During the past three months, I’ve been interning at Nuffer, Smith, Tucker while finishing my last semester at San Diego State University. Before I landed the internship, I thought I had a pretty good feel of what a professional career would be like with three different internships already under my belt. I’ve come to find that nothing prepares you more for a professional career in public relations than experience at an agency.
Public relations agency life is not for everyone. It requires you to be comfortable working at a fast pace, excellent at multitasking and be a creative thinker. The rewarding part is being able to do something completely new each day to help your client reach their goals. Everyone at NST has taught me that working in the field of public relations is challenging, yet rewarding when you see your work directly helping a client succeed.
In the short amount of time I’ve been here, I’ve worked with several account teams to assist on projects for more than 12 different clients. I’m constantly learning about local companies in San Diego and their work on a global scale. While this seems demanding, members of the NST team are approachable, helpful and patient with my learning curve because most of them started as interns themselves. They understand what it’s like to be in my shoes and are more than willing to help me succeed.
The most unique part about working at NST is observing the office culture because it’s unlike anything I’ve experienced in my previous internships. Although I may be the only one with a temporary position, I am not treated like “the intern.” From the start, I was immediately considered part of the team and given multiple responsibilities. Each member of the staff, regardless of their title, takes their time to discuss assignments with me so I understand how what I’m doing fits into the entire process, from strategic planning to media outreach and each step in between. I’m grateful to have expanded my understanding of public relations from this agency’s standpoint.
The most important thing I’ve learned is that while picking the right company to work for is crucial, it’s even more important to pick the right people to work with. The team here at NST is not only one of the most recognized public relations agencies in San Diego, but also the most personable and encouraging. Even if your job offers daily challenges, I’ve realized it’s the people that make your job worthwhile. I’ve been lucky enough to experience this first-hand from my talented co-workers and call NST home.
