By Katherine Schober, Account Coordinator
Like most recent graduates, the job search was an exciting and overwhelming process. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, I wasn’t sure where I’d end up. But still, I packed my bags. Finally after more than enough interviews, I made the long drive to the beautiful sunshine state, where shorts are almost always in season and wearing sandals in December doesn’t mean frostbite. I am embracing the sandy beaches and leaving the heavy winter coat and snow boots behind. With more places to Check-in on Foursquare in a five mile radius than in the entire town of Norman, Oklahoma, adjusting to the large city of Miami, Florida has been easier than I expected.
The size of this city is only one of the changes I’ve had to get used to. There is a strong presence of cultures from all over the world in this city. I have spotted families from Russia, Argentina, and Cuba in my apartment complex alone. These people may not speak the same language, but they have a common ground. Miami is truly a modern-day melting pot, where anyone from anywhere can come to reinvent themselves. With that in mind, I’ve decided that this culturally-diverse city demands something of me, of all its inhabitants; to be the best version of ourselves to make up the best city in the state. I’m in a new place, with new faces, a new job in downtown Hollywood, FL, and a new name? Well, maybe not a legal new name, but maybe a nickname to embody this fun and fresh new path my life has taken.
Allow me to introduce myself: I am iSource Digital’s newest intern; a determined gal from the south who dreams of success and is best known by friends for a feisty personality. My name is Katherine, but you can call me Carmelita.
My first week as an iSource intern has flown by. I’ve taken it upon myself to rename my position “The Human Sponge,” as I am soaking up any and all relevant information about the industry. I’ve become so focused on experiencing everything I couldn’t be taught in a classroom, which of course they don’t tell you in school, happens to be a lot. The way we advertise and communicate continues to change drastically, and a university’s curriculum should reflect those changes. The use of Facebook, for example, has gone from a database of student profiles to a directory of people, businesses, and common interests. Social media is not something to be ignored, by universities, advertising agencies, or their clients. For the past week, I have been using sites like Facebook and Twitter to implement marketing strategies that help a client reach their target audience and company goals. I thought because I had been on Facebook for years and taken part in the occasional “tweet” that I knew everything worth knowing about these social media venues. Wrong. I was incredibly wrong. Don’t even get me started on the programs that are available to help manage accounts and schedule activity. I was shaking my fist (with some choice words) toward the social media class I never took. Fortunately, I’m a fast learner and feel more confident in my knowledge and experience with social media after just one week. Working for an interactive agency is opening my eyes to the world of digital marketing and even after a short time, I already feel confident that when my internship ends, I’ll be ready. That being said, I’m still far from seasoned in agency experience, and so with much to learn, my “sponge-hood” continues.
