The question: what’s next? It is one of the simplest yet terrifying questions ever. We were asked it when we graduated high school, expected to have a plan for our lives at eighteen. We are then faced with it once again when we graduate college, what’s next? What do you plan to do with this knowledge and experience you’ve gained? I would be lying if I didn’t say I was hesitant in which direction I would take my life; those are big decisions. I took it one day at a time. I graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with my Bachelor of Arts in Communication, focused on starting my career in marketing, while also being interested in a few other areas such as events and public relations.
There is one thing I know for sure; I am a hands-on learner, I want to learn and experience by doing. I knew the second I graduated I wanted to obtain an internship in marketing to further my knowledge to find my passion. I started by submitting resumes and individualized cover letters to marketing companies in the Fort Collins area that I was genuinely intrigued by and felt would be a good fit for me personally. That is when I found The Source Marketing Group. I am now an intern here and have been for a few weeks now. Already, I have learned a lot, and was given an overview of what to expect from my internship, which left me thrilled for the upcoming months. What sets this company apart from others is The Source Marketing Group has a true love for marketing, and thoroughly enjoys what they do. That makes it ten times better for me to learn from them, because they love what they’re doing and want me to understand and love it as well. This is the exact kind of internship I needed to uncover my passion for marketing.
One of my upcoming responsibilities for my internship will consist of marketing a podcast called “Market Like A Badass”. My duties will consist of promoting the podcast to our target audience by using the appropriate digital channels such as Facebook and other social media pages. I will also have a focus as creating an environment for the listeners to provide feedback, ask questions, and receive updates about the podcast, such as the Facebook page as well, Instagram and other online communities. This portion I am really looking forward to because I will be able to connect/communicate with the audience about the podcast, see what they want to hear, post polls to figure what they like/helps them, perhaps meet others with podcasts, figure out what works, and improve on what doesn’t. There are many possibilities that will come from publicly engaging with the audience, which I am excited to learn and experience.
Another part of this internship will consist of me learning the ropes to planning events and executing them. The event I will be helping with is called the Rocky Mountain Brew Run in May. I am very enthusiastic about this process because it will be my first time helping put on an event. I look forward to learning the organization behind it, their system for it, their practices, and in general, how to effectively have an event with a good outcome. Once again, I am a tactile learner, so I am ready to work on this and experience it to find out if I also have a knack and passion for event planning as well.
Lastly, one of my true passions is dance. Both dancing and teaching brings me a lot of joy. Currently, I am a coach for a high school dance team and we are trying to grow our team by reaching more people to come and try out. I bring this up for two reasons. First, I am learning how to reach target audiences and promoting specific products or services while in this internship, therefore I feel lucky to be able to use that knowledge to complete assignments for The Source Marketing Group while also being able to use it in another area of my life. This gives me more tools, more learning experiences, and more practice. Second, if you asked me my ultimate end game for my career, years down the road, it would be to open my own dance studio. I understand that marketing is one of the biggest necessities for a new business to get your name out there, and to not only gain customers but keep them. All I can say is I am ready to get started with my career in marketing by learning and doing as much as I possibly can through this internship with The Source Marketing Group.
Author Profile:
Kayla Gentry is a recent graduate from the University of Northern Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. She is currently an intern at The Source Marketing Group, who is both eager and enthusiastic to absorb as much knowledge and gain as much experience as possible. Ideally, to figure out where her true passion lies in either marketing or events and start her career.
Kayla Gentry is a recent graduate from the University of Northern Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. She is currently an intern at The Source Marketing Group, who is both eager and enthusiastic to absorb as much knowledge and gain as much experience as possible. Ideally, to figure out where her true passion lies in either marketing or events and start her career.