12 Jul Just Another Day at the Office…In Madrid
Well I am officially “adulting” as I like to say. I wake up by 8:00 am to get some exercise in before breakfast and an hour and a half later my colleague and I are walking to the metro station to go to work. Aside from this new adult way of life, I’ve had the chance to learn my way through the labyrinths that Europeans call the metro as well as walk through the beautifully shaded streets to and from each station.
My colleague, Amar, and I are the first to arrive to our hour-glass figured table in the middle of the industrial looking basement in one of the IE University buildings, entitled Area 31. The large room is filled with portable seat cushions, an illuminated landscape of a wheat field that doubles as a white board, and dozens of students and mentors working on each of their startup companies.
As an intern on the marketing side of things, I have learned a lot about the strategies each company must take in order to reach their hopes for success. I work at a company striving to change the business world as we know it in terms of networking and outreach via email. They have given individuals and big businesses the chance to email anyone by simply knowing their full name and the company for which they work in. This professional tool is the epitome of the technological era. By working in this hands-on company, I have been given the chance to enhance my marketing skills while being one of the first to realize the potential for the company and its services. For example, my boss taught me about B2B marketing, A.K.A. business to business marketing. The strategies to reach the larger and profitable companies stems from the chance to first connect with them.
In essence, we are using our own tool to reach the right people in these companies and showing them first-hand what the software is capable of.
I believe one of the most important things a person can do for him/herself is to seek out experiences. To find out what you like to do is only possible by eliminating things you don’t see as fitting. In the week that has flown by already, I have made two declarations on my own behalf: I will continue to travel the world; I am not cut out to work a 9-5 job in an office.
Any and all experiences will teach you more about yourself – good and bad. Despite the fact that I know I don’t want to end up working in an office, I still look forward to my internship because I can continue to learn valuable skills ranging from brand marketing strategies to improving my Spanish speaking abilities. Knowledge is power. Never turn your mind off.