Journal 2: Organization/Personal Goals of Your Internship

When I first decided to find an internship, my main goal was to gain real-world work experience. Although organizing events, creating promotional materials, and serving as General Manager for my campus' radio station gives me some experience working with outside companies and a variety of people, I knew working in a more professional environment would be different than working with students. An internship seemed like a good way to meet more people, especially in a field related to my interests, and to get a sense for the work environment without too much pressure.


My other goals include improving my photography and communication skills. I have taken photography classes but mostly shoot as a hobby. As part of the internship, I would like to gain more experience shooting in different situations and for different reasons, such as for promotional materials. Additionally, sometimes I have trouble communicating what I think clearly or become anxious in social situations. Until now, I have worked alone more often that with other people, so I hope working closely with others in an office setting, and also with museum guests at events, will help me improve in these areas. Finally, I would like to gain more skills in general. These include anything from using different software to advertising techniques. Of course I would like to reach these goals while also doing as much as I can to help the Museum.

At Higgins, my purpose is to work on marketing overall and for events. Currently, marketing responsibilities are shared among the staff since there is no marketing department. One of my goals is to help the staff members with their responsibilities, which can involve research, brainstorming ideas, preparing event information or promotional materials, and more. A related goal is to work with social networking and the Museum website to improve its internet presence.

These goals set by the Museum fit with the ones I have set personally. By helping with marketing responsibilities, I have the opportunity to work and talk with other people, and, by helping the staff, to do many different things instead of just one specific job, therefore being able to improve skills in various areas. More specifically, for example, one of my assignments involved photographing an event with a focus on photos that could be used to promote Higgins (see Viking Invasion!). This allowed me to work on my photography, while also letting me interact with guests and create materials for the Museum, covering multiple goals.