I am an international student at La Trobe University, studying a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences.  I initially entered university through a Bachelor of Arts, with the intention to do a double major in Strategic Communication and Psychology. However, after my first semester, I started questioning my choice. I enjoyed all my classes but did not know where I was going with them, I was not sure I would find a job that would interest me. I thought it was just a phase, and decided to keep going with my choice. At the end of my first year, I realised that I was really interested in Psychology, I didn’t know exactly what I liked about it, but I just thought “If I don’t do it now, I’ll regret it”. So I transferred into a Bachelor of psychological Sciences. After a semester into it, I discovered what I liked about psychology: the study of the mind, of people, of the human interactions, how our environment helps shape and influence our decisions. I liked the real-world applications of psychological theories. I spent a while trying to think of what I could do by taking this direction with my career. I thought about marketing after I had to complete a project in one of my psychology classes, using psychology theory and applying it to modern marketing. I started looking for a marketing internship that I could do over the summer to give me a greater insight into the world of marketing.

That’s when I found Marketing Eye. Their intern program immediately appealed to me: it was exactly what I was looking for! Marketing Eye offered a six-week placement where I would be exposed to all areas of marketing, from social media to customer research and copywriting. The fact that Marketing Eye is one of Australia's leading Marketing Consultancy firms makes it the best place to have a first internship. And with a great team, the motivation is there to do your best despite the hard tasks, and the day always ends up going super-fast (which usually means your having fun!). This internship is allowing me to explore the real-world application of marketing, in an international context, with the company currently servicing over 100 clients both in Australia and internationally. I try to apply every day skills I have learned in Strategic Communication and Psychology courses, whether they are research skills or writing skills, to real clients. You would be surprised how often you use the set of skills from both fields in Marketing. Realising this, I felt I had made the right decision.

I think the best thing about doing this internship at Marketing Eye is that it is allowing me to develop skills that I would otherwise have been lacking compared to someone coming straight out of a Marketing or Business degree. I still have three weeks to go, but I have already learned so much, from the tasks I have been given, from the people I have worked with and from the fast-paced life in a marketing firm. I will still be lacking some business skills, but now I am more motivated than ever to finish my degree, eventually do a Masters in marketing, more placements, and start my career in the field.

Jennyfer Payet