....The amazing start of my career journey with TG Consulting.
By Reagan Spinks
Introduction: Uncertainty during COVID and finding the Online Internship initiative
About three years ago I was finishing my undergraduate degree and COVID was in full force. Unsure what I was going to do after University or even how I was going to do it, I was feeling dread and uncertainty. I looked through my universities careers website (which everyone should do!) and saw they had just started a new initiative called Online Internships. I applied for a couple but the one that stood out to me the most was this company called TG Consulting (you might have heard of them). The internship was meant to last around a couple of weeks and my role was to come up with a strategy plan for TG Consulting’s podcast ‘The Student Sessions’. Now, I say ‘meant to last a couple of weeks’ as you can tell, it’s been a little longer than that now.
Navigating the Internship: Remote Work, Mentorship, and Growth with The Student Sessions
Starting the internship was certainly a whole new kettle of fish as for everyone working from home was a strange thing at first, with human interaction now being streamed through only emails and virtual meetings. It was also my first internship and first role as a strategist. In saying all that I was surprised by the amount of support I got from my boss. From day 0, Tonia Galati coached, trained, taught, listened, and guided me. From understanding how I work best to pushing me to assignments and opportunities I never thought I could accomplish. The thing I have learnt the most from Tonia is, I am really good at what I do. After my internship was over, I presented my work to Tonia and was blown away by the positive feedback I received. It was so good that I was able to extend my internship for an extra few weeks. All the way through I would be told that I should celebrate my work, my talent, my success more. So I tried and wouldn’t you believe it but TG Consulting wanted me to stay on as a Freelancer.
My main focus was on The Student Sessions podcast, making sure we had guests, writing interview questions, and communicating with our artist and editor to make sure everything went out on time. The Student Sessions has continued to grow and grow, reaching over 12,000 downloads and featuring over 100 episodes and more than double that of guests. As time went on my responsibilities grew and I soon found myself becoming a co-host on the podcast. The absolute nerves I had every time I hit record and started speaking would disappear as the feeling of joy and accomplishment I received when I spoke to all the amazing and gifted guests we had. As the podcast grew, so did I. My confidence started to shine through, and I was able to start putting myself forward for other opportunities.
Challenging experiences and growth: Expanding responsibilities through project management and learning from mistakes
I remember speaking with Tonia over the phone about an idea she had about wanting to capture the real life experiences students have been through and letting other read and learn from them. Less than a month later and we started to get through real stories from students all over the nation. I was even asked to put my story onto paper. And as anyone who was in the book would tell you too, that wasn’t an easy thing to do. But there we had it, ‘You Are A Limited Edition’, a book the public could buy and read these students and young adults being vulnerable and showing how even when the worst things happen to us, there will be more. More struggles but more hope and more happiness later.
Now the past 3 years have come and gone in a blur so my timings may be slightly off, so I apologise. In saying that, with the success of The Student Sessions showing we were approached by a university to help them create a brand new podcast for their students, by their students. I was tasked with project managing it and helping the students working on it find their true self and show them the ropes of creating a podcast. Another success!
I remember at some point being asked by Tonia if I wanted to be a speaker for an online seminar for other students and young people. Although nerves crept in, I took the leap and said ‘Of course!’. And then a few months later talks about a second edition of the book are now on the table. Well, now I’m a two-time author!
Just to pause a second here to just say that although I was doing all this incredible stuff, I wasn’t always perfect at it. There were many rocky parts that I had to learn hard lessons from. From communication skills to proofreading, to remembering not to do an online speaking role in a busy café – there has been a huge amount I have learnt. I am so grateful for these mistakes as without them I wouldn’t be as level-headed as I am now. But also, I am so grateful to Tonia and all the many colleagues, podcast guests, clients, family, and friends that have kept me on track and pointed out to me that I am still and always will be growing. There will be more mistakes, there will be more lessons learnt, there will be more growth.
Celebrating success and growth: Recognitions and awards, reflections on personal and professional development, and the value of seizing opportunities during uncertain times.
During my time at TG Consulting, I have also been able to seek opportunities that I’m interested in, like marketing, branding, product research, and graphic design. I have always tried to get stuck in with as much as I could, and it looked like that it showed. The Students Sessions was nominated for British Podcast award! What an exciting thing to see a project you’ve worked on be showcased in front of the masses. And then another project I was working got nominated for an award…me! TG Consulting had put my name forward as the Best Student Contributor to a SME – and load and behold I was shortlisted. Traveling to London for the RMP award ceremony was incredible and even though we didn’t win either of the awards, TG Consulting has won and been nominated for so many awards my email footer is as big as my actual foot. Being a part of this company and contributing to its many many successes means so much to me.
And now a new chapter is to begin, with more successes and more things to learn. I leave TG Consulting with my toolkit overflowing and my chest puffed out knowing that over the course of three years and the knowledge and confidence I have gained, I will make whatever comes my way a positive and exciting experience. Thank you so much TG Consulting. And remember, there will always be more.