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Which internship would be more beneficial for my marketing career?


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Hi all,

 

I'm a senior in college majoring in marketing and I landed two internships in the Bay Area with quite different responsibilities. I am having a hard time deciding between the two as they have their pros and cons. Based on your experiences and career, which internship sounds like a better shot?

 

COMPANY A Responsibilities: Salesforce, Hubspot, Excel, social media

 

Pros

- Young and energetic environment

- 5 minutes away from campus

 

 

Cons

- Very low pay ($16/hr) compared to what I am currently making ($22/hr)

- No opportunity for a full-time position after graduation

- Doesn't have much of a presence yet bc they are a startup

 

 

 

COMPANY B Responsibilities: SEO, PPC (pay per click), social media, monthly reporting and analysis of current strategies

 

Pros

- Established, well-known company

- Good pay ($30/hr)

- Opportunity to turn into full-time position

 

 

Cons

- Company vision is constantly changing - known to have bad management

- There will be traffic during commute to and from

- Culture is not youthful or lively - mostly middle-aged people working there

 

 

Any guidance or recommendation would be greatly appreciated!

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Does your tuition not cover career counseling? I don't say it to be snide, but even if a forum member had 20 years of marketing experience as a hotshot, it's a very different reference level than a graduate today considering their best internship options. Add in complexities of locality, what kind of marketing you want to get into, where you'd like to see yourself on the ladder, etc., and you'd be much better off not shortcutting it with us. A counselor would be a better source. If you've got a marketing professor who also still works in the business and successfully so, that'd be even better.

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oh boy... tough one.

 

so if ii were to think this thru - the ultimate answer is - which is going to set you up to be most marketable for the best position once you graduate?

the startup offers the ability to see the entire business and learn many things and not specialize and BUILD up things which can look very competitive on a resume (people want to see what you ACHIEVE on most resumes).

the non-startup offers more credibility of your stated resume thru brand recognition. the question here would be, what can you demonstrate that you learned or built or a difference you made while interning there? or is the company's brand name in your field "good enougH" to speak on its own for future interview clout?

 

One new concept i've learned recently is that... "specialization" pays in today's market while "generalization" does not. This is the thing that is hurting me getting in the door from the outside.. my strength is my jack of all trades abilities. But that's hard for companies to quantify and assess when it comes to a specific position. So getting in the door is harder for me. Once i'm there i blow them away and all is good. So perahsp that more SPECIALIZED of the two opportunities (if it so happens to be a specialty you want to run with) is the way to go.

 

In the end, pick the one that will most boost your resume for when you "really apply for real". And that really depends on your field and what you exactly gain out of either internship compared to where you want to go.

 

$ pay is not a decision factor here (unless you're hard up for money). Then this becomes a financial driven decision rather than anything else.

 

congrats and good luck!

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The biggest thing about a company usually is who your manager is. A bad manager at a good company will make you feel like you work for a bad company. Other than that:

 

Company A has the most experience potential. It's a startup so you can do more of whatever you like and can wear multiple hats. Chances are you'll get good experience and can then get a different job somewhere else.

 

Company B pays more and can get you the job without having to go find it. But if your manager sucks then you're not going to want to work for them so getting a job there would be pointless. They would be good for suffering to get double pay and getting a namebrand company on your resume.

 

In the end though, how much is company A worth to you knowing it has less pay? Is company B worth staying at with the higher pay? Which company helps you land your next job, hopefully your dream job?

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. . I am just glad that you recognize that you need some experience and considering all options.

I have a young man who has a marketing degree, who reports to me as a clerk in an entry level position.

He's applied for marketing positions in our company and keeps getting passed by.

Yet he's passed up two administrative opportunities within the marketing department because he believes they are beneath him. hmmm.

5 years later, he's still with me making 35k and not going anywhere soon. Now he's given himself a somewhat entitled reputation.

It's a shame. But it's his lesson to learn

 

I am happy you are considering either. Good for you.

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