Introduction

Rhona comes from Luxembourg and is studying Communication Design at Hochschule RheinMain. She is currently in her sixth semester and completing an internship at a renowned advertising agency in Wiesbaden, which developed HSRM's international recruiting campaign. She is gaining valuable practical experience working on creative projects. During her studies, she worked as a student assistant in the International Office – a job that not only gave her practical insights, but was also earned her some extra money.

1. All about the internship – real-life, exciting and hands-on projects

1. What are you currently doing in your internship? Is there a project that you particularly enjoy?
   From adjusting social media posts to collecting ideas for large campaigns, my tasks during my internship are varied. I am employed as a Junior Art Director and my job is to create drafts and designs, think up campaigns and creative concepts and implement them visually.
   I definitely enjoy projects for younger audiences the most, such as designing flyers and illustrations, such as the agency's Christmas card. I also enjoy animation projects and designing a mascot for a local festival.
2. How does it feel to work on real-life projects? Was it how you imagined it would be?
   It's definitely different to working on thought-up projects in a course. If you come across a major problem during a course, often you can modify your task and avoid the problem. Naturally, this is not an option in real-life situationes. You have to be more attentive and consider all of the customer's wishes. You cannot do whatever you feel like doing. It is an interesting challenge to find a creative solution to the problems you encounter.
3. Was there a moment during your internship when you realized that this was exactly the career field you wanted to work in?
   There wasn't a specific moment, I have always liked studying communication design. But once I started the internship, I quickly realized that this was the job I wanted to do in the future. That is a wonderful realization. I always enjoy it, even in tricky situations or when things get stressful. I wish everyone was lucky enough to find a job that gave them joy every day.
4. What has been your biggest aha moment so far? Is there anything you've learned from your internship that you didn't expect before?
   Since my degree program is very practice-driven, I did not encounter any big surprises – I came in with a pretty good idea of what a designer's day-to-day work looks like and knew the basic processes. Nevertheless, I have come to learn something new every day, be it through practical experience, exchanging ideas with colleagues or solving unexpected challenges. Most of it is learning by doing. Though it was not unexpected, I was caught off guard by the amount of screen time I am accumulating. Since all Adobe programs run on the computer and many meetings are held in Teams, you basically stare at the screen all day, which I find a bit of a shame. I make it a rule to spend less time glued to my phone in my free time, which is all the better.

2. Career opportunities in the Rhine-Main region – what comes next?

1. How is the job market for creative people in the Rhine-Main region? Do you think it's a good place to start your career?
   Before I started looking for an internship, I had some doubts about my chances of starting a career in Wiesbaden. The more I researched though, the more advertising agencies, design studios and other creative companies I found. There are also many large companies based in the Rhine-Main region looking for young creatives. I now know the Rhine-Main region offers many opportunities to enter the creative world. I think it is a good place to start a career, since there are lots of job opportunities in Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and the surrounding area, even for students, and everything is quite close by.
2. What is the best way for students in the Rhine-Main region to build a professional network? Did you participate in any events, platforms or other opportunities?
   I used various ways to find out about agencies and companies. I found most of them researching online and specifically looking for advertising agencies, design studios and creative companies in the region. In addition, my degree program's social media (@hsrm.kd on Instagram) often shares internship or working student positions interesting to us communication designers. I also looked at the internship poster exhibition and presentations by higher semester students: Every student in our degree program has to give a presentation and design a poster about their compulsory internship, which is then shown in a small public exhibition. The posters usually hang in the corridors of our lecture rooms for an entire semester. You read and hear names of agencies and companies that could be interesting and best practices from the presentations.
3. During your studies, you also worked as a student assistant in the International Office. How did you get this job and what did you experience? Was it a good opportunity to gain practical experience?
   I found out about the job in an email from a teaching assistant, and I applied for it straight away. I gained a lot of great experience in the International Office and learned a lot, especially about collaboration. As it was my first “design job”, I learned how to deal with assignments, how to organize my time and what to look out for in a briefing. It was definitely the perfect opportunity to gain my first practical experience and get a taste of the professional world.

3. Studying at HSRM and how you got there

1. Why did you choose HSRM?
   I chose HSRM for a mix of reasons. When I was looking for a higher education institution that offered a degree program in communication design (starting in the summer semester), I came across Hochschule RheinMain. The interesting course overview, the examples of bachelor's theses on the website and the digital portfolio advice for the entrance examination gave me a good feel for HSRM and its lecturers. I felt at home straight away. Since I also fell in love with Wiesbaden, I decided to go to HSRM.
2. To what extent did your studies prepare you for working life? Are there any courses or projects that were particularly close to the real world that are helping you now?
   Most of my courses are very hands-on, so we get a good insight into how the industry works early on. In our second semester, for example, we learned what a pitch and developing a campaign looks like. We did not only learn the theory, but were also allowed to develop a campaign ourselves. My portfolio course in the third semester was also particularly valuable, as we worked on creating and designing our own portfolio. The course was't only about devloping our course visually, but also about personal questions, such as: What do I expect from my internship? What does my dream job look like? It really helped me to understand my own goals and where I want to go professionally. I also benefited from the internship posters and presentations twice a year. I was well prepared for my day-to-day work.
3. What advice would you give to international students who are interested in studying at HSRM?
   Have the courage to venture into the unknown – it's worth it! At the same time, make well-informed decisions, both before and during your studies, about courses, examinations, etc. And take advantage of the numerous offers at the higher education institution – whether it's at your faculty or a general offer – take part in events and make contacts with students, lecturers and external contacts. These people can support you and perhaps even make it easier for you to start your studies and enter the professional world.