After college, things haven’t turned out the way I envisioned.
By now, I thought I would be living the dream: a thriving career at an award-winning magazine and my own place. Instead, I’m living at home, juggling two part-jobs to make ends meet and (barely) pay my bills. It might seem crazy to take on an unpaid internship at this point in my life, but I feel like it’s now or never. Better to take a risk and go out on a limb instead of playing it safe and daydreaming about the life that I want for myself. So, here I am, putting everything on the line to learn the ropes again and have a second chance to achieve my dreams.
I came pretty close this week.
One day, my supervisor invited me to attend the morning editorial meeting. Entering the meeting was like being plunged into a secret war room of the White House. At one end of a table, a man in glasses reclined in his chair with Zen-like calm. Consulting a lady perched on his left, she shuffled papers and went over the weekly production plan with brisk efficiency. Meanwhile, various staffers debated the news-worthiness of certain events and strategized the logistics of covering an awards show, much like generals immobilizing for battle. My supervisor added her updates and revisions to current stories.
During the meeting, she took the time to introduce me to everyone around the room and on the phone, much to my surprise and embarrassment. Afterwards, I steeled myself and approached her about volunteering to help with the topics from the meeting. My supervisor seemed grateful for my offer and promised she would deliver more projects for me soon.
In the meantime, I studied the magazine’s website for breaking news and blog entries. After taking my lunch break, I followed up with her to see if she had anything for me to work on, but to no avail. I worried that the end of the day was approaching and I still wouldn’t have anything more substantial to do.
Just when I was craving a challenge, another seasoned staffer came by with an intriguing proposition. Would I like to earn a writing credit in the magazine? Yes, please! He explained that there was an ongoing project open to interns that allowed them to research any aspect of entertainment and write about a selected topic.
Did you get your first cool assignment yet? Hope you have awesome weekend plans!
'Til Next Friday,
Entertainment Intern
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