If you’ve ever sent out a round of internship applications, you might identify with the rollercoaster of setting your sights on a job, hoping for a call-back, and asking yourself every day: “Will today be the day I get the interview or offer?” That’s where I was as I approached the end of my sophomore year at the University of Oklahoma.
Flash forward three months: I’m now wrapping up my first internship at PCI! Maybe you’re where I was three months ago, wondering if you’ll land an internship and what the experience will be like when you do. If that’s the case, follow along as I walk you through everything from my expectations going into the internship to what a typical day looks like for an intern and how this role will further my career.
If you’re considering an internship at PCI, hopefully, this will give you some insight into the internship experience, what kinds of hands-on experience you can get, and even the work culture of PCI.
My Internship Experience at PCI
My experience at PCI so far has been great and extremely beneficial. Along with my newfound addiction to LaCroix (the break room fridge is always fully stocked), I have gained a lot of experience and learned so much in a brief period. The marketing team has been integral in my experience at PCI. They have exposed me to many aspects of marketing and encouraged me to pursue my own projects.
At the start of the internship, I expressed my interest in content creation and was prompted to create a “day in the life” video for PCI’s employer branding campaign (in other words, we’re tasked with getting the word out about what makes PCI a great place to work). This video allowed me to apply my skills and test my creative limits. I had never done this style of video before and am glad to have been able to experience it.
Along with content marketing, I have expanded into more traditional aspects of marketing. LinkedIn Ads and SEO were things I had never had first-hand experience with before starting this internship. Along with various marketing projects, I have had to apply core skills like time management and communication.
Working in an office environment has been a new experience for me too. I’ve always had a stock expectation of what an office would be like, but everything was different at PCI. Open workspaces, big windows, and a ping pong table did not come to mind when thinking of a traditional office.
Working on a Global Scale
The scale of PCI was another aspect that I was surprised by. I had always known the number of employees for PCI from LinkedIn (it’s around 300) but did not expect the reach of PCI employees to be widespread over multiple countries (we have offices not just in Norman, Oklahoma, but in North Carolina, Peru, Mexico, and Australia). At my first quarterly all-hands meeting, I witnessed many employees coming in from outside Oklahoma and others joining the Zoom call internationally. This aspect was mind-boggling to me as someone who has stayed in the confines of Oklahoma most of my life.
Looking to the Future
As I continue this internship (I’ve also signed on to work at PCI through the fall semester), I hope to experience more aspects of marketing and build my connections. Along with learning, career growth is a high priority for me.
In the future, I hope to pursue a marketing career in the technology or esports industry. Esports has always been a strong passion for me, and it’s a space that I would like to contribute to. Though PCI’s energy industry and esports may seem unrelated, I have found connections during my time as an intern. Both energy and esports industries are constantly growing and changing. It has been interesting to experience the changes in an industry and how PCI adapts to those changes.
As well as reinforcing concepts I have learned in my classes, I have learned so much through observing my peers. Their experience and advice helped me to integrate into the team and adjust quickly to my first internship. While I have learned many things, this internship has also allowed me to identify my weaknesses. As a result, I now have a good sense of what skill sets I lack and what aspects of a marketer I need to improve on.
If you’re interested in learning more about internships at PCI, head to the PCI Careers page and see what opportunities are available.
