A few nights ago, I was working on a project online when I saw a jump in the number of tweets on my feed. Johan Santana had just thrown the first no-hitter in Mets history, and everyone who had ever seen a baseball was tweeting about it. Well, they were tweeting about two things: the no-hitter, and the fact that Tim Rohan, a New York Times summer intern, was one of the reporters breaking the story.
I tried to imagine myself in his position.
The game was on June 1. As a summer intern, Rohan couldn't have been at the NYT for more than a couple of weeks at most. Can you imagine having an opportunity like that so early in your internship? Or better question, can you imagine having an opportunity like that at all? I don't know how many Twitter followers Rohan had before the game, but he now has close to 1,000. He undoubtedly caught the attention of the editors at the NYT. And since he was among the first to break the news, I’m sure his story has a ridiculous number of page views. Something tells me he'll be sending that particular clip to potential employers for quite a while.
Of course, the opportunity wasn't just handed to him. Rohan sent out a tweet on June 2 that read: "Thanks for the well wishes everyone, but I have to thank Jay Schreiber, the editor I bugged this week to let me cover tonight's Mets game."
If that's not an argument for being proactive and asking for writing opportunities, I don't know what is. It's definitely a good reminder to me as I head into my first week on the job.
So, Edsters, let's say you're actually given that big assignment during your first couple of weeks. Obviously you take it, and in front of your editor you’re the picture of confidence. But how do you feel when you’re back at your desk? Are you excited for the opportunity, or terrified to mess it up? Or is it a mixture of both?
See you next Tuesday (by then I’ll be in New York!),
Edit intern
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