I sat in front of my black Ikea desk with my laptop open and a few papers scattered over the surface. My free Cosi coffee was in one corner and my water bottle in the other.
Black, orange and white walls, desks, chairs, wastebaskets, mugs. Themed, branded and beautiful. I loved my little office over there at the Mole.
It’s simple and concise, juxtaposing the work that goes on in these four walls and two floors. My first week in marketing was fun. Full of brainstorming and writing. I learned more about the field through writing about it and more about design through watching others do it.
I had a perfect desk. It sat by the window that overlooks the lower level. Four other designers and I were in this sort of loft that creaks whenever someone moves. We all wore headphones and listened to our own personal music, the clicking of mice and keys, and occasional blast of the air conditioning.
I wrote for a job. I event-planned and designed for a job. There at my black desk. Next to my cut-out window that looks at the office below and the street outside, I wrote, I drank coffee and I laughed with the creativity of my co-workers.
September 2015 found me well into my senior year of college, a leader in many capacities and clubs, and the newest hire for a local event-production and marketing firm.
I had secured this internship for the summer but decided to go a route that took me to the South for the summer instead.
Luckily, the small, five-person firm held my position for the fall semester. So senior fall, I not only started my full course load but also a job writing and event planning.
Holding an internship during the semester taught me more than I could have ever imagined. It taught me time management, life balance and a lot of practical skills.
My weeks were spent in class and in the office. On the weekend when I was not running or at church, I was at events. Minus the classes, this very well may be my next few years. And I could be OK with that.
I sat in front of my wooden desk at my second job with this desktop and a cup of coffee with my favorite verse on it, writing for fun and planning a club’s gala.
Oh, senior year, it is here and busy, but great.
This blog originally appeared on the Wharton Undergraduate Program’s Student Voices blog on Dec. 21, 2015.
