While winding down my last days here at Well Done Marketing, I was asked to fill out an exit survey. At first, I felt like I had enough on my mind to provide insightful feedback on my experience this summer. I filled out question after question, then suddenly, I stopped. I had been stumped by one question: Please indicate what you enjoyed the most about your employment at Well Done Marketing?
This is kind of like asking a kindergartener what his favorite part of the day was: He tells you about gym and recess and lunch and his best friend Tommy and Tommy’s favorite TV show and he just goes on…and on…and on. The point is, I can’t fit what I enjoyed the most about Well Done in a simple, one-line answer. So instead, I’ll respond in two parts. The first part being the well-polished answer that could be asked at my next interview. The second part being the answer I would give to my family and friends.
Part I
I enjoyed this experience because it helped me develop further as a professional in the field of marketing. There were no grades involved, and no reflection paper assigned at the end (I voluntarily wrote the notes to this blog throughout my internship so I could remember why I loved working here so much). Along with no grades, I was able to explore topics I enjoyed researching. Also, my workload was very flexible. Although I managed multiple assignments at once, it was never so much work that it stressed me out. I could go on about the tasks I accomplished and the assignments I was given, but that’s not what I enjoyed the most about my experience.
Part 2
I’ve always said that what makes any job enjoyable are the people. And these are my type of people. First off, they are always in good spirits and always focused. From my first day, I felt welcomed. I’ll undoubtedly miss the friendly “Good morning!” I received every day. Secondly, they are all understanding people. I have asked a number of questions that, in hindsight, I would most likely deem as “stupid.” But the people here were in my shoes once, too, so they were always willing to help in any way. And they constantly asked if I was enjoying my internship and assignments.
While some people take credit for their work, these people are very selfless. I had the pleasure of celebrating the launch of a website they had worked on for over a year and a half. Not a single person took all the credit. Praise was given to everyone involved in the project. It was a team effort, and it was celebrated as one.
These people also know how to work hard and have fun. We could go for hours working quietly on our projects, but the silence could suddenly be broken by a simple question that escalates into a 20-minute game of “Can you name all the Pixar movies?”
But the thing I will miss most are those short conversations I’ve had with everyone about everything from world news and nostalgic references (sometimes to things not even in my generation) to personal stories about families and kids. Through each conversation, I have learned so much about these people and their character. To describe them in simple terms, they are truly nerds. And to me, nerds are the coolest people. They are knowledgeable in their fields of expertise, they are creative thinkers, and they have a goofy wit that I’ve enjoyed throughout. This summer, these people became not only my colleagues, but also my second family. They will be truly missed.