Not What I Expected: So Much More! By Sarah Basler (Marketing Internship)

When I originally applied to be the next marketing intern for the Heart of America Council, Boy Scouts of America, I did not have many expectations.  I have previously worked in a marketing internship that was more directed at sales with monotonous tasks such as cold calling and data entry consuming my days.  I guess I sort of expected this new internship to be the same work in a different location.  To my surprise, this position was nothing like I had expected.  At the Boy Scouts, I have primarily focused on promotional aspects of marketing such as developing strategic social media calendars, designing shirts and banners, and writing blog entries about upcoming events. 

 

If someone were to ask me what the daily schedule of a Boy Scouts marketing intern looked like, I would not be able to accurately answer because each day is full of new experiences and learning opportunities. Before Boy Scouts, I had no idea how to professionally compose a blog entry, design on Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, or copyright and edit a newspaper.  After only four weeks in this position, I have learned all of these skills as well as various other beneficial marketing proficiencies.  

The most exciting task I have been delegated thus far has definitely been writing media releases.  Whenever the Boy Scouts have an event that they wish to be publicized in an immediate manner to the over 31,000 Scouting participants, they issue a media release.  This notifies all of the major news stations about the event so that a media presence will be at the affair.  Also, the stations have a baseline for covering the story.  One of the releases I wrote was published in the Kansas City Star which was extremely rewarding to notice. I helped to spread the news and my writing was published!  

 

The most challenging task has been adjusting to using Mac software rather than a PC.  Also, I have had to quickly learn how to use the creative software like Photoshop.  Though challenging, I have grown more comfortable using new software and have developed skills that I will carry into my future career.

So if by now you can understand that "The Day in the Life of a Boy Scouts Intern" is unpredictable, you can understand why the internship has turned out to be more than I could have imagined with constant learning opportunities and chances to broaden my horizon in the field of marketing.