I landed my internship with Smyle via the 10,000 Black Interns programme. After looking at various agencies and doing some research on them and what they stood for, it was super clear to me that Smyle was the place I wanted to spend my time as it seemed we shared the same sentiment and values.
After interviews with a few of the Smyle team, the deal was sealed, and I started as an intern with the Strategy & Marketing Team on 6th June. I was excited by the feeling of not having a clue what to expect!
Fast forward 4 months, I’ve learnt a lot about life working at an agency, what it would be like to work in both strategy & marketing, but even more so, I’ve learnt a lot about myself and what I want out of my future career. Although feeling a little uncertain about what EXACTLY my future will look like, I’m excited because through this experience I’m now on a new path with a new bank of knowledge.
Here are three of the main lessons I’ve learned and will stay with me.
One: I am not alone
A key takeaway of mine from this Internship was that my team are there to help me in any which way. I should not be afraid to feel like I don’t know something if I don’t, and that is okay. Coming from a retail background I initially found it quite hard to ask for help, I would set myself tasks and think I had to complete them alone, this was not the case and there were so many people around that could happily provide assistance if I was stuck.
Two: I am not Google
I used to feel quite a bit of guilt when I used Google to gather information. It feels quite a bit like I’m cheating on a test or I’m reading off the notes of the smartest student in the classroom. It was after speaking to my line manager that I came to understand that it’s something everyone does. It’s also what Google is there for, it’s number one for a reason!
Three: I don’t have to be something I’m not
For some strange reason, I kept forgetting that everyone knew my skill level. I had the expectation that my work should look like the work of everyone else on my team. I would beat myself up for a while and then be reminded that I had little to no experience in marketing or strategy and everyone was cool with that. After several conversations about the pressure I was putting on myself I came to understand that I was doing just fine.
All in all my experience with Smyle has been amazing and I wish the agency the best of luck in the future. The people working for Smyle are fantastic and I wish them the best in everything they do. Smyle is going to continue to do great things and be incredible, as am I.