How has your internship experience made you consider your college path that will ultimately lead to your career?
Over the course of the inernship I have gained a lot of valuable experience that will definitely help me in the future in regard to my college plans as well as for my career. As internship is wrapping up I'm excited to go into senior year with the work experience that I now have, I feel more prepared for this summer as well, as I plan on getting a job to help me pay for college. College is something very important to me, I have been looking into different colleges, majors, and minors for years now and I'm glad that I finally have some work experience that directly connects to what I want to study. I think that it will increase my chances of getting into some programs and since my project allowed me to create a portfolio of sorts, I feel like I've gotten an amazing start so far. The areas that I plan on going into are Marketing and Illustration, and the work that I got to do in my internship was very helpful in these areas. My project allowed me to create graphics for some much needed experience in marketing. I was originally worried about getting into a good marketing program because as a teenager you can't exactly get a job at a marketing agency to gain that specific experience, now that I have some kind of knowledge in that area I feel more prepared than ever for my college experience and for my future career in marketing. My mentor and coworkers were also amazing when helping me gain this work experience, my mentor especially. Before my internship began, Mr. Lewis wanted to have a meeting about the internship and what it would intail, he also wanted to discuss my project in particular. We discussed a lot of potential ways that I could assist in all of the work that needed to be done, particularly concerning the marketing work which was very helpful as he suggested the social media graphics which peaked my interest. Mr. Lewis is a very hard worker and is always determined and commited to his work which I found very admirable throughout the internship, it was a wonderful experience to work at the shop because of the amazing environment that he created as well as everyone's shared passion for comics. It was a great internship and I am glad I got to gain some very helpful work experience in things like marketing work, retail operations, and product placement, it will ultimately help me further my career and I'm grateful I got the opporotunity!
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My 11th grade internship project is focused around marketing. I would like to go into a career based on this and wanted to implement it in an area that I'm passionate about. I did this by discussing the project with my mentor, before the internship started I had a meeting with my mentor about the project and asked about some work that he needed to be done surrounding some of the marketing. He often has to make a lot of graphics for social media advertising events and comic creator signings, so that's what my project became. My final products are a series of graphics that I have made for the business over the course of my internship and for various events and store products. I have created several posters, Instagram posts, and Facebook posts for the shop. When creating these graphics, I went through a process for each one. The first thing that I did was start out with the basic images, then see how they could fit together by moving them around and trying different formats. After everything is in its place, I add details to make the image look nicer, for example on a lot of the product advertisements I added glowing light or cloud effects to tie it all together, make it blend into the background a little better. After this I create at least one more design option for the graphic and send it to my mentor. Below I have provided final images for some of my products, though there are a lot more on my presentation. I am happy with most of them and seeing as it was my first time attempting a project like this, I really enjoyed it. How did you make a meaningful contribution to the workplace? I made a meaningful contribution by helping out around the shop, doing all of the jobs that nobody had the time to get around to. Most of this includes organizing and alphabetizing merchandise, as it is a job that takes some time and focus to get done. However, I have done a variety of different jobs over the course of my time here so far. I think that my work here has been pretty impactful, my mentor is a very busy person and often has too much work to do all on his own, so I help. He does have two other employees, but some jobs are more specific to the business and not to retail operations, which takes up most of their time because it's more of a constant job. One of the jobs that I am in charge of is making the graphics and advertisements for the business's social media and other events like signings or card games, etc. This is just one of the jobs that has to do that I help with, it also goes perfectly with what I wanted my project to be focused on, so it all worked out great. Is your work as an intern meaningful to your education? I would say so, yes. In college I want to go into two specific areas of study, majoring in business relations with a concentration in marketing and minoring in something illustration based. I chose these two areas for my future education because I believe that they will help me achieve my career goals more efficiently and help me get to where I want to be career-wise. I have always been intrigued by marketing and think that I understand it pretty well, so I wanted to study it later in my school life to mold it into my career. I have also always been passionate about the comic industry, and the work that I am doing on my internship is helping me to study just that. With my project I am able to work on most of their social media and digital marketing for the business, while being surrounded by comics, marketing for what I'm passionate about. I think that it has definitely given me some good experience, seeing as I had not had any job experiencing in marketing beofre this. How might internship influence the direction of your life? The way that internship has influenced me so far is that it has pushed me forward into more of the work side of life after high school. I have known for a while about what I would like to study in college, but seeing what a career would be like and what the work would be like has opened my eyes to more of what I could do in this industry. Making connections