I was fortunate enough to work at an ad agency this summer. Here’s how it went:

I realize just how lucky I am to have received an internship offer in my field this summer- there were plenty of talented and deserving people who couldn’t say the same. It was the beginning of June when I actually heard back from Uppercase Brands, the boutique e-commerce advertising agency that I’d found on Handshake. It had been months of tantalizingly close opportunities for my career: networking, applying, gaining experience, interviewing. It was almost poetic that the company that I was right for came along right at the buzzer.

After a long and draining process of searching for jobs, I’d finally found one. And it was an amazing experience.

I started in early June with no real experience in advertising, let alone account management. It took all of 3 hours working remotely at Uppercase for me to confirm that I had, in fact, chosen the right academic discipline for myself. I spent my 40-ish hour workweeks shadowing two fantastic Account Managers, doing everything from building ads to writing copy to negotiating with influencers.

There were plenty of things about working at Uppercase that made the experience more than worthwhile, but I figured that I would list some of my favorites:

Working remote not only gave me flexibility, but it also expanded my communications skills.

Working remotely at Uppercase meant that I was able to get the experience and knowledge that accompanies working at an efficient and highly functional ad agency while remaining in my own home. Although the benefits and problems that may arise from remote work can be debated, there is no doubt in my mind that my experience was just as meaningful as an in-person work environment would have been. Of course, there are different benefits to each, but paramount in importance to my experience as a remote intern was the development of my communications skills. It can be tricky getting clarification on tasks, skills, and other sorts of information over video calls, but this experience taught me the importance of clear and direct communication. I’ve always believed that there is never a bad time to ask a question, but that belief has been further strengthened in me; Double-checking objectives, asking questions, and taking the time to make sure that I was understanding and practicing the skills taught to me made the experience that much more efficient and rewarding.

Spreading out across time zones adapted my outlook.

At Uppercase, the team is made up of a fantastic group of people who are based in varying parts of the world; Much of the creative team is based in Turkey, some accounts team members are from the U.S., and some team members are from Canada. Clients varied in location as well: New York City, San Diego, even Australia. Working across time zones can be difficult when you’re looking to work a traditional 9-5 job, but it also creates an awesome opportunity for cross-team strategizing and expanding your personal outlook. I learned to plan even further in advance when coordinating actions across teams, to be considerate of our team and our clients when my work may extend into ungodly hours of the night for them, and to better juggle responsibilities with my own time management. It brought me face-to-face with new strategies, objectives, target audiences, and markets- and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Working at a boutique agency gives you the power to fully immerse yourself in your work.

There are plenty of benefits to working at big agencies- but I can honestly say that I could not have learned more anywhere else than I did during my time at Uppercase. The company gave me opportunities to develop my marketing skills, hone my copywriting, allowed me input on art direction- you name it. They also gave me real responsibilities, with real clients. I’ve always been a proponent of taking responsibility for your mistakes and successes as they come- but being a vital member of a close-knit team brought entirely new meaning to it. There’s no greater feeling than making a measurable contribution to a successful campaign, and I was able to experience that in spades.

There are a million reasons to get into advertising, but it’s truly rewarding to find reasons to stay. Uppercase gave that to me, and I am hugely grateful for the opportunity.