My Parting Words

Hey Edsters! Today was a sad, sad day in the land of interns - aka my last day! It was really bittersweet. I had such an amazing experience and learned so much, and worked with an awesome team of people. But I definitely will appreciate sleeping past 6:30 a.m. (remember, commuting to NYC every day from NJ = early mornings), at least until I leave for my semester abroad in London at the end of August. Now I just have to worry about packing four months' worth of clothes and shoes into two 50-lb. bags!

If you haven't ended already (or if you just recently have), check out this site for great tips on finishing your internship on a positive note. Don't forget to write thank-you notes and keep in touch with the editors you worked closely with. When you follow up, nobody wants to read five paragraphs of how involved you are in school, or how much fun you're having, etc. Keep it brief and to the point - and make it relevant to the person you're writing to. For example, if you're writing to an associate editor who recently had an article posted on your mag's site, tell her that you read it and what your favorite part of it was. Then throw in a few sentences about your recent projects/involvements. Another great tip I got this summer for follow-ups was finding out when your editors' birthdays are, and sending them bday wishes!

Anyway, it has been my pleasure to be one of the bloggers for the Ed Intern Diaries this summer. I wish I could reveal my identity to you, but Ed himself says it's a no-no. I hope you all took something away from your internships - whether you discovered the type of place you want to work it, or perhaps that type of place you don't want to work at (equally important!). I'll leave you with a few interesting articles to keep your Blackberry active over this lovely sunny weekend!

Graduating from J-School: The Process: when you add new media to old media, the sum isn't always clear.

Securing an Internship - and a Seat: I don't know about you guys, but I'm obsessed with NYT Education Life.

Being a Leader in a World of Followers: you need to be able to see the bigger picture.


Well, interns, it's been real. Stay classy, NYC.

xoxo,
cyber intern

Thursday!!

Hey All,

So it's Thursday and we are at the end of yet another week. What are you all up to? Is next week your last week? It's mine and I'm getting a little sad to be leaving- I'm going to miss working in Manhattan, especially after a year of interning, but I think about all the amazing things I've accomplished and learned in the past year and realize that eventually my magazine dreams will come true (with a little help from an Uncle I happen to know...aka ED!)

Last night the weather was CRAZY!! I actually changed my route so that I could take the subway below my building (gotta love Manhattan :D) and avoid all the rain. I hope you had a safe and uneventful commute home!

Did you all get clips from your summer internship? I didn't get any from this internship, and had hoped that would be different. I have loads from previous ones, but mostly online stuff- I've really stayed away from Print because I believe it's going the way of AM Radio- it's going to become obsolete. If you were lucky enough to score a print version, grab a bunch of the mags and sock em away, it'll be fun to look back years from now and see how you used to write, etc.

Okay on my way to work...have a great thursday!!

I'm going to see The Ugly Truth tonight, so I'll let you know if it's worth the 12 bux tomorrow, that's right movies are 12 bux nowadays, at least in NYC...

xoxo money chic :)

I'm Back!

Hey Edsters,

So sorry for the hiatus, I (thankfully) was on vacation and then got sick and so I have just started my last two weeks here in money land.

I hope you enjoyed reading my ideas/complaints/quirks and qualms throughout this Internship. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my favorite parts of NYC life and the trials of being an Intern in the summer with you! I hope you all enjoyed your own experiences and learned a lot from them.

Does anyone have an internship for the fall yet? I just accepted mine for a newspaper, and am quite excited. I LOVE LOVE LOVE magazines, but it might be interesting to try my hand at something new this fall.

I'm going into my senior year, as I'm sure many of you are, and I can't believe it!! If you're reading this as a freshman let me tell you- ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF COLLEGE- take advantage of each and every opportunity presented because before you know it, you're out there in the real world working and trying to create a life/career.

Anyway enough with the goodbyes...my words for today:

First I can't believe this weather! My hair grew about three inches as I stepped out of the subway this morning, and I'm sure yours did as well!!

This week is almost done (thank god it's wednesday!) and hopefully this weekend will be really nice. Last weekend I managed to hit up an amazing Mexican resturant- it's called Mamma Mexicana and it's on 3rd and E 49th. SOOOO Good!! It's one of those legit places that make the guacamole at your table- and their Sangria and Margaritas were awesome. Hit it up after work one of these weekends to give yourself one last NYC hoorah.

I'm working on some random projects, but mostly closing up some loose ends- and that's about it. I'm also listening to 20 on 20 xm radio via my computer which is quite fun and really breaks up the day.

As always, email me with questions/comments/etc- edsmoneyblogger@gmail.com

more tomorrow
xoxox money gal ;)

Top o' the Morning! (Er, afternoon.)

Don't mind the British-themed blog title — I'm just brushing up my accent for my trip to London this fall :)

I have tons of work to do today, but I wanted to share a quick find with you guys: The Intern Queen! Follow her on Twitter (@internqueen) and check out her blog, internqueen.com/blog. Today's post has some great tips on turning a boring internship into a great one!

Hope everyone has a mahhh-velous Monday, although I'm still mourning media legend Walter Cronkite.

