Reflection
This internship has been one my best experiences. While working at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), I received hands-on experience meeting with small business entrepreneurs in a confidential and professional environment. I had the opportunity to apply my educational, organizational, and time management skills to assist in solving real life business issues through counseling sessions with clients and gained clarity on what steps to take to realize business goals.
In counseling sessions, I gained a new perspective of the issues that small business owners face and learned about the policies and procedures that govern them. I was challenged to find ways to meet the clients’ needs and that meant conducting detailed research. I also learned about an assortment of industries from chocolates manufacturing to beauty products, each industry having unique and special needs.
The crux of my experience was creating internal and public-facing documents which I became very familiarized with. In continuing my desire to work in communications, social media and content management was a large part of my experience. I created a wide range of marketing strategies ranging from press releases and promotional materials to social media and communications processes.
The following objectives were met:
- I gained hands-on learning experience in professional and technical writing skills by composing and publishing documentations.
- I managed technical communications processes and digital infrastructure of a large collaborative by working on SBDC’s new website.
- I increased my knowledge about communications and public relations by applying social media strategies.
- I demonstrate professionalism and increase the credibility of my professional and technical writing degree.
- I added to the compilation of my e-portfolio and accreditation of my projects.
On a whole, I had a very productive internship. There was always something to learn and do and I was fortunate to learn about the policies and procedures. The staff were all very accommodating and eager for me to contribute. As the SBDC is a very client based organization, I appreciated meeting clients and discussing ways that SBDC would help them.
As I prepare for graduation, I feel even more confident that along with my degree, the experiences from my internship, will put me on the right path to a career in communication and social media.
