Real Life: My Internship Experience – Maddie

Who: Maddie Fogel

University: The University of Texas at Austin

Hometown: Houston, TX

Major: English

Q: Where did you work?

A: I was a program marketing intern at National Instruments International company headquartered in Austin.

Q: What was the environment like there?

A: Although I was a marketing intern, it is primarily an engineering company. It has a laid back culture. The company prides themselves on not having a very hierarchical structure. Everyone eats together in the same cafeteria. Everyone was in the same cubicles. They also do a really good job with employee morale. Twice in the summer they had a “deck party” where they brought food trucks. The intern program was very structured. Everyone had a manager over them and then an HR person in charge of the interns. They made a really good effort to integrate the interns into the company and make us feel a part of it.

Q: What is something you learned?

A: I learned a lot about the structure of a company. I had an idea about what marketing was for, but through this internship I learned the way marketing could be integrated with sales. It taught me how the different functions work together in a company to further their objectives.

Q: Do you have any tips for college students who are looking for internships/jobs?

A: Don’t be afraid to apply to jobs outside of one specific area or your major. Because a short summer internship is a great opportunity to test if you like a certain area or industry. While you’re at a company be sure to take advantage of seeing what several different jobs are like within that company.