and pushing myself into more of the professional side of what I love to do has given me a new perspective of what to expect and of what the work is really like. This has given me the chance to look at my career more thoughtfully and determine whether it's the right fit for me or not, looking at all different sides of a possible career in the industry. I have found that I really enjoy it, every part of the job, even though there's a lot of organizing. What qualities or characteristice did you see in the people around you that you want to develop in yourself? Why? One of the characteristics that I admire in my coworkers is their passion for their jobs and their knowledge about every series that we seem to have. A big part of the job here is helping customers find what they need and they often ask what a series is about or what happens in a specific issue. What I found very impressive was their ability to know the answer off the top of their heads, even though we have a crazy amount of comics in the shop and a lot of different series, I'm not sure when they find the time to read them all. The other quality that I have found would be the work ethic that my mentor has. He is a very hard worker and has a lot of work that he does for the business as the owner and he manages to find a way to complete his work, and is always very busy. I hope that when I get into my career after college that these two qualities could help me to get there because I think that they are the most important, especially with the specific career that I would like to go into. Part of my internship work is to keep photographic record of the things that I work on, most of my work for my project is digital so a majority of the photos are of some of the work I have done for my project so far. I have included a photo of some of my organization work, however. 1. The first of these photos is an example of more of the work I do outside of my project, just things around the shop. Some of the things that I help with is hanging posters, working the register, answering calls, helping bag and board the comics when new merchandise comes in that we have to carry in, and most of all, organization. I have organized a lot of Magic cards and comics so far, each syatems are alphabetical and have specific bins and boxes that the merchandise goes to. For example, different cards go to different box sets and are organized alphabetical within those specific boxes, graphic novels are also prganized based on name brand (DC or Marvel, etc.) and alphabetical within those shelves. 2. The next four photos are all marketing social media advertisements for events or new merchandise that I have done for my project. This photo in particular is for a signing that is coming up, an event advertisement. This was probably the first graphic that I worked on for the shop, and the first creator event signing that I have made a graphic for. I am working on one for another signing on the same day, but normally I work on merchandise advertisements. The requirements are usually to make a Facebook post, poster, and Instagram post. Though, I always try to make at least two of each so that there are options with the images I am given, so that they have some designs to choose from. 3, 4, 5. These last three photos are examples of some of the merchandise and product graphic advertisements that I have done. I have a lot of fun making these because there are a lot less requirements and a lot less images to work with, so you end up having a lot more creative freedom. The first one of these that I completed, I decided to have some fun with it and made some effects around the images I was given, in an attempt to make it look more eye-catching. It was originally just a draft, but my mentor liked it so I stuck with having fun with the effects on the product merchandising to keep some kind of consistency within the posts, and to make them more eye-catching. How have you advocated for yourself during your internship, or seen advocacy demonstrated in other situations?
A lot of my internship project requires me to interact with my mentor in regards to the marketing posts and digital material that I put together. A way that I have sort of self advocated is by suggesting changes made to certain graphics or deciding which images would look best in which formats. A lot of what happens at the comic shop is reorganizing and restocking, part of that is to organize the product in a way that would look aesthetically pleasing or works better in the space that it's in. I have worked a lot with reorganizing and restocking things, so making sure that things look nice or marketing the product based on placement is very important. For example, on one of my first days working in the shop I had to make sure all of the products were accounted for in the shipment, then place some of them on the shelves. The first time I did this was with dice sets, and the second was with some action figures that go on a specific shelf. However, when organizing them you have to make sure more popular ones are up front, and if one of the products was a duplicate, to put it behind the other to save space for a different product. Just one of the smaller ways I assisted in marketing. Are you following the advice in, "How to be an intern everyone remembers"? If so, how is it working out? If not, what are you going to start doing? I think that in the two weeks that I have been working here, I have grown used to being here and have a solid relationship with all of my coworkers. I do a lot of the organization and graphics that need to be done, and while doing those tasks I think that we have all gotten along really well and that I've made a bit of an impression. I also have been trying to assist customers if I'm organizing something nearby and they're looking for something. The other day I was organizing some graphic novels in the back room and a couple was looking for a specific comic, at the shop we have an alphabetical system of organization so I explained to them that if they couldn't find it that it was probably in the certain section that it would be in alphabetically, which I think helped bring me out of my shell a little bit. Now I feel more confident in helping customers if they need help and I feel that the opportunities that I've had so far to socialize and make an impression have really paid off. Of course I would still like to continue with this and become less shy at work, but I think that it's going well so far and I'm excited to participate more socially. !. What are your main duties and responsibilities?
