While I am not doing an internship while I am in Florence, I am taking a class that is giving me a hands-on experience in international business. Being a Global Management major, I am required to obtain international work experience to get my degree. “Business Consulting” hasn’t just fulfilled this degree requirement, but it has given me experience and knowledge I wouldn’t have learned through a normal classroom setting.
My class is partnering with a local Italian shopping center to plan a multi-store event in hopes to bring traction to the local businesses there. I’ve had multiple opportunities to meet and coordinate with seven local business owners to create and plan events that will highlight the products, goals and standards of each store. It has been very valuable to see cultural norms and standards through other experienced, international business owners.
This academic experience has helped me hone in on skills I already have, but also develop new skills that will help me be successful in this industry. For example, my communication skills have greatly improved as I’ve had to deal with language barriers and instances of miscommunication. I’ve been able to pick up on non-verbal cues and active listening to fully understand what is trying to be conveyed. Additionally, I have learned more about project management and what it takes to successfully plan an event that meets the expectations of employees and consumers. I presented these business owners with ideas targeted towards a specific audience, focused on their products and mission statements, and they were able to help me narrow down the details so the event is exactly what they pictured as well. This has been very beneficial towards my skill development and understanding of this field.
Lastly, the academic dynamics here are different than they are at Pitt. What I am learning feels a lot more hands-on here. I am learning Italian, then I can go into public and practice at a coffee shop, for example. Or, in my Consulting class, I am learning about cultural differences in work styles, then seeing them first hand when I meet with the local businesses. It’s cool to see how the things I learn actually apply in real life. The classes here are smaller as well which is a dynamic I’m not as used to. There’s around 20 students in each class, in comparison to Pitt’s 100+ student core classes. It creates a more personal feel to the classroom and creates a more comfortable environment.
Overall, living and attending school in Florence has been a much different experience than school in the US. However, these experiences are giving me the skills and knowledge to deepen my understanding in international business and global management. Included are pictures of my roommates and I in our new living space, as well as a picture from a field trip to a textile factory I took for one of my classes!
