Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to 
show.
One of the first weeks of my summer internship with Rx EDGE I went to lunch with, CEO and President, Nathan Lucht and we talked endlessly about the idea of experiences. Trying out new things, traveling to new places, and meeting new people is what life is all about.
Walking through the doors of Rx EDGE twelve weeks ago, I was truly experiencing something new. I had little to no knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry and this was my first formal internship. I was diving into fields previously unknown to me. Needless to say, it was an experience worth noting.
Takeaways
I am currently serving as a Finance and Business Analytics major in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. During this internship, my experiences covered at least five different fields of study, from marketing, finance, and operations to sales and analytics. I was truly presented with a feel and deeper dive into many areas of this great company. It was a phenomenal way for me to apply my knowledge gained from the university to the real world.
Initially, I worked more with the financial side of the business and now realize how important my Excel course in school actually impacted my value. I would spend days on Excel managing spreadsheets, calculating price changes and updating schedules. It was fascinating to see their reporting and specifically, the level of clarity, detail and organization.
As I progressed through my internship, I shifted into more of a marketing role managing aspects of social media, case studies, strategic alignment documents, and sales sheets. As a result of my prior work experience with my own entrepreneurial startup and my studies at the Kelley School of Business, I was able to compare and appreciate a greater understanding of what quality marketing for a business demands. Although, I was definitely not prepared for the amount of editing that goes into every portion of writing. My creativity broadened in many different ways as I began to carefully select each and every word to use in all of my work. I distinctly remember editing a case study for Chronic Dry Eye, in which I must have made over 100 “final” copies. I look forward to utilizing my improved skills in concision writing, and new-found ability to convey messages in an easy to read manner.
By the end of this outstanding experience, the part that resonated the most with me was the contribution I believe I was making for the company’s benefit. Rather than completing “busy” work all day long, I was provided projects that I hope made an influence on the course of business. In particular, one project included conducting research for the untapped market of specialty pharmaceuticals that are now being used by the company for the support of numerous opportunities, articles, artwork and interviews. Overall this was an outstanding experience and I am grateful to the team at Rx EDGE for the time, effort and support they gave to me.
Closing Thoughts
I learned more here at Rx EDGE than I expected. When I initially walked through their doors, I was uninformed about what an internship, let alone a real career, truly entailed. Along with that, I knew next to nothing about the pharmaceutical industry. I can proudly and confidently say today, I now know over 100 pharmaceutical brands (by heart, for some odd reason) and know some of the ins-and-outs of what it takes to market in this industry.
Given, I still have plenty to learn, but this position has been a great experience and excellent stepping stone and I am thankful. It was a pleasure getting to know each and every one of the team members of Rx EDGE over the course of these 12 weeks and I hope to see them all again soon. Thank you all for yet another great experience I can add to my life’s journey.