<Editor’s Note> I’m very excited to congratulate Stephanie Trinh aka @stef_funny who’s on my team here at Marketing Melodie. She recently graduated from SDSU. What a huge accomplishment. She’s an official college graduate! Stephanie is moving on to begin her career in the “real world” but before she leaves, she has some final words of inspiration and insight to share with you on her experience here at Marketing Melodie and why interning is so important. I’ll let Stephanie take it from here. HIT IT STEPHANIE! </Editor’s Note>

It seemed like just yesterday when I asked Melodie about her internship program. It has definitely been such a pleasure working with her. I’ve learned plenty from Melodie, whether it was about social media for businesses or advice on what to say during my interviews . Although people cringe at the thought of having to be an intern, I’ll tell you why interning is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

1. I’ve met so many great people during the time that I’ve worked with Melodie. We all know that the marketing industry is all about who you know. Melodie has hosted many events, which I have attended and it has helped me expand my networks. I love talking to marketing professionals and hearing their stories about how they have gotten to where they are today.
2. I’ve gotten exposure. The blog posts that I compose and post here are also posted through Melodie’s social networks. Although I do have my own blog, I get new exposure and more traffic by blogging on another site. Plus, writing these posts help me to deepen my own understanding on why businesses should use certain social networks as a part of their overall marketing plan.
3. I had fun and expressed my creativity. Melodie encouraged me to spark my creativity by having me help her create things to post for clients and her own social networks. Some of the ideas included Motivational Monday posts, Melodie Tips, etc.
4. The real hands on experience. My internship program gave me a chance to learn through actually doing. The one on one mentoring experience Melodie provided has been really helpful and has allowed me to focus more on what I want to learn. Make it clear to your employer what you want to learn before you start your internship.
5. Learning more than just internship stuff. Melodie has helped me better understand where I want to go in my career life. She’s helped me with interviews and given me networking tips – things that I really am going to use in the “real world.” The best part about working with Melodie is that she isn’t just someone you intern for, she’s your mentor who truly does want to see you succeed in the industry. I recommending finding an internship where you can directly interactive with your Manager and ask questions along the way.

I still can’t believe I’m considered to be an alumni now. Yay to graduating and to the class of 2012!

You can connect with Stephanie on Twitter, Google+ and check out her blog, Marketing Nerd!