Notes from a Professional Intern

Charleston City Paper, home to 2 of my 3 internships

**Every now and then I write something non-travel related. This is a career-related post, so it’s not too far off.**

As someone who has done three newspaper internships, I’ve pretty much seen it all. I’ve modeled fuzzy Santa handcuffs for the holiday gift guide. I’ve written about drag shows, sketchy Halloween parties, and aerial yoga classes. I’ve run countless errands and sat in front of a computer for hours doing inane data entry. And in these three internships, I’ve learned a lot. Here are some tips for a first-time intern:

1. Don’t be shy. The quiet interns sit at their desks unsure of what to do instead of taking charge of assignments. Shyness gets you the crappy data entry or boring stories. Make sure this internship is something you are really passionate about.
2. Get to know your fellow interns. They may not turn out to be your best friends (although they might) but they will understand the frustrations of the job.
3. Have a goal in mind. In my case, I wanted to write a feature story before the end of my internship. If you don’t have a goal, you won’t get a whole lot out of an internship. And don’t be afraid to approach your boss with ideas. They will respect you for your confidence, even if they don’t like the idea, and will probably write you a great reference later.

Fellow CCP intern Marina and I on Cinco De Mayo

And in case you were wondering, I joke about my title being “professional intern” because I seem to be good at running errands and all around being someone else’s bitch. Life skills much?

What advice do you have?