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| Jessie Doppler |
by Jessie Doppler (@JessieDoppler)
It’s been no
less than two and a half months since I started my Social Media internship with
eCPDWebinars – and it has indeed been quite the ride.
As many of
you may know from your own experience, internships can often feel like taking a
bet; it could turn out to be a total dream or an utter disaster where the only
experience gained is on brewing tea and filing empty folders...
In my case,
it felt even more like a bet.
Having obtained
my MA in translating and interpreting a few years ago and currently working as
a freelance translator heading up my own business, the idea of taking on an
internship at this point in my career did, at first, not seem any more
appealing than downing a glass of fresh kale juice (which, by the way, is
allegedly a great way to start the day). Would I even find the time for an
internship?
After some thought,
I felt what eCPDWebinars had to offer me would add a whole new dimension to my
professional experience and, since I had never really worked with social media
on a professional level, what a great opportunity this could be for me to learn
something new.
As it turns
out, this one bet really paid off. So, to make up for at least some of the
terrible internships you may have read about in the past, I have decided to
highlight the best aspects of my internship experience and with this I hope to
encourage others to bite the bullet.
Learning, learning, learning and more
learning
Social Media
The past two
months have been a steep learning curve. I’ve gone from barely understanding the
basics of using social media on a professional level to creating a social media
strategy. Who knew there was so much to learn and understand?
The CPD business
I have been
given an insight into the online CPD business, from what it takes to organise a
webinar and events, finding presenters, rehearsals, the marketing approach,
what goes on behind the scenes during a live webinar to actual business-related
aspects of running such a business.
Access to eCPDWebinars
As part of
my internship I have benefitted from attending training sessions to boost my
own freelance career.
Networking and being part of something
The
internship has not only allowed me to expand my professional network but it has
also given me the opportunity to be part of something. Maybe some freelancers
can’t relate to this, but despite my undying love for translating and my
professional independence, I for one have found freelancing to be quite a
lonely profession at times. Yes, you can rent an office, join networks and
associations, and sure, there are numerous
other advantages to freelancing, but at the end of the day, 95% of the time it
is just you vs. your source text. So, my social media work for eCPDWebinars and
having regular meetings with Lucy and Maia, who have really integrated me into
various processes, has really brought back a much needed balance (and sanity)
into my working life, which has, in turn, increased my translation
productivity. Hurray!
P.S. I hope
you have also all been enjoying my posts of Facebook and Twitter. Please feel
free to share any suggestions you may have.
