By Keri Chen, Marketing and Communications Intern
After Covid turned my education upside-down and (nearly) everything went virtual, I realized that I needed to take advantage of the few silver linings that remote work could offer.
Growing up in Sacramento, I participated in many youth civic initiatives focused on local and state government, but I always wanted to work at a larger scale. At UCLA, immersed in California’s tech startup and social media culture, I began to look into roles in the communications and marketing world.
When I found a remote internship at Dcode, it was a perfect fit for my career interests! Interning at an amazing women-led company that connects tech and government in D.C. in the fall would have been impossible during the school year for me had things not gone virtual, and despite the many challenges this year has presented, Dcode was hiring (and still is!)
What was it like to intern at Dcode?
As an intern with the MoM (ministry of marketing), I got to work on all sorts of projects. From research on competing companies to updating Dcode’s many press hits, I was able to get hands-on experience with everything Dcode has to offer.
I also got the freedom to create public-facing content for Dcode, managing document creation, writing, and editing for alumni blog posts, Dcoder spotlights, graphic design, and more. One of my favorite parts of my role at Dcode was conducting weekly takeovers of the Dcode Instagram, where I got to learn more about my teammates and showcase their #LifeAtDcode.
Dcode fosters collaboration at all levels, and my input was always valued in the decision-making process. I got a glimpse into the work of the tech, partners, and gov teams, and worked with them to promote Dcode’s new accelerator model and our federal market readiness checklist.
What will you take away from this internship?
Overall, I’m beyond impressed by how connected I was able to feel with my team and with all of Dcode. From culture corners to one-on-one coffee chats, I admire how open and forward-thinking Dcode is, and I was able to connect with everyone on my team.
This internship fast-tracked my critical thinking skills and technical abilities, and I gained insight into marketing in the federal world from a startup accelerator’s point-of-view. I learned about the ins and outs of marketing messaging to the government versus to tech startups, and how to communicate with both alumni and potential new hires for a growing company in today’s social media landscape.
In fact, I loved my time at Dcode so much that I committed to staying on as a marketing and communications intern for another semester! I’m so excited to be able to focus on longer-term and independent projects, and I cannot wait to see what 2021 has in store for us at Dcode.
What advice do you have for future Dcoders?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions! I was admittedly a little daunted by the prospect of working in such depth with high-tech and federal agencies that I knew very little about.
But by asking the right questions and working alongside the super-helpful Dcode MoM, I was able to dive right into my tasks and ultimately generate new insights for the marketing team and create impactful materials to spread the word about the amazing solutions that Dcode continues to deliver.
Keri is a Fall 2020 intern for the Marketing and Communications team at Dcode. She works with the MoMs team to implement press, communications, public relations, and social media strategies. When she isn’t conducting media research and drafting content, Keri can be found enjoying a good comedy special and trying new pasta recipes.