And that's the way it is.

xoxo,
cyber intern

The Halfway Mark

Happy Friday, Edsters! Another week has come and gone, and I'm starting to wonder how half of the summer has already evaporated. Well, at least it's starting to feel like summer outside, even if the humidity is making my hair frizz. I just don't consider it true summertime until the dog days when I'm sweating it out the minute I step outside my air-conditioned office building. But I think that time has come!

I recently read an article on Salon.com about life after a print-journalism education. Now I'm not suggesting membership in a professional gun club like certain NYT articles (that'll make you curious enough to read it!), but there's an interesting overarching message amongst all the paranoia. It's ironic that information is permanent, but the world is in motion. Some people are paralyzed by the rapid motion — those are the people who will be left behind during this era of change. But you can't let the medium hold you back; there's tons of stories out there still waiting to be told. The human race loves a great sob story, a great comeback, a great "ohmigod" saga.

Speaking of sagas! I can't wait to see The September Issue, a documentary feature film about EIC Anna Wintour and the pseudo-reality that is Vogue. It looks hoity-toity, but isn't that what draws us in? It's slated for release on August 28, so mark your calendars and program your Blackberrys! (Fun fact: AP Style tweeted that the plural of 'Blackberry' is 'Blackberrys,' not 'Blackberries.')

Anyway, I've been super crazy busy these past few weeks. I'm growing to love my internship more and more as time passes. I've been writing online quizzes (and racking up the bylines!), interviewing some celebs, attending movie premieres and holiday gift guide events, and covering concerts. I'm also getting a hair makeover at a premiere NYC salon for a before/after feature on my mag's Web site, which I'm beyond pumped about. My hair is usually (read: always) a hot mess — it's super-curly and untameable. So I'm looking forward for a change-up, especially since I'm studying abroad in the fall! I'm trying to reveal some juicy deets, although I do have to keep it as vague as possible.

And to close on a happy note, check out this article about how J-Schools are still going strong. Love it.

xoxo,
cyber intern

The Best Things in Life

Today at work was probably one of the weirdest days I've had in my internship so far. Normally Mondays are painstakingly slow, but today certain departments existed in a flurry of activity (fashion closet, features department), while others waxed and waned between panicked and comatose (news, copy editing).

I've been charged with a short feature: interviewing a designer about her first collection of accessories for spring of next year (remember, fashion happens six months in advance). I'm to figure out her inspiration, her technique and the price points of her new collection. All this morning I was on the phone or typing away furiously trying to get in contact with her or the public relations person who might be able to put me in contact with her. When I finally did get in touch with the magic PR lady, I was told that they would get back to me by the end of the day.

Did that happen? It did not. But just in case, I sat near my phone and in front of my computer for the rest of the day like a puppy waiting for its owner to come home, hoping they would call me back. In between that, I stuffed envelopes and did research for one of the assistant editors, but I never got a phone call that pertained to my story.

So after crazy bouts of productivity and laziness, I came home and decided that I needed a one dollar slice of pizza. I was lucky to find 2 Bros. Pizza on St. Mark's. It was a bit of a walk for me, but if you live in the East Village, I highly recommend it. Buyers beware - pepperoni costs an extra 50 cents. If you show up with one dollar, you're only going to get cheese.

Just a tip: If you buy a pair of pants at Uniqlo, they'll tailor them for free! Go now before everything goes off sale.

Have a good night, interns! More tomorrow!

Welcome Back to Reality

Hey Edsters! Hope everyone had a fun July 4th weekend, but now it's back to the grindstone — waking up early this morning was rough. It was finally "real" summer weather! I was able to blow the dust off my bathing suits and take a dip, and I'm eating BBQ leftovers for lunch today. (To save $$, I mostly brown-bag it.)

I spent the weekend in Washington DC — unfortunately no Obama spottings, although the 4th was Malia's birthday! — where I went to the Newseum. For those of you who haven't been or haven't even heard of it, it's a must-see for anyone vaguely interested in the media, or even those who aren't. This 250,000-square-foot museum of news blends five centuries of news history with up-to-date exhibits on technology convergence and the 2009 election.

My favorite parts of the Newseum included the exhibit of all the Pulitzer-Prize-winning photographs throughout history; the 9/11 memorial floor (with never-before-seen video footage and an antenna from the WTC); and the cases of pullout drawers with front pages from newspapers dating back centuries. Oh yeah, and on the broadcast journalism floor, you can even record yourself on TV! Not gonna lie, I was pretty close to buying a shirt from the gift shop that read "Not Tonight, Dear — I'm On Deadline." Loved every minute of the 4+ hours I spent there!

Before I get back to work, I have another tidbit to share with all you interns, whether you're working hard or hardly working. I read an article called "Say Hello to Underachieving" by Alex Williams yesterday on the front page of the Style Section of the NYT. It's basically about the tough job market for college students and recent grads who are facing the longest recession period since the 1930s. One of the stats that hit home for me: the unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds is 24 percent, up from 16.1 percent just two years ago. Oy. And internships available to college students have fallen 21 percent since last year, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The article failed to mention suggestions for the jobless — like volunteering, freelancing, blogging, or even starting your own business (think: babysitting, offering graphic design/tech help to elderly folks in your community who can barely turn on a computer). There are options out there, but this article still sent chills down my back.

Anyway, sorry to end on that note, but I thought it was a staple for young collegiates like us. Stay optimistic!

xoxo,
cyber intern