Advertising Management Student, Riley Weigand, Discovers Program Flexibility Through Denver Sales Internship
By: Johanna Williams
Riley Wiegand, MSU advertising management student, has discovered the diverse opportunities in her program. In the summer before her senior year, Wiegand headed to Denver as a sales intern for Northwestern Mutual.
While Wiegand’s sales internship is a departure from the typical advertising-related internships, she attributes this opportunity to the advertising management program. Studying advertising at MSU has broadened the horizons of her career choices. In her advertising classes, she was presented with multiple career-oriented opportunities, such as possible career paths, how to craft a perfect resume, and the importance of gaining internship experience in college.
“It started in my Advertising 225 class…that’s how I heard about this [opportunity]. It is the only reason I got this internship. I would never know about Northwestern Mutual if it wasn’t for the advertising management program here,” Wiegand said.
Wiegand has not let the distance between MSU and Denver stop her from pursuing the unique opportunity. In fact, she views the upcoming role as a significant step for her professional career and personal growth.
” I really do want to be committed to my work…I want to make sure, at the end of the summer, I put it all in,” said Wiegand.
The sales position at Northwestern Mutual was Wiegand’s first internship and she says she is grateful to gain hands-on experience in the professional field. While she is ultimately hoping to use her degree to further her career in sales, she remains open to various career possibilities that she will be able to pursue with her degree.
“[Employers] just want to see that you’re a good communicator, and you’re taking the skills you learned here and applying them to life,” Wiegand said.
Wiegand will be taking a 50-hour course to get licensed in selling life and health insurance prior to starting her internship.
To learn more about the wide variety of careers you can pursue with an advertising management degree, visit: https://comartsci.msu.edu/student-experience/career-center/resources/advertising-management-alumni-careers.