Had My Cake (and ate it, too!)

Well, it's that time again for me to journey from the beach to the rockies. Honestly, it's not a bad transition. As a San Diego native I have definitely learned that "real" winter has its perks- cool fuzzy hats, lots of hot chocolate, snow days (or should I say school-wide snowball fights), and ridiculously fun sledding opportunities.

However, I must say I am getting pretty sentimental this time. Why? Because I had my cake and ate it, too. I am FULL. Although you could use that term literally, seeing as I made sure I got my fill of California burritos and In N Out this summer (Daniel, you can relate), I mean it figuratively. My summer at i.d.e.a. provided me with the best of both worlds: work and play. Really, in this bunch, they are the same thing. It is easy to wander into a big fancy office as an intern and feel like the odd man out, "that one intern", or the little helpless child. But while walking into this office, I realized it was simply a big room filled with weirdos (the good kind) and people who really are eager to teach me. Never did I feel lost or confused because everyone took actual time going in depth explaining projects to me, answering my questions, teaching me about active clients, and providing words of wisdom.

Along with appreciating the things I was so generously taught, I am grateful for meeting such a hilarious and laid back crew. Who gets to listen to music and sing out loud at work? WE DO. I.d.e.a. is an office where you can step out of your comfort zone, be open and honest, be loud and silly, and do whatever will inspire you. With that said, one of the most important lessons I have taken away from my i.d.e.a. experience is: if it feels like it's work, you are doing it wrong.

SO, what about the work part? Oh, yeah. As Camila said while teaching me Google Analytics, "We don't just sit around all day picking out cool and funny stuff to advertise with." It's very true- I have learned that the world of advertising is much more complex than I thought before. It takes researching, data reports, analyzing, networking, studying, and so much more. The immensity of information fascinated me. Aside from the projects I worked on personally, I often took time out of my day to simply listen to the office, read reports I found laying around, and considered ALL that this industry takes.

Here is a summary of what I have gathered:

1. People who work in advertising don’t just sit around designing cool billboards and creating funny slogans.

2. Communication is the only way to success.

3. Consumers don’t really know what they want until you convince them what they want.

4. Either learn to adapt to the changes that are happening, or just call it quits.

5. It’s all about networking.

6. When you collaborate with people, you grow.

7. Studying from the success or failures of competitors will add to your successes and decrease your failures.

8. Research, research, research.

9. Be good to your clients and they will be good to you.

10. Feed your curiosity. 


Anyways, I would like to say thank you to everyone at i.d.e.a. who provided me with such a fulfilling experience. I will truly miss everyone and I am SO grateful being filled to the brim with knowledge, confidence, (italian food, office cupcakes) and happiness :)


Sincerely,
Jenna

P.S. Love ya, intern corral!

  

(+Daniel, Venice, and Lauren!)