Pitchside Perspectives & Practical Skills: What I Gained from ThinkEngine

Who are you and what are you currently doing?

I am a first year student at Barton Peveril Sixth Form College in Eastleigh studying Digital Media:Media Production and English Language. So far it has been an enjoyable experience along with some good opportunities as well. Spending a day at The Guardian offices in London writing an opinion article of my choice and understanding that environment was most definitely a highlight. To further aid this I had a week up at BBC Sport in Salford in 2023 during some big sporting events that week, Wimbledon and The Ashes. Shadowing various different roles gave a massive insight into just how much goes on that you don’t see which helps the company and its content tick along to what you eventually see on your screens or however else you consume BBC content. The goal for the next few years is to work within the sports journalism/sports media area after some time studying at university so I feel that gaining as much experience as possible will massively benefit me in the future and lay some solid foundations to work with. 

Have you enjoyed your week at ThinkEngine and what have you learnt?

I have thoroughly enjoyed my week with the ThinkEngine team. They are all very welcoming and open to any questions that you may have. Having been taken through all of their typical working day tasks, it’s been great to get a gauge of how things operate at a company like this along with the skills required to have a successful day. I have most definitely come away from this experience with a lot more skills and understanding of the industry than what I did coming into it. I have learnt more about SEO and now have an understanding of PPC too.

I have spent the majority of the week working on a platform called Wix. Wix is useful for anyone that is looking at delving into web design or even just needing a website to promote themselves or their brand. Personally I’ve had no previous experience with web design but with the numerous tutorial videos and the simple nature of the platform I come to grips with it quite quickly. Explore different pre-made templates which gives you a little confidence booster and then once you’ve had a play around with it, you can move onto creating your own sections from scratch. This is certainly a valuable skill that I have learnt from this week and one that will contribute quite well in succeeding with some of my coursework units back at college. 

What else did you do during your week with ThinkEngine?

With the company currently being regional partners of Southampton Football Club, I was treated to a great surprise of an exclusive tour of St Mary’s Stadium. Being a Saints fan, it was amazing to see the stadium from a different viewpoint than you normally would every Saturday. All the intricate details that go into making the opposition as uncomfortable as possible are quite something and the feeling of being pitch-side is remarkable, so different to being up in the stands. It was an amazing experience, and I’ll always be thankful for that opportunity from the ThinkEngine team. 

What skills do you think you can take from this week back to your higher education course?

Web design was a major skill that was required throughout the week and being a digital media student it’ll very much come in handy. One of my coursework units is focused on web design, so this week's experience will put me in good stead for that unit. Furthermore, writing content and blog articles will be a helpful skill aligning with my English language course as there are lots of pieces of journalism scattered throughout the syllabus in both coursework and exam content. Being able to work on a live client brief and adjust to client requirements has been a key skill, as everything you make has to have their ideas and company ethos behind it to make sure it fits their specification and their liking. This is a great skill to take away not just into college and possibly university, but also into the real working world too. 

Do you think that you’ve learnt any lessons that you could take forward in your career?

There is no doubt that the experience of working with live client briefs will aid me in my future career, as it has given me the chance to see how to work to very precise requirements and making sure client satisfaction is met. 

Adaptability is another key skill/lesson that can be taken into my career as different projects and tasks will need to have different aspects about them. Pretty much everything that gets presented to you in the world of work will be different, so it is vital to be able to adapt to those different scenarios and situations.