What I’ve learned as a Student Ambassador Intern with DigitalGrads
Hello, I am Selina! Class of 2021, fresh out of university and I have just completed my six-week internship with DigitalGrads.
For the past six weeks, I have been working on a student ambassador program for DigitalGrads to launch shortly at different universities around the UK and it has been an incredible learning experience.
What have I learnt?
How to Work From Home
One, how to work remotely.
Nearly all of us have been working from home for the past year and a half and I’ve been doing the same with my studies. So, I wasn’t shocked when I found out that I would also be working from home for my internship.
For the first two weeks of my internship, my head was so in the game that working remotely never had any impact on me. In fact, I loved working from home.
I got to spend time working in my garden and had time to enjoy some delicious breakfast that my mum would make for me. Plus, I got to meet the team at their monthly company meeting during my first week so it really wasn’t that bad!
But as the days went on, it started to get boring. How did I find it so easy to study remotely but struggled to work remotely?
I guess while I was at university, I still had the opportunity to work with other students because I lived with students from the same course as me. Office hours and classes were taking place multiple times a day so I was able to speak to people constantly. It’s a different world when you’re working remotely in London – especially when no one else was at home! So, I really appreciated the morning meetings we had at DigitalGrads.
I started sitting in the garden a lot more for some fresh air – when it wasn’t raining! I organised virtual tea breaks with some of my friends and spent my lunch break watching an episode of my favourite shows.
These are very small adjustments and routines I have incorporated into my working at home life to make it better and you can do the same! A small break to do something that you love never makes you a little happier and lets you recharge.
Taking Your Time isn’t Bad
The second thing I learnt was that taking your time is not necessarily always a bad thing.
When I first began my internship, I had everything planned out…or I thought I did. I thought the program that I was building would be finished by the end of my internship. But here I am on my last day at DigitalGrads, and I have just about finished designing the content needed for an initial launch.
Lucy, the CEO & founder of DigitalGrads, reminded me that taking time on something is not always a bad thing as long as the result is good. Things don’t always go according to plan and that’s okay! My project may not be 100% finished, but it is getting there and that’s all that matters.
The team have been super supportive and helpful since I joined and I cannot thank them enough for letting me build their ambassador program.
Communication is Key
Thirdly, communication is key!
My time at DigitalGrads was split between working on my project and helping out on the platform. It’s very interesting to learn about how graduates interact with others, especially the team.
After being on the other side of not receiving a response to a message, I’ve come to learn how important it is to communicate effectively and clearly.
Employees who communicate effectively with everyone in their workplace are always a valuable asset. This could be the one thing that sets you apart from your competition – so never neglect this skill!
New Skills in General
The fourth thing that I have learnt is a bunch of new skills!
I’ve had the opportunity to complete different activities whilst at DigitalGrads. I’ve designed a page for the website, written this post for the blog and launched an email campaign!
It’s been a fun learning experience and I’m excited to move onto my next chapter as a graduate.
I would also like to wish the DigitalGrads team all the best and I also want to thank them for being so supportive during the course of my internship!