Throughout my college career, the importance of getting an internship was reiterated time and again by many of my professors. Internships can lead to future job opportunities, educate you on how to act in a corporate environment, and they are a great way to network. You may think you know what you want to do, but an internship allows you to test out the career path to see if it is truly the right fit.
When I found out I was going to be interning in the marketing department at Schneider Downs, I was beyond excited and with that came a lot of nerves. On my first day of orientation I met the other summer interns. A lot of them were interested in what a marketing intern at a public accounting firm actually does. To tell the truth, at that time, I was not so sure myself, but throughout my internship I learned much more than I’d anticipated and gained significant real-world experience. Everyone in the marketing department was very welcoming and made me feel as though I was part of the marketing team. During the course of my internship, I attended meetings and corporate events and conducted research on prospective clients. I learned how to use different software programs for designing brochures and posting on the company website. My managers had given me a variety of projects to always keep me busy. One of my accomplishments was a first of its kind for Schneider Downs. I created a slide show presentation displayed in our café that welcomes new hires, acknowledges the recent promotions of our employees and highlights events going on within the workplace and around the downtown community.
Besides gaining real-world experience, one of the main reasons my internship was so special was because of the culture here at Schneider Downs. Every day you are greeted by people around the office even if you are not on a first-name basis. Everyone helped me, no matter if it was just figuring out how to print and copy, finding someone’s office, or making coffee. My managers went out of their way to tell me how much they appreciated my work, which made me feel valued. During my summer, I was able to build personal relationships with my coworkers and my fellow interns. For a group of interns not knowing one another we became great friends in such a short amount of time. We were able to meet for lunch every day, attend the company’s Kennywood day, go to watch the Penguins during the Stanley Cup Finals at the big screen, and participated in an Escape Room. The strong company culture made coming to work every day easy and created a more productive work environment, as well as strong friendships.
Although the summer is coming to end, I am grateful for the opportunity to be the summer marketing intern at one of the region’s top public accounting firms. This internship has given me confidence in my abilities and has become an important stepping stone for my future career and for that I am thankful.
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