Being a small business owner you really have a part in everything that needs to be done. He says that customer service is one of the biggest things that he works on, keeping the customers happy. He does this by seeing what the customers buy and order either more of that specific issue of the comic or ordering comics similar to what he sees people buying, it's all about what the customer is interested in and that is what he bases his product orders off of. Staffing and accounting are also two of the bigger jobs that he has to do, working on bills and orders that come in, insurance, etc. He also works with a lot of different comic creators to provide the customers with quality content and things that everyone would be interested in. Maintaining a clean store is another thing, creating fun events and making sure that the store is organized. 2. What made you want to work in the comic industry? / How did you end up working in this industry? His first job was actually at a comic store, he always had an interest in comics since he was a kid and working with comics was always very enjoyable. He has worked at other jobs, either that payed more or were more career-oriented, but always found that he was more happy working with comics. It was what he really loved working with and working in different fields just never really felt the same. He said that though it is definitely more work than he has ever put into a job, practically working 24/7, he still wouldn't rather be anywhere else. He's surrounded by people who share the same interests as him, who he can talk to about what they're all passionate about and who he trusts, and at the end of the day it's a better experience. He gets to meet up with a lot of cool comic creators at conventions and work with them as well, whether it be for variant comic covers for the shop or signings. 3. What skills are nessecary for your job position? / How important is getting along with other people in your career? Organization is one of the big requirements, you need to keep track of when people are working, what comic signings you have and when, what time and how much of certain products to order, paying bills, etc. Organization can keep you from having to deal with certain burdens later on, wheter it be financial or otherwise. Social skills is another key attribute that a small business owner in the industry needs to have, or any employee really. He said that it is very hard to get where you want to go if you can't properly connect with others, making connections is what the comic industry is all about, especially when you're on the business or retail end. You have to treat every customer with the highest priority, be like their best friend to make them feel welcome and prioritized no matter how busy you are. This way, they have an overall better experience and will reccommend the store to their friends. This creates a better environment for your customers and makes them feel more at home at your business, to feel more invited and welcome. 4. What is a typical work day like? / How is the organization structured? / What is the purpose of this organization? Typically opening around noon, cleaning up the store, getting the register set up, and placing orders for customers or taking inventory of new products that come in. A lot of what is done is finding a place for new products and putting it into the system to keep it organized, this takes a while but is ultimately more helpful as it makes it easier for us to find the product later on. Setting prices is also a part of the process, making sure everything is priced correctly because there are a lot of different items throughout the store, some comics, though in the same series, could be priced differently based on the cover or if it's signed or not, etc. During the hours the store is open, usually the work is based around the customers and what they need, hosting events is also a big part of that (Magic card events, Pokemon, etc.) A lot of what they do in the store as well is upselling, reccommending different series or items to customers based on what they're interested in to sell more product. This overall helps the store sell more and helps make more room for new items. He also deals with a lot of emails and special orders that some customers pre-order or ask him to hold for them. Intern Reflection: A great connection from the work I've done at school to the internship is definitely the amount of socializing and organization that goes into this line of work. I have done a lot of organization for the shop, mostly being card and comic organization, as well and various other jobs. Recently we did a library project where my group members and I were in charge of cataloging all of the books. That experience, along with social experience in group settings, has really helped me in my work on the comic shop. It would have definitely taken me a minute to figure out how to correctly catalog the merchandice, but since I had that experience in school, I have saved time and gotten more work done at my internship. So far throughout my internship I have had many amazing experiences, made new friends, and seen a lot of amazing comic art that fueled my very soul. I would have to say though, that one defining moment that I have had so far would be around horror movies. We put on movies at the shop to pass the time and when working on putting the bags and boards together for the comics, we watched a horror movie while we worked. I am a generally very jumpy person and get easily scared, but had never really seen a horror movie before. I thuroughly enjoyed it and discussed the ending with another employee afterwards. Other than that, I have made friends at the shop and am close with most of the staff now, everyone is very welcoming and funny, it takes all of the stress away from work and is a great environment to be working in. From what I have learned so far is that the business's main purpose is to be a place where people can have fun and express their hobbies freely. Somewhere where people can connect and find people who are just as passionate as themselves. Before I started working as an intern at this comic shop, I had been buying comics from them for about a year. I would only visit for a short while, but every time I had some free time I would try my best to visit the shop. And from my personal experience, the shop has accomplished its goal. I normally don't get the chance to find people who are passionate about the comic industry as I am, but working here is really somewhere I feel like I belong because of just how passionate everyone is about their jobs. Some skills that I hope to develop from this internship is a good work ethic, experience in retail and product placement, and my marketing skills. I have already gotten the chance with my internship project to practice my marketing skills, and so far I think that it has really helped. I have never really gotten a chance to practice any marketing skills officially or design skills though I have the resources. Now that I have the opporotunity, I think that I have already improved and learned new things along the way. My mentor also knows a lot about marketing because of his experience in running the shop so his advice on comic marketing in particular has really helped. I have also learned a lot about marketing from my dad, all advice that I really value now that I can put it to use in my project! The reason I chose to work at a comic shop was to work in the industry that I'm passionate about, and to implement a project based on what I plan on pursuing as my career in the future. I plan on pursuing a career in marketing and wanted to strengthen those skills during my internship, so far I have done exactly that. I've had some wonderful opporotunities to practice design and marketing for the business and they have gone well.
