The Intern Experience – Working Remotely as an Intern

Every year, Snaptech has the privilege of taking on an intern or two from BCIT’s marketing program and teaching them the ins and outs of Media Buying and SEO. This is a great way for new marketers to get exposed to what life is like in a marketing agency and see which aspect of marketing they connect with and would like to pursue. It’s also helpful for us at Snaptech as we get to train the marketers of tomorrow and have a fresh set of eyes and potentially new ideas on tasks that we share with them. As an added challenge, Snaptech is almost entirely a remote company, so interns would need to be trained in a virtual environment as opposed to face-to-face. This can potentially create some challenges when it comes to learning and executing tasks, so we asked our most recent interns for their perspectives on working remotely as an intern. Here’s what they had to say.

Working Remotely Has Its Perks

Having the flexibility to work remotely is definitely all it’s cracked up to be. The time saved in the mornings from having a 2-minute commute compared to the horrors of commuting in the Lower Mainland makes the mornings a little more bearable. Also, being able to work from anywhere with an internet connection is a bonus!

You Get Out What You Put In

Because you’re working isolated from your coworkers and those who are training you, it is crucial to be a self-starter and make sure you’re constantly asking questions and staying in communication. This helps build professional and personal relationships with coworkers. It will also help you feel less isolated from everyone which will make you feel much better mentally.

Have a Separate Space for Work

Set up your work area away from where you spend personal time. For the first few weeks, I was working from my computer, which I also used in my personal time. And I found myself often sitting down at the desk for more hours than I care to admit (it was a lot). Since then, I’ve moved my work area from my main computer to my laptop in a different room and found I’m much more productive and in a better mood as I have more natural light and am not sitting in the same chair for an extensive period.

Balance is Key

Working remotely has taught me the importance of having a work-life balance. When working from home it’s important to have that step of separation in your life. Not having that separation in your life can lead you down a path to getting burnt out and could have negative effects on both your work and home life.

Final Pieces of Advice

Remembering to take care of yourself both physically and mentally when working remotely is crucial to having a successful career. Be sure to get up and move around throughout the day and chat with your coworkers to help you feel like you are not isolated when your office is just an online space.