My Summer Bummer & Lessons Learned

Now a graduate from University of the Incarnate Word, I have obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design with minors in Business Marketing and Art History. I didn’t think I would be bummed to get my degree but now that it’s summer my internship at Digett is coming to an end. I’m bummed to leave such an amazing company and employees who make Digett stand out. I’m trying to be optimistic and not focus on what I’ll be leaving, but instead on what I will offer my next employer from the things I have learned at Digett.

Working alone and together

At a small company like Digett, I usually work alone on tasks handed to me. Learning how to manage my time depends on the priority of the project assigned.

Some companies will have your boss constantly pressuring you to complete a deadline, but when you do not have that constant push, who is responsible for meeting those deadlines? Yourself.

Becoming a self-starter and learning to manage time can be challenging but writing a list can help prioritize deadlines. We can avoid feeling overwhelmed if we take it step-by-step and project-by-project. If we avoid looking at the whole picture and instead break things down we can bypass feeling overwhelmed. Instead we can feel accomplished when we get to scratch out things on the list. Companies admire people who are self-starters and want employees who have these skills.

Getting along with your peers and being able to work on a project is a key role in any company. You see these people everyday so if you cannot get along your work environment won’t be enjoyable. Even if you cannot seem to agree with a person’s beliefs, learning how to be civil to complete a project is a must. Fortunately I never had a problem at Digett, because all their employees have great relationships.

Working on communication

Interning for Digett requires you to write a blog article once a month. Working with Digett’s blog manager Amy, I have learned a lot of the ins and outs of blogging.

I admit that I am horrible with grammar and wording sentences to catch the audience’s attention. She has guided me on improving my sentence structures and writing on the web. Her advice was that “writing take a lot of practice.” I cannot agree with her more — you can become a great writer over time but like anything else, it takes experience to improve your writing.

This will be my eighth and final blog article at Digett and I can honestly say I feel a lot more confident in writing than when I started. I know these skills will be a vital when writing emails to clients or putting together presentations or even choosing a nice slogan when I am designing for a brand or company.

Working for experience

Internships are highly recommended for employers to understand how you work with others and how you can be valuable to their company.

Many look at money when they are choosing a job or internship. A lot of people do not see past the “I’m working for free” and do not see the gains to having real world experience with clients.

Although many internships are unpaid, I don’t feel like I was cheated at Digett because I gained a lot of real world experience I couldn’t learn at school. It’s not about working for money all the time it’s all about learning.

I wouldn’t trade a stack of cash for what I learned here at Digett and I’m excited to take what I’ve learned and apply it elsewhere.

Working to get a “big girl job”

Now I’m off to find a job in graphic design and after interning at Digett I feel a lot more confident in my presentation skills and my work. Showing confidence in an interview helps the employer believe you are qualified for job. I am excited to show off my work, now that it is all complete. I hope to get good feedback on my portfolio and constructive criticism to better my work.

You can view my portfolio on my webpage here. Stay updated with me on Linkedin and Instagram. So this isn’t goodbye, it’s an “I’ll see you later.”

(Editor’s note: We’ve been so excited to have Gabie with us for two semesters. Gabie, a final congratulations on graduating, and we wish you the best of luck in your career. Stay in touch, and take care!)