Hey Blog! I’ve just completed my first full week in Dublin and feel good! I’m still figuring a few things out like how to get around the city or the best places to get snacks, but I’m figuring it out for the most part. One of the first things I noticed was that the people in Ireland generally seem funnier than Americans. No offense to Americans, but most Irish people I’ve interacted with or had conversations with were fairly witty. I can’t say for sure since I haven’t been here for that long, but most people I talk to only prove that theory. (I suppose there could also be some confirmation bias at play here.) 

I’ve traveled a handful of times between the excursions set up for us by the program managers and personal exploring. Another one of the first things I took note of was that Ireland is home to some stunning landscapes and architecture. For example, some of the other Pitt students and I took a trip to the coastal city of Bray which had nice views of a mountain and the Irish Sea. One of my favorite sites was during our trip to Glendalough when we got to visit the Upper Lake. All in all, my experience has been positive so far, and I’m excited to continue exploring and learning more about Ireland. 

I’ve enjoyed getting to know the other students in my program. One of my fears coming on this trip was that I wouldn’t be able to make friends or get along with my roommates. I was very relieved to find out that everybody else seemed as interested in getting to know each other as I was. Over the last week, we’ve gone on trips, got dinner, hung out, and had an overall good time. As our internships begin and we don’t have as much free time, I’m a little worried about whether we’ll remain close over the coming months. I wouldn’t say that I’m too anxious about that though, as this past week was incredibly reassuring. 

I think this skill applies to most industries, but a strong understanding of social media and its interworkings is important for marketing. Social media is objectively a powerful means of reaching many people, so it’s vital for anybody working in marketing to know how to leverage it to make the most of it.

I’m Going to be doing a marketing internship for a company called Allgo Rewards. The areas of exposure that were listed as being included with the role include content creation, social media management, writing, and marketing. I haven’t worked in marketing before, but I’m aware that the ability to analyze the market will be an important skill for me to cultivate. While I am more interested in the creative side of things such as writing or ad campaign curation, some important first steps in any marketing process are to understand the audience the content is being made for and to think of ways to make content that appeals to them. 

I’d say that another strength that is important in the marketing industry is creativity. One of the reasons I was originally interested in marketing is because of the space for creativity the industry provides. While there’s research that must be performed for people to create content or ads that consumers will enjoy, there is a level of creativity that’s required to make the most of that research. Creativity is especially important when one considers ways to set themselves apart from competitors. If everyone were to market similar products in the same ways, it follows that consumers would have less incentive to choose one over another. For that reason, I’d say that imagination and innovation are crucial to most marketing positions.

I’m not exactly sure if there are any competencies exclusive to America that set it apart from the marketing practices of other places. I suppose an obvious answer would be that some knowledge of American culture would help greatly so that one can avoid curating an ad campaign that could be perceived as offensive to any group in the country. I suppose I’ll have a better idea once my internship begins, but many people say that the work culture in the United States is slightly more fast-paced than most places in Europe. With this in mind, I’d say that it’s possible that stronger versions of the same competencies may be required in order to work in the same industry in America. I won’t be sure, however, until I have a comparable experience in America.