February 5, 2015
Internship Outside of Comfort Zone Pays Off
Written By Dr. Susanne Killian, Career Counselor, CoB Career Center
Henry David Thoreau stated, “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” This quote encompasses the career path of Wings Mankedick, a Master’s of Business Administration student here in the East Carolina University College of Business.
Wings is a fantastic example of how students can mold their graduate experience into a holistic and experiential route to a dream career. By combining his academic interest in marketing and his love of the outdoors he secured an internship with the marketing department at the Voyageur Outward Bound School, which is a program that seeks to challenge students based on four main values: compassion, integrity, excellence, and inclusion/diversity. The program also utilizes expeditionary travel to develop leadership skills and encourages participants to work as a group to complete goals. Outward Bound uses adventure to develop personal leadership skills and to increase one’s understanding of the world around them.
This adventurous spirit is evident in Wings’ choice of participating in an internship outside of his comfort zone as he states:
“My career goals have changed drastically since I first started the MBA program at East Carolina University and this internship was more or less the biggest turning point I have had since the transition. Two years ago I was on my way to having my dream job working for a Business Management consulting firm, but I soon realized my heart belonged to the woods, outdoor education, and adventure. I still wanted to be able to use my past education in my future career and have found that marketing for organizations that I believe in, such as Outward Bound, could help bind together two loves in my life. This is why I challenged myself to complete an internship with Outward Bound.”
We can conclude from this notion that internships are great opportunities for students to experience the real world of work, and in this case, a new realm of the world of marketing.
The experiences that Wings gained through his internship have enriched his education here at ECU which he clearly expresses:
“I have many new skills and also many programs I am now familiar with. I definitely believe that part of my success was having pre experience and education in the marketing field.”
Wings not only benefitted himself through his internship, but also made a positive impact on the Voyageur Outward Bound School as they now wish to continue the marketing internship that he pioneered. As he explains the value of the internship, “I believe it was very beneficial for anyone looking for a career in marketing.”
We are fortunate to have students such as Wings Mankedick leading our graduate programs to excellence through their strong work ethics and ability to realize the value of a holistic, graduate experience. It is our hope that other students follow this example and search for their own passion along their path to a rewarding career.
**If you are interested in interning please contact Dr. Killian via email killians@ecu.edu or make an appointment by calling: 252-737-1236