The Dirt On The "-cides" : Its a Wrap

Well, this is my final internship blog post. My internship has come to an end and I am about to start another semester. My books are in a neat pile, binders have fresh paper and colorful dividers. I'm ready to start! My presentation to my peers and professors will happen soon after the start of the semester. But first, I need to finish this.
So let's talk about the internship. First... what a great idea! Wikipedia gives the best definition:

An internship is a method of on-the-job training for white-collar and professional careers.Internships for professional careers are similar in some ways to apprenticeships for trade and vocational jobs, but the lack of standardization and oversight leaves the term open to broad interpretation. Interns may be college or university students, high school students, or post-graduate adults. These positions may be paid or unpaid and are usually temporary.

Generally, an internship consists of an exchange of services for experience between the student and an organization. Students can also use an internship to determine if they have an interest in a particular career, create a network of contacts or gain school credit. Some interns find permanent, paid employment with the organizations for which they worked. This can be a significant benefit to the employer as experienced interns often need little or no training when they begin regular employment. Unlike a trainee program, employment at the completion of an internship is not guaranteed.

My internship was a little different because I am a floral design/event coordinator major and the internship was for a ‘soil science’ based major. I’d be lying if I said my motivations were entirely academic – and since Aggies never lie (we don’t cheat or steal or tolerate those who do either)… The money was great (because who does not like getting paid great money for 5 hours on a Saturday right?) BUT I wanted to take this internship for entirely personal reasons. I had the chance to learn about the chemicals that I love and about the ones I have never used. I even got to ask a lot of questions on topics that concerned me such as safety for my family, pets, and chickens!

I learned a lot about the “cides” (herbicides, pesticides, fungicides). I noticed how two similar businesses used merchandizing techniques to improve sales within their niche markets. One company kept their ‘cides’ on a side aisle towards a back wall and that area was rarely visited and I often had to spend more time in the garden section of the store to talk to people interested in the products. The second company was entirely different. They kept all the lawn & garden products just inside the main door, in a wide open, bright area that you could see everything in one sweep. That company sold TONS of those products but their focus was different that the other company.

The one thing that was definitely brought home to me is that I do NOT want to work in retail sales. I’m not a good salesperson. I have trouble making people buy something they may not necessarily need and I certainly did not want to ‘push’ a product that I would not use in my own yard. I did not have a sales goal which was wonderful but I did feel torn between my moral integrity and the responsibility I had to the company I was representing. I also realized that I do NOT like standing for 5 hours a day.

Final verdict…. All things considered I really enjoyed my experience. And I really recommend that a student try an internship in something other than their chosen field as well as in the field they find most interesting. It's a great chance to make comparisons and learn even more.

Dixie Darlin - aka Sweetness/Sissy/Punkin

And because they are my motivation and I have spoken about them all so much I will leave you with a few pics of my furbabies, parrot, and chickens! Farewell and God Bless!