My experience as an intern has made me more dedicated and appreciative. I used to always think that Memphis was a boring city. I assume that it would be hard to get good stories but interning has taught me it's not always what you know but who you know! I have learned that most stories that we get are from very reliable sources. Many reports and anchors have their own individual sources that they each can call upon if they need any help. For instance, most of the journalists have the chief of police on speed dial just in case they need more information, if available. Many reporters had residents, owners, manager, anyone who would have any pull for a good story. Sometimes these stories become more than what it they intend to be. For example, let's say I want to do a story about a helping the homeless and I visit a shelter. While I'm there shockingly one of the homeless hits the lottery! It not only turns into a touching story but one that would interest viewers. It's so much that goes on around us. It made me realize that Memphis is actually a great city. It made me proud as an upcoming reporter to let other Memphians realize it as well!
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While my internship at St. Jude was only a few months, it made a huge impact on me and what I want to do in my future career. Before this internship, I hadn’t really considered doing any type of marketing with my journalism degree but it showed me that many things you use in your journalism classes can be used in that area of work. My time at St. Jude also taught me how to work with many different types of people and in a large environment. My previous intern experiences were in smaller offices so to me this was the perfect place to learn how to work in a more diverse place. My internship also showed me the benefits of working for an organization that is solely dedicated to helping sick children. You get to use your talents in ways to fundraise for the hospital. Plus, everyone genuinely seemed happy to be at work because they all felt like what they were doing was worthwhile. Overall, I had a great experience and would recommend if anyone gets the chance to work in ALSAC for St. Jude you should definitely do it. You’ll meet some of the best people and have the greatest work experiences.
Working at CASA for the summer has proved to be a valuable experience for any future career ventures I may have. Though I have had parts of my internship I’ve enjoyed more than others, it has overall been a pleasant experience. Below are some of the highlights of my experience:
1. Designing work that the public will actually see: Designing a postcard, monthly newsletters, and flyers has been one of my favorite tasks at CASA. One of the best parts has been knowing that people are actually seeing my work – it makes the task much more fulfilling. 2. Interviewing potential volunteers – when my advisor told me she was going to let me interview potential volunteers, it excited me. Though it may sound silly, I’m at a point in my life that I’m always the one being interviewed, and being able to interview someone else felt great. Also, I feel the skills I learned while interviewing will definitely come in handy in a future job. 3. Attending court – attending court with my advisor was a pleasant experience for me because it gave me a chance to truly understand what my organization did and why CASA was needed. I saw so many rough cases in court that I completely see why CASA was created and why the work that they do is important. For this week I would like to discuss the importance of applying for jobs! When I first got into my major I thought it would be pretty easy to obtain a job after college but... It's not. When applying for jobs you have to take a lot into consideration. Many applicants apply to numerous of jobs at the same time in hopes for at least one to call them back. One also must consider that not all the jobs you apply for are close to your home! Most jobs are a great distance away from your family. In this field you have to be willing to travel and live far away to be able to get enough experience where you are able to apply to a job that's better and near home! Many future journalists are still patiently waiting for an offer of a job. You must also consider that not all stations are looking for a certain look. So don’t feel as if your work isn’t good enough you’re probably just not the face they’re looking for or gender. From previous discussions by newscasters I have learned that everyone has to start off somewhere. It might not be where you want to be but you will learn something different about the journalism life as your journey goes on. Journalism is worldwide! It's your responsible to explore and expand your options!
This week I have been on vacation in Florida, so I have been really disconnected from the station. My mentor and the station approved the vacation at the beginning of summer, but I did not contact anyone from Sports 56 at all this week. I really took advantage of my week off, but looking back on it now, I feel like I should have at least text the other interns or my mentor to ask how everything was going there. Maybe they could have used my help in booking guest this week.
Having the week off has been great. It was really relaxing, but I really learned how out of the loop you could be just from one week off. I feel like this realization can really help me in the future because now I know what I will have to do when I have a career. I know I will need to keep up with my colleagues and bosses. I know I still need to continue research and keep up what is going on in the sports world, so I will be ready to go when I get back. There is nothing wrong with a vacation, but I know now that I still must put in a little work to keep up. This week at Hunter Fan, I finished editing the installation of syncing a remote to a ceiling fan. It was a little longer from the others but only by two minutes. I had to add in much more detail with installing the battery in the remote and wiring the receiver to the electrical box. In between editing the video, I also began videoing the low profile ceiling fan. This particular fan does not have a down rod but instead fits flush against the ceiling. That part of the fan was the only big difference it had from the others. The engineer put all of the tools that he would need on a table for me to do the pan shot with the video camera. I videoed him putting the ceiling bracket up, putting the motor together, and installing the grommets to the blades. That is all we had time for this week and will finish up videoing at the beginning of next week that way I can go ahead and start editing that one to begin the voice over. I will know by the beginning of next week if the remote installation is ready for their website and YouTube. The low profile ceiling fan should be the last full fan installation we do for my internship. I should have the video edited by the end of next week.
This week I will be talking about why you should work hard to obtain a paid internship over a nonpaid internship. First and most obviously, you are getting paid to do your work. Whenever you put your time into projects on the job you always know you are getting compensated in the end for it. Paid internships have a way of making you feel less expendable. Second, when you are getting paid to do things you will be busier at work. My experience in nonpaid internships is that there can be a lot of moments when you don’t have anything to do and have to wait around until something comes up. Your bosses at paid internships are trying to make you work hard so that they know they aren’t wasting a paycheck on you. Third, paid internships seem to be the ones that turn into future jobs more often than not (but don’t totally hold me to it on this one because anything can happen). Whenever I’ve noticed by upperclassmen friends landing a paid internship, they tend to eventually get a job with that company after graduation. Unpaid internships do have their own advantages, but in my experience paid is always the way to go if it’s something that fits you.
Since beginning this internship in May, I have learned several things about myself and what I want out of a job. I think that what I've learned will greatly help me find a better fit for a job once I graduate.
1. Nonprofit is not necessarily for me. I am not saying that I don't ever want to work for one, or that I have ruled out this category at all, but I used to think that nonprofit was the only type of company I would want to work for. After interning for CASA, I know see the stresses of nonprofit work. 2. I do want to work for a company whose cause or values are something I believe in. While nonprofit may not be the avenue for me, I still want to work for a place I can feel good about at the end of the day. 3. Social media is not my strongest point. After trying to raise followers on social media and create daily posts, I realize I still have a lot to learn about succeeding in the social media world. 4. Design, however, is one of my strongest points. After working with CASA, I've realized even more how much I enjoy design work. My design activities were my favorite tasks to complete, and I feel the most proud of the design work I did throughout my time at CASA. This is a part of my internship I strived at. 5. There is a such thing as too many fundraisers. When I came to CASA, I thought I would be constantly brainstorming new fundraisers and ways to raise more money. However, I didn't get the opportunity to plan even one because this is a job that falls to CASA's board members. They only do a few a year so they don't burn people out on the cause. This is something I didn't consider, and makes a lot of sense. |
Erin Willis, Ph.D.Assistant Professor at the University of Memphis. Loves news. Loves food. Loves Pugs. And now, loves Memphis basketball. Go Tigers, Gooooo! Archives
April 2015
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