Hi everyone,

I had the privilege to be the first intern at the lang cat, hurray!

I’d say it was the perfect launch for me into the professional world, even with my famously stoic Ukrainian nature.

During my time at the lang cat I’ve worked in marketing, working closely with Jenny, Natalie and many cats. From the first day of my internship, I could feel the warmth of the team. The first looks I got were more sympathetic, because I arrived at the office on my first day soaked from the rain. Picture the chaos of Bridget Jones, add rain, and you’ve got my first day.

A bit about myself: I graduated from two universities in Ukraine, in International Business with English and in Oil and Gas Technology Engineering. (Don’t even ask.)

On top of that, I also study at the University of Edinburgh in International Business with German, and just came back from a year abroad studying at the Vienna University of Business and Economics. At one point in time, I simultaneously had three universities, but I survived.

In my free time I worked as an English and chemistry tutor for almost four years, and felt ready for a new challenge in a different professional area. So I switched to social media marketing, deciding I should pursue something connected with my degree eventually. I worked in a small start-up in Ukraine in the water delivery business, managing a small marketing team.

BUT I didn’t have any experience working in a company environment, and so I started looking for it. I started cold emailing, because I wanted to show my genuine interest in the companies I applied to and to gain experience in places I admired. It was so exciting to get an offer from the lang cat. Before I joined, I thought they were so serious (!). The whole thing for me was a miracle.

So far, I have enjoyed so many things, including meeting new people, participating in meetings, doing my own project and making my own contribution to the company. During my internship I realised that speed isn’t king, but quality and personality in your work are.

I am not the perfect intern. I would honestly apologise to the cats if I ever did something wrong. I think they might remember me as the intern who told a firm she didn’t like doing work for them! This came from an honest place, or perhaps it was simply my inner lang cat spirit coming through…

Nevertheless, this internship helped me figure out what I want to do in my life, which made it well worth the time spent. I am hugely grateful to everyone who helped make it happen. Next, I’ll be focusing on finishing my degree and building on this experience in marketing and strategy roles.

From the lang cat’s soon to be ex-intern,

Sofiia