People
People
We’ve given Leon Wedderburn the floor to explain in his own words how his internship experience has been at Mobas – what he’s learnt, how his time has been and some takeaway memories. After just over three months of being an active part of the Mobas Digital team, we wish him the best of luck in his final year of university.
Well, how to start... I think the first thing is thinking back to first stepping through the door, which was literally my first time in a corporate or office environment (apart from the interviews with Cam and Adam!). I had no expectations, as I’d never worked in an office, so there was a bit of nervousness around it.
That quickly passed though, as everyone was so nice and welcoming, as well as being funny – not that I didn’t think people would be funny! I mean the atmosphere and banter in the office is always good, even when people are working hard and on deadline.
There’s a mix of people of all ages, backgrounds, interests and it’s this mix that helps keep everyone fresh and in a good mood too, I think. There’s always an interesting conversation taking place to break up the focus time.
Basketball first
I’m now two-thirds of the way through my degree in Advertising and Digital Marketing in Hertfordshire. I keep getting asked, why that subject? I have to explain it, weirdly, through my love for basketball. Bear with me.
Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved the sport and have spent the past 10+ years playing in some form or another.
To be honest, I was never interested in anything else – there wasn’t another subject that stood out. It was my only focus for years. The only priority.
Before I chose to go to uni, I really wanted to land a scholarship to do basketball. But it’s crazy competitive. Sports scholarships, particularly to the US, are few and far between.
If I didn’t play basketball I wouldn't be here, the person I am. Not meeting the people I've met, or been on route my life has taken. Choosing a UK uni let me pick something I actually wanted to do, not basketball, first.
So, I looked into other options. One thing I did know was that I didn’t want to do a sports diploma: psychology, physiology, nutrition. That didn’t interest me. I would have done it for the sports, as it gave me free time to play.
Marketing stood out to me, and would be a smarter choice: for me, for my focus and for the future too.
Why Advertising and Digital Marketing?
For me, my marketing course and the topics feel a bit timeless. I sat down and thought, if I can get good at it, it’s something that’s always there, no matter what direction the world goes in – marketing is essential for so much, so many products and services we need and want.
In a way, it’s like psychology on a different level, not sales, but you’re selling something. I found it interesting, and how all these things work together.
So, I then had to find a place that I could do an internship at. It’s on you to find your place and arrange it. In that weird way that the world works, I ended up finding Mobas as my neighbour’s daughter used to work here and it was a conversation between my mum and her. I spoke to Aimee first, and she spoke highly of Mobas, and put me in touch with Adam.
My uni first year was pretty-much theory based. Then, second year, you’re more getting started with tools and things – using Figma and wireframes. I built an app, created a website, wrote more copy.
I thought at the time my uni skills were directly transferable into a real job. But something I’ve found is that you can’t really learn a job until you’re doing the job – practical, real-life experience over theory every time.
Coming to Mobas has shown me how much I’m scratching the surface of the skills I need and can use for a range of jobs in the future.
What do I like about agency life?
It’s been amazing, not a bad word to say – and I’m not even saying that for this blog. I really love it here.
It’s fast-paced and different every day, which is bang on target for me. My attention span is short, so I like to be doing different things.
I’ve been working across a range of clients, which has been really interesting – seeing how Cambridge Education Group, Emocien and Ellgia tick. It keeps you alert and your mind going. I really like the pace.
Another thing is how much it helps doing things – the experience gained from being in a real workplace is great. I can learn about websites and SEO and copywriting all I want, but when you see it in practice it’s something else. I’m a very visual learner, not the most academic, so how it’s taught at school is not the way I learn.
What next?
I want to do more stuff with, and learn more about, digital marketing and Google Analytics, in particular. The impact of what we’re doing is powerful, and you see it with the page rankings, there’s so much to it. Don’t do one thing: it’s a whole bigger picture.
There’s more to marketing than just copy and designing a social media post. Everything is interconnected, and overlapping, and this experience at Mobas has really underlined this.
Thanks to everyone at Mobas for making me feel so welcome. I have a really nice portfolio of examples to show people and showcase, as well as the experience, which has been fantastic.
Hope to see you again soon, maybe back at Mobas!
