The first time I met the people with whom I would be working with for the next 6 months I was very nervous. Though whether I was nervous about meeting everyone for the first time or I was nervous about having to walk on a rope suspended in the air is a question to which I’m still not sure how to answer. Indeed, I first met everyone a week before the start of my internship at a company event that included a barbeque and a slackline workshop. This rather unusual encounter helped me break the ice with a lot of my colleagues, which made the start of my internship not as daunting as before.
As I officially started working, I still felt as if I was trying to find my balance on that rope; armed with a lot of determination and unsteady legs as I tried not to fall. The amount of tasks and responsibilities that I was given from the beginning made me really nervous as I was unsure about my ability to complete my job. These tasks ranged from managing the company’s LinkedIn page, to writing articles, to interviewing clients, to setting up the company’s PR strategy and e-mail marketing. Going forward, though, I felt as though I was progressively finding my balance on the rope and actually started to have fun. Considering that the marketing team had just been formed for the first time, I was initially very overwhelmed, however the more I worked, the more I found it fulfilling to have so many responsibilities. I was given enough space to be as creative as I wanted, to pursue the content that I wanted to pursue and grow in the areas that were most of interest to me. While initially I held back a lot, this type of environment made me more confident in my skills and helped me be more independent.
I will be honest; I do not think I would’ve succeeded as I did without the support of the young and international Agriplace team. Right from the very start they made me feel extremely welcomed as they were ready to help me when needed, no matter from which department they were. They were especially helpful when I was struggling in the beginning, as I had to quickly understand the ins and outs of the software they were selling in order to properly market it.
Meeting all these young professionals was very inspiring and has helped me grow both professionally and personally. I have now gained the knowledge and confidence that I need to face the start of my professional career; though my legs might still wobble from time to time I am not scared to fall as I used to be.