Our most recent intern, Thea, joined the Patio team earlier this summer to learn the ins and outs of marketing before she returned to her studies in Montreal in September. We’re excited to say that Thea is set to return to Patio in a part-time capacity to expand her hands-on learning in the field of digital marketing!
Since her internship with us has come to an end, we gave her carte blanche to write about her experience. Here’s what she had to say:
It was the beginning of my second year at university when I started thinking about potential jobs for that summer.
I knew that at the end of the semester, I wanted to spend time between Montreal, where I go to school, and Vancouver, where my family and friends are. As I started looking for a summer internship, I quickly realized that those expectations were unrealistic - most internships last all four months of summer, and I would have to stay in whichever city I was hired in. Luckily, a personal connection referred me to Patio, a 100% remote company that offered the flexibility of working from wherever I was.
After meeting with Megan, the company director and founder, I was thrilled to be offered a role. While I was overjoyed to have secured the position, I had to shake some of my preconceived notions of remote work. Having dealt with online learning during the pandemic, I was unsure what to expect from the workforce equivalent:
Would I feel motivated to work if it wasn’t in person? Would I feel lonely during my work day? Would I be able to perform as well as if I was in an office? Despite these doubts, I was extremely grateful and eager to see what the experience had in store for me.
Throughout my first two weeks, I was introduced to every person in the company through one-on-one calls and paired with coworkers who took the time to train me and answer any questions I had.
Thea (R) sending smiles to another Patio team member while sharing a WeWork desk with Patio’s Junior Account Manager Karina (L).
I instantly felt like a member of the team. My opinions were taken into consideration; my coworkers took the time to help me learn, give me feedback and build mutual trust. I couldn't have asked for a more warm and welcoming culture. And more importantly, I felt incredibly invested in the work that I was doing.
Knowing I had limited time during this internship, I decided to make the absolute most of it. That meant learning as much as possible every day. "Why" quickly became the most valuable word in my vocabulary. With every question I asked, I got closer to the root of what I was learning. And with every answer I received, I was gifted with more independence in knowing how and why things worked.
All these pieces of gained context were what put my initial unease about remote work to rest. Where I first thought that not being in an office would make it harder to ask questions as they came, my colleagues quickly proved that wrong.
I'm learning that even though asking questions can be intimidating at times, relabelling it as critical thinking can put a more professional spin on any doubts when you're unsure of something.
"Be a thinker" sounds straightforward. After all, everyone thinks, right? But it's about HOW you think that changes everything. In my case, knowing the rules of how things worked at Patio gave me more freedom to eventually think outside of the box.
When you reach that point of perspective, it proves how you can be uniquely helpful to people.
Oh -- and one other thing. Everyone here is really cool, so that’s nice too!