Comments on: Big City vs. Local Internships

By: nicklucido

nicklucido — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:13:13 +0000

I think that’s the beauty of internships — you have a trial run to see if you like the city. A lot of people have advice but it’s up to you to find out for your own. Good luck!

By: nicklucido

nicklucido — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:12:24 +0000

Taylor, you bring up an interesting point. Learning what you really want and having a realistic expectation of that is important. Not every city job is a great experience, so taking the right approach is important. Thanks for adding your thoughts!

By: Leah Zuber

Leah Zuber — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:48:31 +0000

Great, great post, Nick. Since I’m graduation this Spring, I’ve been thinking a lot about this subject and the different options that are available to me. I’ve had two wonderful local internships in Grand Rapids and learned countless skills. However, I would like to broaden my experiences and open it up to big cities. I have heard many pros and cons on interning in a big city, but I’m very curious and want to experience it on my own. Chicago is on the top of my list and it sounds like you really enjoyed your experience at Edelman. Thank you for the great input!

By: Taylor Graves

Taylor Graves — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:43:15 +0000

Nick. VERY true. It is so important to know what you want out of an internship (or a job for that matter). Know what’s important to you location, experience, hands on work, what you will be able to do to build your portfolio, etc… and not only that but knowing what of these things is the biggest priority. Will you sacrafice the big city for a fantastic opportunity in a smaller town?? This is a great post. Also – I love that you enjoyed Chicago, it’s a great city that I wish I could spend more time in! Lucky you!!

By: nicklucido

nicklucido — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:09:18 +0000

Thanks for sharing your experience, Melissa. I like that you pointed out the different client experiences, because I’ve witnessed the same thing. However, working with clients directly should be a long term goal in a big agency.

By: Melissa Hackett

Melissa Hackett — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:57:19 +0000

Great topic! I have worked in PR at both the local level here in Lansing, and in a big city when I spent the summer in London. There are definitely pros and cons to both, but I think it comes down to what a student is looking for both personally and professionally.

Everyone has glamorous views of the big city. However, I’ve found that in addition to the glitz and the glam, major cities like New York or London also have their downfalls. A huge part of this is the financial aspect, as you mentioned. My time in London helped me to really grow personally, as I had to become more self-sufficient with public transit, using maps just to find a grocery store and not knowing anyone. Not to mention adjusting to a new culture. This is not an experience I have had working on a more local level.

Professionally, I see the difference mainly being the clients that you work with. My PR experience in Michigan has mainly been for local nonprofits and other local clients. My PR experience in London involved working with international film festivals and major clients throughout Europe. Both are amazing experiences in my opinion to help grow professionally. In a smaller city (and with smaller agencies), I’ve found you get to work more closely with clients, which can be very insightful. In a bigger city (and with bigger agencies) I’ve found the work to be less one-on-one with clients, but it is still amazing to be able to work on nationwide or even international campaigns.

Overall, I think there is a give and take with both types of internships. You can take a lot away from both!

By: Nick Lucido

Nick Lucido — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:57:58 +0000

Rachel–

I’m right there with you. The atmosphere and work is so different in each setting that it’s hard to decide what the best experience is. No matter what, the different experiences will help you be more well rounded and a better professional in the long run. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

By: Rachel Esterline

Rachel Esterline — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:49:41 +0000

Great post, Nick!

I’ve been an intern at a large agency in Columbus, Ohio, and an intern at a small agency in Midland, Mich.

It really depends on your personal goals. While I loved living in the Columbus area during the summer, I discovered that the traffic wasn’t as bad as I thought and living in a city was fun (coming from a girl who grew up in the country).

Working at a large agency is also so much different than a small one. At the large agency, there are cool clients, big meetings and a lot of networking.

But, I’ve had a different work experience at the small agency. There are less people, so I get to know everyone in the office much better. The meetings are laid back and I feel very comfortable in them. Since it’s a small agency, I get to work on a few projects that I wouldn’t have at a large agency. I have more of a hand in them since they have less staff to work on things.

If you have the opportunity, do an internship in a city to see if you like it. The best part: If you don’t like it, it’s just an internship and you can go home after it.

I’m still torn because I like both large and small agencies.