It isn’t in many professions that Tuesday is the first day
of the working week.
But I guess that’s just one of the differences between a Sunday
paper and a regular weekly.
Today signalled my first day of my second internship,
practically making me an expert in the interning field.
So why did I have to walk past the office three times before
I plucked up the courage to walk in?
Thankfully, when I eventually walked through the revolving door,
everything was fine.
For the first half hour I was suitably impressed by the
Advertiser’s office. My tour guide, the extremely bright Head of Human Resources,
showed me the five levels of offices, the gym and a rooftop function room
complete with an undercover barbecue.
Time for a quick workout then home time?
I think not!
After joining the morning news conference, I was set up on a
desk with a computer and a pile of regional papers.
A warning from a fellow Jschooler flashed before me – “I had
to sit in the corner and read old papers all week.”
Oh please no, I thought. Please don’t tell me I’ll be doing
this for the next two weeks.
But never fear! I was simply directed to find possible follow
ups.
The rest of the day passed smoothly.
I even managed to muster the courage to ring a few sources
(though I was never able to forget my every word could be heard by the office).
The day also included an emotional interview with a girl
running the City to Bay for some very inspiring reasons, some (hopefully) good
story ideas and a yogurt lunch.
And now to answer my mother’s question – what did you learn
today?
- My suspicions that journalists are inherently helpful and
kind were confirmed. - It pays to be confident and to ask questions.
- During interviews it important to be professional – but the
need to connect with a subject is even more important. - I still love working as a journalist.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that all these points (particularly the last one!) stay true!