Is this real life? Becoming a part of the working world

I interned at Eisbrenner Public Relations last summer and was hired as an account coordinator after only a few months. I was beyond ecstatic. I love Eisbrenner PR and the people I work with, so the offer to become a permanent member of the team was an opportunity I refused to pass up.

Then I realized, as I’m sure many recent grads do, I’m a real person now! The next few days were filled with a lot of different emotions, including excitement, fear, anxiety, sadness that I’ll probably never be able to take a nap or day drink whenever I wanted (noooo!), and happiness because I had found a job that I really like.

I quickly learned there is (almost) nothing to be afraid of. Life as an account coordinator is good and my activities on a day-to-day basis are very similar to those of an intern so I didn’t feel the pressure of having to learn something completely new in a short period of time. I still do a lot of research and write media lists, press releases and reporter bios. However, I have more responsibility now and it’s great! I get to interact with clients in addition to sending pitches to reporters, writing opinion editorials, managing small projects and even delegating work to our current intern.

While the transition from intern to “real person” might seem scary, it’s not! Not everything is easy and more is expected of me but this also was the case in college. As I went from freshman to senior year, I was expected to write longer and more thoughtful papers, take more advanced tests and present ideas that were more sophisticated. The same goes in the professional world.

My bottom line: I found a great company that does amazing work and insists excellence. I’ve learned a great deal through all of my hard work at Eisbrenner PR, in my internship and my current position, including how to create the best possible press releases and pitches and how to interact with clients as a PR professional. I know everything I’ve experienced thus far will be an asset throughout my entire professional life. Most importantly though, I have fun with my colleagues and love what I do, for me, those are key to facing (and loving) the post-college “real world” days.