When I first stepped through the doors of the eZanga office, I was told I looked lost. And this was a fair and accurate observation. I had no idea what I was doing, where I was going, or what to expect. I was the sole intern this season and it was honestly a little intimidating. But any fear or apprehension I had coming in quickly dissipated as I learned what the people at eZanga were all about.
You hear ‘intern’ and you think of a frightened student in a suit running around getting coffee and making copies, but my experience here couldn’t be farther from that notion. I had access to a computer and a workspace to call my own. I wasn’t pushed around, doing clerical work. In fact, I don’t think I used the printer once. Instead I was writing articles for eZanga’s blog, teaching the online advertising community about the rudiments of the industry.
But while the majority of what I wrote was meant to inform others, I can’t stress enough how much I learned myself. Coming in, I knew nothing about the industry. I was hardly aware of its existence in the first place. The amount of concepts and terms that are floating around in my brain baffles me. No doubt, I’m very grateful to have been brought into this world of keywords and landing pages.
Of course, I wasn’t only writing during my time here (I’d probably go mad if I had to write for eight hours straight). I also learned the value of social media, promoting content, the importance of maintaining a professional portfolio, and basic coding—all while taking generous sips of coffee and listening to my favorite heavy metal albums.
Overall, this has been by far one of the most valuable and enriching experiences of my life. I won’t soon forget the daily Buzzfeed articles sent out by the hilarious Marty Schneck, nor the pockets of chatter about reality TV that always seemed to pop up throughout the day. It’s been a blast, eZanga. I’m sad to leave, but happy to be leaving with a new set of skills and some great memories.