This academic year, I took time out from my Marketing and Management degree to complete a seven-month placement with the Digital Team at PLMR. While gaining real-world experience was a big motivation for me, a significant part of my decision to pursue an internship stemmed from feeling uncertain about what I wanted from my future career.

Now, looking back, I can confidently say that this experience has been invaluable – not just in terms of skills gained, but also in helping me better understand myself and what I want to do moving forward. Here are just a few reasons why I would highly recommend an internship to anybody at the beginning of their career journey, whether you are unsure about your career goals or not!

Building a broader skill set

Every job will teach you something, but an internship offers a unique opportunity to grow both your technical and interpersonal skills in a relatively short time. Being part of Team Digital meant I worked on a wide variety of projects across different sectors, and I was fortunate to have incredibly supportive colleagues who were generous with their time and expertise in teaching me new things.

I’ve learnt not just about new methods and platforms, but also how to approach real problems and communicate and collaborate with a team. Something I really enjoyed as a part of this team was the creativity – bringing ideas forward, discussing them and developing on them through a collective effort.  These are all skills that I will carry with me throughout my career.

The importance of hands-on learning

In my experience, the value of hands-on learning is incomparable to textbook theory, especially in the fast-paced world of digital marketing. Whilst the first two years of my degree have given me a foundation in marketing principles, working in a real agency setting enlightened me to the day-to-day realities and ever-changing nature of a real business environment.

For example, applying market research to projects in theory does not account for external circumstances such as unpredictable client needs or evolving digital trends. During my placement, I quickly learnt how to adapt, prioritise, and think on my feet- skills that only developed for me through real-world experience. Furthermore, both working with, and learning from, experienced professionals is something that you simply cannot get from the classroom!

Discovering what works for you

One of the most valuable things I’ve taken away from this internship is a deeper understanding of my own working preferences, strengths, and areas to develop. Developing such self-awareness relating to traits such as time-management, organisation and creativity has been key to evaluating the future career choices I will make.

So, what’s next?

I’ll be heading back to university in September to complete the final year of my degree, armed with fresh knowledge, practical skills and a clearer vision for my future. My placement has given me the confidence and capability to make more informed choices about my career – without it, I wouldn’t feel nearly as prepared as I do now. To anybody who is unsure about their next career steps, or perhaps nervous about leaving education and entering a permanent role without any work experience, I could not recommend partaking in an internship or apprenticeship enough!

Written by Orla Dooley