An Intern's Blog
What are your plans after college? Where would you like to live? Where do you see yourself in ten years? These are all questions that have been lingering in my subconscious since the start of my Senior year at UW-Stevens Point (UWSP). Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship, my first goal is to, well; graduate college! Baby steps aren’t just for Dave Ramsey’s groupies, people…
Our entire lives, our parents, guardians, teachers, and the media have told us, “Don’t talk to strangers”. This mind set changes somewhere between Junior year of high school and the transition to college. Meeting strangers, making friends, and networking are the foundation of being successful at a University. I have spent my time blossoming from a stay-at-home introvert – to a bubbly, get involved, take chances extrovert. With aspirations of opening my very own coffee shop, I decided that breaking free from the “What if I fall” mentality and embracing the “What if I fly” idea, I would be much happier and more successful!
This started my Freshman year at UWSP by becoming more involved on campus, taking business courses that I believed to be beneficial to my success, and creating relationships with my professors along the way. Throughout the years I built my resume working at, and eventually managing, three coffee shops on campus – with the opportunity to assist in branding a brand-new café called Common Ground Café, my Junior year. It was while I worked here that I learned my true love of this industry. Making customers smile, hearing the whistle of a steam wand, trying my hand at latte art (aka milk hearts…err…butts), not to mention getting my fill of caffeine through osmosis! These perks mixed with my passion for baking make for the perfect blend.
I’ve been told many-a-times, “Find a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life”. That is my only true goal in my professional life. In the short term, I have explored several business administration focused careers, reading job descriptions, applying to positions I am less-than-passionate about, and realized in the meantime that I truly love helping people. I enjoy assisting others, being part of a support system, working with an amazing team, and creating content that brings joy to others. All of these duties were included in the position description for the Portage County Business Council (PCBC), hence; why I applied to this incredible business. After my phone interview with Kayla and Tonya, I felt as though I was already being welcomed; as though I had known them my entire life. After my first few weeks at the PCBC, not only had I been able to attend a board meeting, but I was able to assist with the Annual Dinner festivities and was assigned individual projects along the way. Never have I worked for an organization where everyone on the team treats me as an equal. Everyone in our office is just that – a team. I am so grateful to have found a position where I feel excited to go to work, where I am not afraid to try new things, and a place where I feel like I am home away from home.
So, here it is. After my internship is over and I have crushed my degree, I am hoping to find a full-time position in marketing, ideally content marketing or social media marketing. The “Where would you like to live” part is tricky. Finding a job is the goal first, however; I see myself moving further south after graduation (I want to live where my face won’t hurt from the cold… seven months out of the year). After I have established myself in my career and am able to start some roots of my own, I see myself behind the scenes of my coffee shop, covered in flour and coffee grounds, taking my pup for long walks after work, and kissing my family before bedtime.
submitted by Arianna, Portage County Business Council Intern
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