Learning More with Wildcard

When a company sees that someone has the potential to serve their business and they’re willing to invest in them, that is one of the most encouraging feelings for a student. Investing goes further than a paycheck. 

Investing means giving them experiences. 

Investing means providing the resources they need. 

Investing means getting the most out of their internship.

For myself, being able to see the first project I worked on evolve from production to product was not only fulfilling, but reassured me I wanted to continue to push for more from my internship.

Finding Opportunity with Wildcard 

I learned about Wildcard Corp. in a forwarded email from one of my instructors at Mid-State Technical College in the summer of 2020. After reading the job description, I knew an opportunity like this would put me ahead of my peers, especially getting this position while starting my second year at a technical college. 

After reading up on Wildcard, I realized that I’ve driven, biked, and walked past their headquarters hundreds of times, as it was less than half a mile from Mid State’s Stevens Point campus. I sent my resume and cover letter out, knowing the worst thing that could happen was that nothing else happened.

The next week I got an email from the HR department and set up an interview time. I was excited to have an opportunity to market my abilities to whoever would be interviewing me. After the interview, I submitted a small example project to see if my skills could fit the animated video style they were looking for. After reviewing my video, I was offered the job on the following Friday and started that following Monday. 

My position as the Multimedia Design Intern was offered to curate animated training videos for Wildcard’s security learning management system, Sparx Academy. They streamlined the hiring process as they needed a new course built out in Sparx for a client, and the deadline was fast approaching.

Clicking with the Internship

Sometimes, a new employee needs to dive headfirst into their duties, prove what they can do, and then ask for more. Doing this opens a door of opportunity that the company culture of Wildcard will provide; they just need to be hungry for it. 

That is exactly what I did after finishing the first course. It was almost a “show us what you can do” moment after I completed that project. My internship fell under the umbrella of marketing, business development, and visual. The expectations my manager had for me started to develop and grow into the position I have today. 

I researched topics and solutions for marketing, whether for our business development or to figure out our best options for promotional products. I created new blogs to keep our website relevant for future customers. I worked to develop and implement a social media strategy plan. This project blossomed into creating monthly social media content to maintain our channels. I’ve even created brochures and other marketing materials, including a demo video, to promote our products. All of those experiences happened as I continued to broaden my duties for Sparx Academy by expanding our course selection. 

Understanding Current Knowledge Isn’t a Restraint

One of the biggest lessons I learned from being an intern at Wildcard was trying a little bit of everything in my department. An internship is for someone to explore and gain experience in the business world or their industry. I was getting a degree in Digital Marketing, but I was given opportunities to get my hand in other business development projects at Wildcard. This freedom allows students to discover strengths they didn’t know they had, and find other marketable attributes about themselves. 

Creating Work-Life Balance with Wildcard

Wildcard offers students a unique opportunity. Not only are they getting paid experience in your field, but they are working in a flexible environment that puts education first. 

Class schedule demanding this semester? Let’s build a work schedule around it.

Big capstone project coming up? Let’s cut back a couple of hours this week.

Nothing to do over winter break? Let’s get some more hours.

What are they learning right now? Let’s find a project that complements that education. 

I could continue on and on about other examples of the flexibility and support Wildcard gives their interns. The main point is that Wildcard wants you to learn, prosper, and prioritize a healthy work-school-life balance. Another thing Wildcard does well is treating interns as an equal. Whether someone’s a full-time employee, senior at a university, or a second-year student at technical college, like I was, their work and input is valuable. I have been fortunate to have my internship transformed into a part-time position after I graduated last spring. Wildcard allowed me this transition as I take time to look for full-time employment opportunities and progress my experience with the company. 

Look for a Future with Wildcard

Coming into a tech company was an intimidating experience for me. To think back over a year ago that I didn’t know anything about cybersecurity now seems almost scarier. Whether information technology is right up your alley or you’re going to school for the business side, like myself, Wildcard’s internship program is an opportunity I would (and do) encourage any student in the Central Wisconsin area to check out. 

Find the list of available internship opportunities and take the lead on your future with Wildcard.