My internship project will be the marketing and design work that I do for the store's different social medias to advertise events such as creator, writer, or artist signings. Some examples being posters with event times and dates, social media posts, banners, etc. Most of the requirements being that they have to have the event's date, times, creator's name and the content they are known for, and on certain posts, a photo of the creator. Final products will include the final drafts of these posters and posts, etc. And previous drafts made, as well as the different options. So far what I have done with this work is create a couple of different options (at least two) for my mentor to choose from for the final design that he will post. This way we won't be stuck with only one design, just in case another doesn't work well with the format or another problem occurs, we can have an extra option just in case one doesn't fit right. As far as support and materials goes, all I would need is the required images sent from my mentor for the next signing, and critique on designs as the process goes along. I'm excited to work on the next posts for creator signing's or other events that need to be advertised. When I first started my internship, I was very excited to finally begin. I have always been very passionate about the comic community and have always felt very at home in places such as conventions and comic shops. It was no surprise when I started the internship that I felt that I fit right in. At first, I worked on organization and other things to help out the shop. Some of the things that I worked on the first day was organizing Magic cards, graphic novels, hanging posters, and beginning my planning for the marketing aspect of my project. I really enjoy helping out with organization and taking inventory, among similar tasks, for the shop. I enjoy doing the work because it’s for something I’m very passionate about, and when organizing comics, I’m certainly not opposed to being able to see all of the amazing cover art of the new comics we get in, and admiring some of the magic cards I was able to organize as well.
My coworkers are very nice and are very knowledgeable in terms of the world of comics. They are glad for the extra help, especially when the store usually gets very busy around the time people would be getting out of school, around 3:00. Everyone competes in card events and buying comics, having a great time. I hope to be able to work in customer service in the future to recommend series to the customers or to be more involved because everyone there is always just as excited to be there as everyone else. My mentor, Mathias, is very friendly and has been extremely accommodating. He has been very helpful with my project most of all, we sat down and had a meeting on my first day to discuss internship parameters and how my project should be laid out. In the beginning of plannings for the internship I had told him about my project and how I planned on focusing on the marketing side of owning a business, and as it turns out, there’s a lot more marketing to comics than I had thought. My other coworkers have also been an absolute delight to work with, since we all work in a comic shop there’s always something new that people are discussing and everyone is so passionate about these comics, I feel like I fit in very well. They are all a great team and get along so well, it’s an amazing environment to be a part of. In college I plan on studying marketing and illustration, so that I can get a job in marketing after college and create my own comic on the side. Because of my passion for both these areas of study, I figured that a comic shop would be perfect for this, I now have a great opportunity for marketing in my internship project. The only thing that I need to work on, other than the tasks around the shop, is to begin on the poster that I am putting togeher for a comic creator that is coming into the shop soon. I have all of the materials that I need and hope to start working on the first poster tomorrow, if all goes well. Hopefully I can download the images onto my device and start working on it, I hope to create something that will look nice in terms of design to help with the marketing aspect of the event. So far, I have had a great experience and can’t wait to work on my project more. This year my career day took place at Knowhere Games and Comics, my internship site. Career day for our internship was more of a trial run, getting used to being on site and tying up any loose ends. My career day consisted of just this. My internship business opens around noon and I arrived on time at twelve and waited for the store to open. Since my mentor was busy this day I worked with Ken, my mentor's business partner, and was given some organization to do. For the hours that I was there I spent my time cataloging and alphabetizing the comics in the back of the store. I finished cataloging and organizing sections A and B, which consisted of two packed boxes each so I was content with the amount that I had gotten finished. It was really nice to have a task to work on with my time there and I enjoyed organizing the different series and seeing the new comics for different series. I also got the chance to organize some older comics in with the mix and it was amazing to see the different styles and how the characters have changed over time. My mentor and I have discussed what I will work on for my internship and now I think that my project is ready and finally all planned out. I am very confident in the marketing and design work that I will be doing for my project and the business and am excited to start working on it when the internship starts.
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Savannah F.A blog following my 11th grade internship. |