Hi there! I’m Sam Ruder, and I spent the summer as a Marketing intern for Noetic Consultants. Aside from various customer service roles, this was my first real job, and it was a major wake-up call (in the best way). I am a rising junior at Elon University majoring in Marketing with a minor in Communications, and this summer has confirmed my passion for marketing and my desire to pursue a career in the field. Completing this internship has taught me so much, not only about marketing and strategy but also about myself and my goals.
As part of my internship, I was part of numerous projects and had the opportunity to:
- Present a networking webinar to a fantastic group of women through Dress For Success in Washington, DC
- Help create and circulate Noetic’s first newsletter
- Learn to write and batch content for social media platforms using Canva
- Research marketing KPI’s to support growth
- Perform competitive analyses across various clients
- Assist in integrating and optimizing Noetic’s newly relaunched website
While I love everything I was involved in, my favorite and most impactful project is conducting interviews with every member of Noetic’s team. Over the past three months, I have interviewed all 10 team members, from the consultants to business development to finance and HR to the CEO. This team has given me an unforgettable experience, as I have been able to understand and observe the ins and outs of a business at the ripe age of 20.
In these interviews, I learned about each person’s past career, time at Noetic, and the lessons and advice they would give to their 20-year-old selves (AKA me)! I was given many fantastic answers, both personal and professional advice, that will guide me in my future career path. The quotes below especially resonated with me:
“Get comfortable with change: marketing is an ever-changing field, so learn to adapt. Understanding technology is so important; the future of marketing will always be more tech than today.”
Through my time here, I have learned that AI and technology are things to embrace and be early adopters of.
“Be thoughtful about what energizes you: knowing where you do not want to be and what you do not like is just as important as the latter.”
Not only was this a fantastic piece of advice, but it was also something I understood during my internship. By doing projects under every member of the team, I was able to understand the type of work I enjoyed in comparison to the type of work I found unfavorable. I also learned the importance of digging into work even when it is not your forte.
“Listen before speaking; being a thoughtful and careful listener is far more important than being the loudest person in the room.”
As an introvert, this comes easily to me; however, it is essential to not only let others speak but also to listen with intention.
“Keep in the back of your mind where you want to be and your goals: establish a deep understanding of what you want, do not wait for things to fall into your lap – take action to move your life.”
This seems easier said than done, and I work every day to “master.” I say master in quotations because once you’ve conquered one goal, you are on to the next. If you ever think you have mastered the art of achieving your goals, you are simply stagnant. You should always be reaching towards the next.
Reflecting on my transformative summer at Noetic, I am overwhelmingly grateful for the opportunities I was given and the lessons I have learned. They will forever impact my work ethic and my outlook on life. My experiences, from running meaningful projects to learning from each team member, have been pivotal in shaping my personal and professional journey. Thank you to Team Noetic. You have influenced me in ways you will never know. I will miss you all, and I can’t wait to show you all I can do!