As exam season grips the nation and students start to think about what’s next, Account Manager Tegen Shipp, takes a look at internships, her experience of being an intern with Wild Card and why eight years later, she’s still here.
“There’s such a vast range of jobs available (many of which didn’t even exist ten years ago), so it can be difficult to know where to start when choosing a career route. That is where I was as a 15-year-old when I embarked on a week-long internship with Wild Card during my Year 9 Work Experience week. Little did I know how this would impact the career that would lie ahead of me.
“Eight years, multiple summer internships at the consultancy and a degree later, I have now truly settled into the Wild Card way of life. Although my role has changed significantly since my days interning to now being an account manager, the basics that I learnt in those early days have given me a solid foundation.
“Recently I have been spending some time in a local secondary school, discussing the futures that lie ahead of the students. Just like me, most of them are unsure of what path they would like to take – and this is where I feel internships can have a huge role to play.
“Interning gives a unique opportunity to get under the skin of a job, what it entails, the perks and (as with all jobs!) the downfalls. This can give guidance to what is personally important in a future career – whether that be flexible working, travel or working in a big team.
“It can be just as beneficial if an intern experience wasn’t quite as expected. Perhaps the culture was slightly different, day-to-day tasks weren’t as varied or more time is spent in the office than envisaged. This experience can help to strike that particular job off the list and allow time and space to explore a different career option.
“Being open-minded can allow for the opening of different doors, that just might lead to a dream job.”
If you are interested in chatting about a PR internship in our London, Bristol or Cornwall office, please drop us a note at hello@wildcard.co.uk.