Why spend your summer in an office?
There comes a time in every college student’s life where they’re forced to leave behind the fun summer job for the resume-boosting, professional-looking, office-bound internship. Luckily for me, I found an internship that allowed me to sharpen my skills while working at the beach.
I was torn between staying in Milwaukee for one of those previously mentioned internships and spending my last summer back home in Door County. With that being the case, I decided to look into potential jobs a few months prior to the onset of summer for once in my life. That decision made all the difference, and allowed me to find the one position that gave me the best of both worlds — a Marketing Internship with the Door County Adventure Center.
Like most summers, the past four months have gone by in a flash. I’ve accomplished and gained so much through this internship that it’s hard to condense it all down into words. Rest assured, I’ve managed to come up with three main categories that illustrate all that the Adventure Center has to offer its interns:
A family-like team structure
Relationships like this are hard to form in any situation. Whether it’s work, social life, or even your intramural dodgeball team, it can be hard to set aside your personal agenda to meet the needs of those who depend on you. That’s certainly not the case with this business. The Adventure Center establishes a welcoming atmosphere right away and provides you with a group of co-workers who quickly become great friends. Likewise, the input provided by employees actually gets listened to. It’s the all-for-one and one-for-all mindset that allows this place to succeed year after year and keeps people coming back.
Unmatched, real-world Experience
Like most others my age, the last thing I wanted to do with my summer was push paper and run coffee around. That type of internship doesn’t justify the time and effort we put into our education all the other months of the year. Being an Advertising major at Marquette University, I’ve been trained in a wide variety of things like Graphic Design, Social Media Strategy and Editing all of which I was able to apply to this position. As a Door County Adventure Center Marketing Intern, you will find yourself managing nearly every aspect of the company’s marketing campaign. Whether it be designing brochures, running social media accounts, or person-to-person marketing, you will be utilized and appreciated to the fullest extent.
The ability to do what you love
One of the biggest benefits of working at the Adventure Center is the fact that it’s a tourism-based company, meaning they’re in the business of having fun! They specialize in kayak tours, paddle boarding, and zip lining and offer all three opportunities to their employees at any given time. Want to catch the sunset after work on a paddle board? No problem! Want to face your fear of heights on the County’s highest zip line? Go for it! These are just a few of the fun things I got to do with the team in addition to camping retreats and experiencing the Door County nightlife scene.
So, why?
If you’re a Door County local looking for a real-world experience at home, apply for this position. If you’ve never been to Door County but you’re looking for something beyond the ordinary internship, apply for this position. It will be stressful at times, but it is definitely worth the effort in the end. Just go into it with an open mind and a strong work ethic, and I can promise that you’ll leave with lasting relationships, portfolio pieces, and endless stories to tell.