I need some advice.
At the beginning of May, I started an internship with a Web design and marketing company in the Dallas, TX area.
Ever since I started, they really haven’t been using my skills. The bosses are extremely juvenile and half the time I feel like I’m baby-sitting. They don’t have any actual employees, just interns.
Part of the terms of my internship was that I would gain experience, use my skills, and gain items to place in my portfolio. So far, none of that has happened. I haven’t learned anything aside from how to use Joomla. The boss prefers to purchase Joomla templates and do minor edits for their clients. I haven’t been allowed to design anything. Everything they do is taken from the internet. I’m shocked on a daily basis on the number of extremely basic Web design things they don’t know!
Today I confirmed they believe I can place these Web designs I didn’t make into my portfolio and claim them as my own. Being a member of the templating community for various projects, I’m not cozy with this idea one bit.
This company has been developing a specialized set of Joomla extensions / plug-ins / components for a client. They intend to exorbitantly charge people for use of this set of extensions and make anyone interested in them buy hosting/space from them too. The belief is that they’ll be dirty, stinking rich from this.
They’re promising me cars, lots of money, and other things related to being that rich and all I have to do is set up Joomla for clients. I probably don’t even have to say I’m deeply suspicious.
Since I’m a recent grad, I don’t know how “real life” Web design works. I tend to go with my gut, but I don’t have a picture of what the right way is. I’d appreciate any insights anyone might have on this.
Thanks!