English Lit or Advertising? Both!

By: Claire Goscicki, Research Intern

Claire Goscicki

As an English literature major interning in the research department here at Starcom, I often receive puzzled looks from family and friends when attempting to explain my choice to enter the advertising industry.  I have been here for five weeks already and the truth is I’m still discovering how Starcom is a good fit for me and how my background in the liberal arts has prepared me to conduct research.

Below are just a few motivators that brought me to 150 West Jefferson and keep me coming back.

1. The challenge. What first attracted me to working at Starcom was the opportunity to challenge myself. With extensive coursework behind me in the humanities, entering a department focused on statistical analysis was intimidating to say the least. To this day it’s still a bit intimidating, but in a good way – working with numbers and data keeps me on my toes, and I’ve found that I’m anxious to learn more.
2. An interest in people. Starcom is a part of SMG, a Human Experience Company, meaning that we seek to discover how consumers experience our campaigns, respond to ads and interact with brands. If you’re guilty of overanalyzing everyone’s actions like I tend to be, you’ll probably appreciate testing consumer surveys and facilitating focus groups like we do here in the research department. I was pleasantly surprised to find that working in research isn’t just about gathering data – it’s about striving to understand people’s actions and behaviors.
3. The client. Getting a say in how our clients – many of which are global brands – reach and influence consumers is a lot of responsibility, but we have fun doing it.  
4. The environment. Inside Starcom’s walls, it’s always “Casual Friday,” the conference rooms are comfortable enough to nap in and the beverage station never runs dry. Outside Starcom’s walls, there’s Detroit: a city that, while intimidating to some, boasts great restaurants, museums, boutiques and more. Working in a new place – especially a big city – can take some getting used to, but Starcomers work in some of the best cities of the country, which makes lunchtime exploring and after work sightseeing enjoyable.

What’s also great about working at Starcom is having the freedom to observe how other departments function, allowing us interns to both sharpen our interests and develop new ones. 

As a part of the Starcom internship program, we will soon have the opportunity to shadow one another on our respective teams, which include media planning, research and finance. I plan to observe how the fascinating world of digital planning works with our digital intern, Derek. And I won’t be watching him make copies or stuff envelopes – Starcom interns are given real responsibilities and are able to participate in a variety of client projects. 

My advice to anyone considering applying for an internship or entry-level position in the advertising industry is to bring to the table an open mind, a hunger for knowledge and for my fellow females out there, comfortable shoes. 

When you’re new to a fast-paced agency environment, it can be helpful to apply what you already know in some way – be it an appreciation for 18^th century literature or an affinity for Renaissance period artwork (shout-out to Starcom New York’s art history major, Kristin!) – so embrace your educational background and watch yourself flourish!

I don't have much time to read at work, but it is here just in case.