Surviving Internship Pressure

I'm at the halfway point of my time at TeenMag.com! Though I'm positive I'll be staying on as a Contributing Writer while I'm at college, I know it's not going to be the same as being in the office every day. This time around, there's no guarantee that I'll have the opportunity to go back to TeenMag.com. Eek! 

Unfortunately, it seems like EVERYONE—from the competitive intern I work with to my friends and parents—are under the impression that I'll definitely be offered a position at TeenMag.com when I graduate next year. I would absolutely love to work at TeenMag.com, but as we in the magazine industry know, there's no guarantee there will be a spot on staff for me next summer. 

I've been meeting with alumni from my school in the magazine industry, attending Ed2010 events (maybe I met some of you there!), asking editors from other departments to coffee, and pitching stories to TeenMag.com as often as I can. I feel like I've been taking all of the opportunities I can while at Teen Mag, and have complete faith that when it's time for me to apply for a job, something will fall into place. I know that my family and friends want the best for me, but it's making me crazy that every family dinner conversation somehow revolves around earning a position at Teen Mag.

For now, I'm just trying to focus on the positives—I have an incredible internship, and I'm lucky that I love every minute of it! My department is absolutely fantastic, and I don't only love what I'm doing, I love the people I'm working with.  I just have to take confidence in the fact that, at the moment, I can only do every task to the best of my ability and ask as many questions about the magazine world as I have while I'm in New York. And when I'm really stressed out, there's nothing taking a walk around the block or eating Mister Softee can't fix! 

I've also been making a bucket list of things I want to complete before my internship ends. So far, my list includes getting coffee with the site director, sitting in on an editorial meeting, tweeting for @TeenMag, and representing TeenMag.com at a press event! I'd also really like to meet with HR before my time at Teen Mag ends to talk about why I think would fit within Teen Mag's parent company. 

How do you keep calm in when your internship makes you stressed out? Are you getting stressed out about getting hired at your internship? Let me know in the comments section! 

Until next time, 

Ed's Web Intern