Prior to beginning my internship with Parachute Media, I thought I had a general idea of corporate culture and how this would pan out.
I was expecting making coffee, doing chores and errands, and potentially getting a taste of what working with a client or two would be like. This is the polar opposite of an internship with Parachute Media. Yes, you have to be a jack of all trades at times (i.e. lifting and transporting the entire contents of your whole office across town). To say it wasn’t your typical internship experience would be an understatement.
To reflect on my time as a paratrooper, I put together a list of my favorite things about the company and my experience at this adult day care.
1. The Culture
The Business College at any school well prepares you for the “suit and tie”, 8am-5pm sharp, traditional hierarchy kind of company. When I applied, this is basically what I was expecting. Formal and productive. The culture at Parachute Media is productive all right, but formal, not so much. These people wear jeans to work and arrive anywhere from 8am to 9:30am and everyone sits at a giant table together all day. I was mildly hesitant. How are these people productive if everything is so casual? Is this real? Can you really drink a beer at work at 3:30 pm on a Thursday? It was real all right and all of these laid back vibes set the tone for creating and executing successful campaigns and exceeding client expectations.
2. My First Day
Arriving early, but not too early. Being myself, but not the awkwardly weird version. Being eager, but not annoyingly eager. First day jitters are the literal worst. The minute I walked into the office, all of the anxiousness ceased. I was welcomed in an office meeting, immediately got to start working on content for clients, and had lunch with my co-workers at one of our client’s restaurants. I left my first day in the “Real World” overly enticed and excited to come back to work the next morning.
3. My First Week
Yes, my first day was fabulous, but it was nothing compared to my first week. We had an office dinner, went to a Predators hockey game and a client holiday party, I got to look at billions pictures of cute dogs, we signed a new client, and I began developing friendships with co-workers who were just as weird as I am. I honestly can’t understand why anyone would go through life hating their job when work can be this much fun.
4. The Desks
Dry erase board desks? Mind. Blown. I didn’t even know such a thing existed. It sounds lame to say that my desk was one of my favorite parts, but it’s true. Being able to quickly jot down any reminders, new ideas, or a stream of consciousness is extremely convenient and fun. Aside from aiding productivity, who doesn’t love doodling on a dry erase board?
5. The Clients
Because social media marketing is relevant to all types of businesses, Parachute Media has all types of clients. From restaurants to non-profits, being successful for clients is what makes work rewarding. The wide variety of work being created for all of the different clients is refreshing and gives you room to always be creating different types of content.
6. The Paratroopers
You always hear horror stories about that one co-worker that everyone hates. That is definitely not the case here. You can really tell that everyone in the office genuinely enjoys working together and this is what makes Parachute so successful. From my first day forward everyone has been nothing but beyond welcoming and friendly – they make everyone feel like an equal and drive each other to want to create and work hard with and for one another. The authentic brand that is Parachute Media finds what is important to each other and our clients and executes it in a successful manner.
Thank you, Parachute, for all the pizza, experiences, and fun!
McKenzie helps wrangle some of the players in this year’s puppy football game photo shoot for the PEDIGREE Foundation.
Update to the blog post!! We liked McKenzie, and decided we’d keep her. She’s now full time with us!
