My Origin Intern Experience
Every summer, thousands of students report to internships for a summer of spreadsheets, coffee runs, answering phones, and other relatively boring tasks. My internship experience was nothing like that. Okay, I did answer the phones and perhaps worked on a few spreadsheets. But I also managed photo shoots, wrote copy, worked directly with clients, and drank at work on a few occasions. I mean, we market alcohol. It’s research. (Still, can you believe my bosses let me write that in this blog? Coolest job ever.)
My only issue with Origin is that they’ve completely ruined the grocery store for me. There are no quick, casual trips to the grocery store when you know terms like necker, pole topper, and shelf blade. You think I’m going to cruise right past a WOW display without taking a photo? Forget about it. You think I won’t try and find a client’s product in the liquor aisle? I will, every time.
During my first week at Origin, I went to Schnucks with my mom to help her prepare for a family dinner party that we were hosting the next night. As we wandered down the wine aisle, I excitedly noticed elements that I had spent the last week watching my coworkers create versions of. I saw clients’ products sitting on the shelf and beamed with pride like I was watching their first dance recital. “I hate white wine. We need it for the party, but I have no idea what kind to get,” my mom said. And there I was, looking at my mom as she anxiously tried to determine what kind of Chardonnay would please my grandma like she was part of a case study. When she finally grabbed a bottle, I asked her why that was the one that she had chosen. Was it the piece of paper tied around the neck of the bottle with food pairings on it? That’s a necker, Mom. Was it the package design? Origin is great at package design too, Mom. Was it the sign clipped onto the shelf that’s sticking out into the aisle? That’s a shelf blade, Mom.
My mom looked at me, proud of my quick learning and excitement about the work I was doing. And then she said: “You’re going to need a new job if this one is going to make you want to dissect my grocery shopping habits.” And that is the story of the one and only time I psychoanalyzed my mother’s grocery store habits. I now save my grocery shopping observation for my dad, who, like most dads, falls for marketing tricks like it’s his job.
I will always be grateful that while most people my age spent the summer working on mindless tasks and adjusting to life in a cubicle, I learned more and faster than I ever thought possible. I was able to learn so much because I was working for and with people who cared. Not just cared that the work I did was good, but also cared about me. Cared that I was learning, cared that I was working on things that I cared about, cared that there were snacks in the office’s kitchen that I liked. It made me understand what it meant when people talked about finding a job that was “a good fit.” Before Origin, I thought a good fit simply meant interesting work, manageable hours, and good benefits. At Origin, I realized that a good fit for me meant work that excites me and challenges me, people who care about me and encourage me, and an office with a stocked snack drawer. Just kidding about the snacks. A little bit.
I am so lucky to have had the experience to work at Origin this summer and am so thrilled that I will be back to work full-time upon my graduation. The work is extraordinary, but the agency is what it is because of the people who work there. I am leaving my summer at Origin a more confident, competent, and committed person than I was when I began. Origin Agency, I am so thankful for your guidance, your patience, and your support. See ya in 9 months!