My Internship Story

Written by Dan Gibbon

The Wired Sussex Intern Placement Programme has been a great success and there is nothing we love more than hearing from interns that have used the scheme to launch their careers in the Digital, Creative and IT sectors. Dan got in touch to share his internship story and tell us how the programme has helped him achieve his career goals.

"With the inevitable post university blues starting to truly settle in and the hunt for a new career path in full swing, I came across an eye catching advert for a paid internship advertised on Wired Sussex for a “Problem Solver/ Developer” with a company called Trackpal. Digital marketing was not somewhere I saw myself at any point when I was considering my career, but the role Trackpal was offering sounded flexible, challenging and above all; interesting.

As well as the seemingly rare opportunity of an internship that is actually paid, Trackpal already seemed, on paper, the kind of place I’d enjoy working and so I did the sensible thing; I sent off an application! After a (not too arduous) grilling from the Managing Director (Scott Lawson) and the Director (Claire Eden) I was invited to the office to get a feel for the kind of work I would be doing and to experience the atmosphere they’ve created at their Hove office. When they offered me the position later that day, I accepted immediately.

Entering a new office environment can be slightly overwhelming at times especially with the “intern” label hanging over your head. I expected to feel like an outsider for the duration of the six weeks but I was treated like a member of the team from day one. They promised they weren’t the kind of company to task interns with bug squishing or send on coffee runs. Which turned out to be true; the internship was a largely educational experience riddled with application. I was given the space to find my own footing, with the knowledge that if I needed help someone would be willing to give me a push in the right direction.

I came to appreciate, quite quickly, that Trackpal want their employees to develop personally and not stay stuck in the same role for the foreseeable future, an admirable approach to keeping your team happy and productive. In that vein, I’ve tried my hand at a few things since I started in November, including throwing together a festive squirrel on photoshop for their newsletter (an interesting tangent to programming). They’ve also given me opportunities to expand my skill set with online courses and reading material that have already proven useful.

Office environments can be notoriously dry but everyone is keen to make sure that isn’t the case here, with impromptu moments of chaos and a constant stream of music (good and bad) playing throughout the working day. As a bonus both Scott and Claire are very approachable and understanding when it comes to work/life balance which is a huge deal breaker for me having band commitments outside of work.To quote Scott on such issues “Don't ever let work kill your creative passions”.

After a few weeks in the office I was offered a full time position as a Junior Developer, which I gladly accepted. Which is where I find myself this very second writing this blog post."

- Daniel Gibbon, Junior Developer at Trackpal

If you are interested in finding out what the Internship Placement Programme can offer you either as a company or a prospective intern then visit our website for further details.