My Placement Experience at Red C and how it was going back into final year of University
by Shitha Jagadeesh
Bloody Students
On the 7th June 2007 I got the phone call to say…..I had secured the position as Junior Marketing Coordinator at Red C in their London Office. I was absolutely ecstatic as this was a bit of a double whammy for me seeing as it was also my birthday! I will never forget how happy I was to hear such good news.
In August 2007 I began my placement year with Red C. Moving down to a new city, was exciting but also made me very nervous at the same time; however the nervous feelings soon diluted as I began my placement journey. During the start of my placement, the routine of getting up early everyday and concentrating for the whole day was daunting and I did struggle to get into a regular pattern in the first few weeks.
However as time went on it became second nature to me. In February 2008 I moved up to Manchester to work in the Manchester Office. Working for Red C was fantastic, both socially and career wise. I was thrown into the deep end and had a variety of tasks I had to handle and get stuck into. This helped me to build up confidence and really get involved into my role. I was able to put into practice aspects of marketing skills I had learnt through my degree as well and get more of an insight into what this kind of profession actually entails.
SPG
Learning from my mistakes and getting quickly stuck in wasn’t the easiest way of learning, but I soon began to realize it was definitely the best way, and one that I would recommend to anyone. It helped me gain such valuable experience. I saw my confidence growing as well as improvements in my communication skills. Over the course of the year the enormous experience gained was so valuable and definitely something University teaching could not have given me. The real life experience of working in a prospering business is something I rate very highly.
After ending my placement, I was in two minds about what going back to University would be like. Part of me was ready and raring to go as I wanted to get stuck in and finish my degree as I had had a taster of the working world and that was something I knew I desperately wanted to be part of especially in terms of working in an agency environment. However part of me was dreading actually having to learn, revise and go through the exams process again. I felt like I was out of the loop with regards to exams and revision. Also I didn’t like the fact I could put my skills into practice.
Shitha is very glad to leave those messy Students behind
However once I began it really wasn’t as bad as I thought. If anything It was a lot easier as I noticed a great difference in the way I saw my final year. One of the main things I noticed was my motivation to strive to do well. I knew I wanted to graduate and work for a Marketing agency and realised the competitiveness of the industry so I became a lot more alert to University and gave it my all. I could see a goal which came from completing my placement year, which I couldn’t really see through my first and second year at University. I also was able to understand many of the concepts taught a lot better as I had come across and used many of them through my year at Red C.
I also found that my concentration was a lot better and the fact I had had a year of being in a routine of early mornings I was able to go to the library to study after lectures, before tutorials and various meetings, this helped a great deal as I achieved more within my days. I also noticed that I was able to work a lot more effectively and efficiently in group situations as it heavily relied on good communication which I developed through the experience I gained from daily communication with clients and studio members through my placement year. Two of my modules were purely group work based so good communication really helped.
Another great thing I felt which came out of my placement was the fact that I learnt how to juggle and prioritise tasks which helped with revision, assignments and tutorial tasks. I would most definitely recommend a placement year to all business students. I feel it has a number of positive attributes. I was also extremely lucky with my placement, as Red C are a wonderful company to work for. Their support and teaching throughout my year was phenomenal. Their sense of understanding and making me feel part of the team was something I truly treasured.
I have now come back to Red C for a permanent position, which was slightly overwhelming at first, however I soon slipped back into the routine, and felt like it was as though I never left. Every member has been very welcoming, and the tasks and responsibilities I have faced are helping to solidly build my career. My experience over the last few years has felt like I’ve been one big rollercoaster ride, but I have to say I wouldn’t have changed any of it. It has helped to build my personality, career and give me direction in life, and I believe this was all initiated through undergoing a placement year.
Tags: Advertising Agency Placement, Direct Marketing Agency Placement, Manchester Advertising Agency, Manchester Direct Marketing Agency, Manchester PPC Agency, Marketing Agency, Marketing Degree, New Media Agency, Online Marketing Agency, Online Marketing Agency Placement, Student Placement, Work Placement
