Scholar shares Iowa internship experience
By Keaton Dornath
Dornath is a junior studying business analytics and marketing who finished his second internship this summer in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He shares his internship experience below:
This past summer I had the opportunity to complete an internship with the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance in Fort Dodge, Iowa, where I served as an Economic Development Learning Associate. This was my second year returning to this summer internship where I took on a variety of roles that allowed me to gain industry knowledge in community, business, and economic development.
The organization that I worked for served north central Iowa as a resource to improve the quality of life for individuals within the region. My primary role was to develop and lead a summer internship program to be utilized by our regional partners and their interns. The purpose of our program was to educate regional interns on a variety of topics that aren’t always discussed in the classroom or while at work. Each week we invited a guest speaker to visit with the interns and speak on a new topic. Throughout the summer we touched base on personal wellness, financial management, networking and career search tips along with other topics.
The summer allowed me to meet individuals from a variety of universities that are pursuing different industries and degrees. My secondary role within my internship was to lead a market research study to gain valuable insights on what employees search for in a community and career. During the distribution process, we targeted employees who elected to take a career in our community. The data we found was used in conjunction with the Iowa Economic Development Authority to create a marketing campaign that targeted individuals searching for a career throughout the state of Iowa and to draw them into our region.
The biggest takeaway from my internship was that working with individuals from a variety of backgrounds and passions can be truly rewarding. Regardless of the industry that someone make work in, I believe the people truly make the experience. Working with others has always been a passion of mine and giving the opportunity for other interns to develop and succeed throughout the summer was valuable.
In addition to working with others, I also learned how important it is to utilize your network and resources during your time in a summer internship. You never know who can be helpful and guide you in your career search. The hardest thing leading up to my internship was some of the insight that I had within my industry before stepping into the organization that I interned with for the summer. It is important to take a step back on your predispositions and gain knowledge from data and other individuals’ experiences.
As the digital transformation continues, it is important to capitalize on the data that is readily available and put your knowledge to work through analytics and application.
