The Great and Terrible Three Hour Screwdriver Debacle
It’s a dull and dreary, rain-soaked week in July and the Florida sunshine is basically nowhere to be found (Are you there, Sunshine? It’s me, Alyssa). This week’s installment may not include any outside concert treks or in-studio promotions, but it does highlight another very important part of any internship experience: connecting with your co-workers.
Manic (Music) Monday
While my boss was kept busy in meetings all day, it was up to me to find work to do. Because twiddling my thumbs in my cubicle listening to my male coworkers talk about god knows what is definitely NOT what I came to work for, I have taken up the habit of walking around the office if I have been sitting too long. Those strolls have led to conversations with some pretty interesting people. On one particular go-around, I knocked on the office door of one of the program directors for our alternative rock station. We shared concert talk and eventually established a common thread – we both went to school in Gainesville!
Come to think of it, there are a number of people from my college town around the office – and that makes it that much easier to network. Throughout the week, I spoke with several co-workers who knew the Gainesville area and offered to help me reach out to up-and-coming stations there for work during the school year. That definitely proves to never doubt the power of your alma matter because hey, networking is networking.
Friday, Friday, Tool Kit Usage On Friday…
Coming from someone who is less than adept with a tool kit, sharpening my simple building skills was not exactly on top of my internship bucket list. However, the fact that I spent three hours (!) reconstructing a banner holder showed that I could do more than just stuff envelopes and make phone calls. And even though I may or may not have ripped a tiny bit of the banner (hey, try jimmying loose a stuck paper roll with only a screwdriver to help you), I did admit my wrongdoing and helped problem-solve to fix the tear.
That leads to two other must-do’s in any internship: ask for something to do, even if it’s out of your comfort zone, and own up to your mistakes. Internships are the place to try new things and weed out what you do and don’t want to pursue. They are also another place of learning, and you cannot really learn something without making mistakes.
Each week is obviously different – depending on the number of events scheduled, the work days can fly by or drag on. However, with each entry in the Intern Diaries, I hope to shed some insight on not only my own experiences, but perhaps inspire you to search for your own opportunities – or write about the ones you’re experiencing now.
Until next time. Happy interning.
