The thought of graduating and going out into the real world used to scare me. And, honestly, it mostly still does. But I used to be deathly afraid of it, like curl-up-into-a-ball-in-the-corner-of-the room afraid.
And then I got an internship. Internships are a requirement for graduating for Journalism majors, so I applied with the sole purpose of graduating at all and expecting no more than school credit.
I got an internship at Chicago Agent, a real estate magazine on the north side and I went in convinced that I wasn’t going to know anything or be able to do anything.
Nevertheless, I put on my khakis and my one nice shirt and trekked in the snow to my first day, sure that I was about to make a big fool of myself.
But I didn’t.
It turns out that all of the time and work I had put into the Torch (where I am currently the Managing Editor and spent a year as a reporter prior to that) had given me all of the experience I would need to survive those first few days. It was there that I learned how to go on interviews with sources, how to write an article, what a “byline” was and why it mattered, among many other things.
Because of my involvement outside of class, I was able to go into my internship with relevant knowledge and experience that prepared me for my first project. And luckily, years of watching and re-watching the Office gave me sort of an idea on how not to conduct myself in an office environment (Thanks, Michael). So, I had that going for me too.
I still know nothing about real estate, and I think I’m just going to have to fake it until I make it in that case. But as for everything else, I’m doing pretty well.
I am only doing as well as I am because of my involvement with the Torch. I would have never learned how to do half of the stuff I can now if I had never begun working there.
So, look for opportunities to further your skills. Don’t rely solely on classwork and your stellar GPA to teach you the things that you need to know, there is so much to be learned from a hands-on experience than you ever could in class. Look for clubs, organizations, internships; there’s always something to do or somewhere to go to learn and grow your skills. If nothing else, they’ll at least make you feel more prepared on that much-dreaded first day.
It might not be all that easy at first, take it from someone who applied to 52 internships last summer and didn’t hear back from a single one: it’s really hard. It is so much easier to just go to class and do the homework and pat yourself on the back for doing everything you were supposed to, but in just doing that, you miss out on so much.
So, keep trying, keep applying. Something will stick. And when it does, you will feel more prepared than ever to face your future bravely. Never settle, seek more.
By: Evi Arthur