Emily Farr | @EmilyLFarr As a journalism major, I was both excited and terrified when my senior year of college arrived. I had no idea what I was going to do after college or how I was going to apply my degree to the real world. I knew from previous experience that I didn’t want to be a newspaper reporter and I also knew that I really wanted to interview bands and musicians for a living. However, I had no clue where to start or if I would actually be able to achieve my goals as a music journalist. I didn’t know that I would soon find a new way to apply my journalism skills to the real world, and then some.

The first semester of my senior year I took an online journalism class that went through the ins and outs of how the field is changing and adapting to the digital age. Looking back, I see that class as a harbinger because sure enough the semester after that class, I began my internship at Social Media Delivered.

In order to graduate I needed an internship pertaining to journalism, which also contributed to my many fears during senior year. I had previously held small jobs before but nothing in my career field and I was intimidated big time! Anxiety began to set in as the first semester of my senior year came to a close and I still hadn’t found a place to intern. Luckily, a classmate referred me to SMD and encouraged me to apply. After doing my interview over winter break I was accepted as part of the SMD team of interns.

At the time I had no idea how much I would learn as an intern at SMD. Not only was I able to utilize my journalism skills while writing blogs, but I also learned management skills and honed my proofreading skills. However, the best part of interning at SMD was the people.

Though it is a professional environment, it is a relaxed environment at the same time. Everybody is willing to help out and were so much fun to work with. If there’s ever a skill somebody wants to learn, SMD will teach it. From Tumblr to Twitter and all other social media sites in between, SMD teaches you how to successfully use those sites as a marketing tool.

Because of the awesome opportunities I had at SMD, I am now TSMBE certified and know how to successfully leverage the power of social media to promote a business. Among the many skills I gained at SMD, I’m proud to say I also gained the confidence I need to utilize those skills in my journalism career. Interning at SMD was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.