An internship family

Internship opportunities are everywhere. Paid and unpaid. No matter your major there are jobs everywhere. These jobs are the golden opportunities for students.

Last summer, I worked as a marketing and social media intern in Boise. I may have been the underdog, but I wasn’t treated like one.

Lindsay Trombly | Argonaut

I was a part of a team of tight niched people who are experts in social media marketing. They know which audience to target with ads, and ultimately how to get customers to put that one more item in the basket at the store.

When people think of an internship, they often think of the file organizer or the coffee fetcher, but I wasn’t that at all.

I was included in meetings with banners, and divisions that are a part of this corporation. I was included in all the important marketing pushes we created. I dove deeper into the marketing business than I ever thought was possible.

You never know what experiences an internship will provide.

Apply for every internship that interests you, whether its applicable to your major or not. I’m not a marketing major but this opportunity has enhanced my social media skills to make me a better employee. More than anything, it was fun.

I was paid to work in a place that allowed me to grow and form relationships with people in my field. Those relationships have even been incredibly useful to me this year.

These kinds of relationships are the ones you’ll form in an internship. These people will want to help you in future successes. They are the people on your references, the ones who know your work ethic the most.

Other than doing normal tasks every day at my company, I also created presentations in front of the company — the big dogs. It was terrifying to talk in front of people who are in power of a such a big company. But ultimately, I received great experience from giving a professional business presentation.

I was blown away by my internship. These opportunities teach you how to work in the industry, they give you great relationships with people in larger companies and most of all give you so much experience in what you love to do.

So, if you’re afraid you’re not ready to have an internship, don’t worry — you are.

Submit your application. You might just end up getting an amazing opportunity. If it doesn’t happen this year, don’t worry. Try again next year.

Lindsay Trombly can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @lindsay_trombly