service she is selling.
Because my mentor is under the weather and camera shy, here is a picture of a lovely succulent in the office: I hope my internship goes smoothly, fingers crossed it isn't going to be as scary as I've made it up in my mind to be. I fear my internship is going to be overwhelming and they will give me too much work and I will panic. My dream or goal is to master the art of web design. They are expecting a lot out of me and I want to not only live up to those expectations, but exceed them. I am interested in learning more about marketing and what tools they use/ how to use them . Just from going to the site visit, I can tell that I am going to be challenged, but my mentor wants to help me as much as possible and let me work on what I am interested in.
I am most thankful for the guidance and patience that my mentors and coworkers have given me. They challenge me to go outside of my comfort zone and do things that I wouldn't necessarily do as a teenager. An example of this was today, when they asked me to come up with a list of Austin photographers and call them to get estimates. Talking on the phone is not one of my area of expertise, but I definitely learned from the experience and now I am better on the phone.
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2017 Internship
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