To make a very long story short I just started a marketing internship in southwest Germany, and I really want to make sure that I make the most out of it. This can mean a lot of different things though, so let me explain the scope of the company and role, a bit about myself, and then the question I am asking.

So I am working at a German e-commerce company that has international online stores in about five different countries. Lucky for me, they have a British store, but no native English speakers, so I have a lot to help with. The company has a traditional hierarchy as one can expect, but they are very flexible, open to new ideas, and are always interested in my ideas and suggestions. My marketing internship is very general and is basically to be an extra helping hand. They told me to tell them what I wanted to do, because we can go in many different directions. I am helping with social media marketing and a video marketing project right now, but I think I would really like to learn more about paid ads, among other things.

So who am I? I am an American here in Germany until June, and I came here to study and practice marketing. I am very entrepreneurial, and want to ultimately be able to run my own business, especially in the cannabis industry. I already have experience running a small startup for a cannabis product, so I am taking the next steps to improve my skills. I really want to have the option to stay here in Germany too, if I want to, and right now, I really really want to. So, I really want to make a good impression at this internship and be a valuable resource. I have grown up on computers and have a background in social media marketing, blogging, and graphic design, so I have a good foundation to work off of. Whether I can or do stay here in Germany or not though, my main goal of this internship is to identify what part of marketing I like best, and then get practical experience with it.

So, with this much flexibility and so many opportunities to take advantage of, how could I make the most out of this opportunity? I don't want to blindly be picking up the extra work and just go along with whatever they need - I feel like I should ask to have 1-on-1's or intros with people in different roles, understand the different parts of the company's marketing environment, and see what I might like most/be a best fit with. I studied international business administration in uni, and I studied some marketing, but I still feel like I don't know what I don't know, and if can be hard to move forward.

I hope this all makes sense though! I certainly appreciate any answers or insights that anybody can provide, because this is such an exciting time, and I want to do things right!