3 insights from my summer as an intern at TJA

I just finished my school year at college, so I headed back to the Valley of the Sun, my home, for summer break. 

Uncharted territory can often make us feel nervous. For me, that meant shifting from the classroom and soccer field-the places I am most familiar with-to the office.

I was walking into my first agency internship. Was I nervous? Of course.

But, mixed in with these nerves was excitement. I was excited to be a part of a different team: The James Agency team.

Heading into my time at TJA, my main goal was simple: be a sponge. I wanted to simply listen and obtain as much information as possible from everyone. Listen and learn, I did. More importantly, by spending my summer as a TJA intern, I am left with professional insight that I will carry throughout my career.

So let’s jump into a few of the insights I learned from TJA:

First and foremost, I learned it’s important to come to work each day with your best foot forward. The attitude you bring to the office and to the team is contagious. Embrace the fact that you get the opportunity to dive into someone else’s brand. I made sure to immerse myself into our clients’ brands and really familiarize myself with their product/service. It’s important to remember that companies chose you to help them reach their goals and you can’t take that for granted.

Who wants half-assed work? That’s right, no one.

This is something that I have admired at TJA: nothing is ever done less than 100%. I have seen firsthand the conversations and critical thinking that goes into producing such rad creative and strategy. At TJA, there is no such thing as “saving energy.” Each and every project is authentic and showcases the hard work the team puts into it. The detail in all of TJA’s projects, whether it’s a website, logo design, social media content, etc., really reveals the team’s passion and drive. The main takeaway here is to always put in your best effort and do the job the best you can.

Working together and bouncing thoughts off each other is only going to help expedite projects-and ultimately, it leads to a better work environment.

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I am so lucky to have worked with amazing people and a creative team that I could learn from. On my way to work each morning, I knew I was going to soak up more tips and information about the marketing industry-and have a laugh, too.

Thank you to TJA for an amazing summer! 

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