By: Hunter Smith

As of June 2014, I can officially say I’m a Kelley graduate! I’m really excited to start the next journey of my life. I have been looking forward to starting my first career and I could not be more pleased to have the Kelley name to back me up.

But let’s take a step back first.

My last semester at Kelley went by very fast. Actually, my whole senior year went by very fast. It’s that time where you’re juggling so many aspects of life that you don’t realize that time is moving. With job searching, working, trying to deal with the mean winter Indiana had, I was honestly not surprised that graduation would sneak up on me.

But let’s get to the good stuff…

One of my goals in the spring was to land a full-time job or internship opportunity. I’ll be honest: it was tough. It’s tough for a lot people. Coming out of the Great Recession, I kept a positive mind and I think it worked. In April, I interviewed with Pepper Construction of Indiana to be a marketing intern. Based out of Chicago, they are a general contractor for many local and national projects. I never would have thought to work in the construction business!

Anyways, I got the position and I was eager to start. I began my first week the day after graduation. It was a lot to take in with all of the terminology, new faces, company culture, and what not. I’m working with another student from Ball State who is majoring in graphic design (she is also a marketing intern). She and I tackle many of the proposals and photography for the company in hopes of landing new clients. We’ve been working with big names and I could not be more thrilled to be involved in that.

One of the biggest challenges of this position is getting to know the industry. As I have no prior construction knowledge, I’m training myself on new terminology and technical language so that I can be engaged in meetings and give my input. The great thing about Pepper is that everyone is willing to teach me the ins and outs. With that, I feel like I’m learning fast and am able to apply my marketing expertise with the construction industry.

Now that I’m a month in, I’m really hoping that this can lead to something bigger. Taking the internship route after college is never a bad thing. It gives you the opportunity to get that experience that is needed in this competitive job market.

For all of you Kelleys out there, enjoy your summer and good luck in the fall!