I may not be in a classroom, but I haven’t stopped learning Intern Diaries

by Breyanna Knoll


In a life filled with social networking, I connect with friends and their social activities easily. I experience major events and emotions with them in unique ways. The constant twittering and status messages remind me that most of my friends are tidying up a paper, flying home from a study abroad semester or even graduating this month.

I graduated a semester early, but I still feel a connection to my classmates. Honestly, I do not feel like I graduated a semester early at all. In the degree sense, I did; but in the education sense, I did not.

Working at the magazine this semester has taught me how to strengthen my own writing. It has taught me better interviewing skills and the intricacies of business. I have learned just as much, if not more, here than I did in any classroom. In that way, I feel like these past six months have been a vital part of my education as a writer and a reporter.

I also might feel like this because, as an intern, I did not get paid. Nothing can make you feel more like a college student than an utter lack of funds.

I am moving into a new role with the magazine next week, so that feels like a graduation in a sense. I am moving on to a real job with a real paycheck. And while it is short term, I still will write for the magazine. This prospect makes me feel more like a grown up than any piece of paper or walking across a stage ever could.

My hope for my life is that I never feel like I have stopped learning. So maybe what I am calling graduation in this sense is just moving into a new phase in my life. I cannot wait to have many more classrooms and graduations, even though I am not sure what they will look like.

I’m having a bad day Intern Diaries

by Breyanna Knoll

I find that I take for granted the excellence of this internship. I always impress people when I tell them I write for St. Louis Woman Magazine, and they are particularly impressed to see the extent to which I write.

The editors here have kindly offered me freedom and responsibility. Other magazines’ interns fetch coffee and never see a byline.

I see now why some editors are apprehensive to give interns too much responsibility. Occasionally I have done exceedingly well, and at times, like today, I have failed miserably.

By making an assumption (I know the old adage, you do not have to repeat it to me. Although, I would have done kindly to remember it.), I jumbled information between two sources and basically got about half the story wrong. Luckily the sales people caught it.

I am waiting for a response from my managing editor after I explained the situation and tried to make it right. She completely deserves to yell at me, but I am already way ahead of her.

I know I should use this as a learning experience. That’s exactly what an internship is meant to be. I should remember this and be more thorough in the future. But honestly, I just want to quit right now. I am lucky to have an editor who probably will not let me do that.

This is not just a pity party. There will days when you want to quit in an internship too. Some days, your editor will chide you on a grammatical issue, a source will complain about you or you will screw up royally. You will hate it, but everything sucks a little bit sometimes. You just have to ask yourself whether you hate the job itself or the day.

Keeping My Eye on the Prize Intern Diaries

by Breyanna Knoll

A typical day in the job search involves me making the rounds to various Web sites. These include job boards, advice Web sites and networking sites. Yes, Facebook and MySpace can be productive.

The Web site I use the most is called Ed2010. Fledgling editors started the it as a way to give advice, networking and job listings to anyone who needed the help. If you ever have a question about your cover letter, internship or that rumor you heard about who’s hiring, this is the place to go. It is teeming with industry insiders. Users beware. Everyone competes in the magazine industry, and the message boards can get catty.

The Web site also serves as a networking site. If you live in New York, it lists happy hours where you can meet editors. There are also city chapters everywhere from Chicago to Atlanta.

I also lurk the media Web sites JournalismJobs.com and Media Bistro. Just remember, the bigger Web sites get more traffic and more applications. Finding the job is just the first part. Then you have to make yourself stand out.

Social networking sites are great for — duh! — networking. Instead of being angry that the girl who cheated off of you in copy-editing landed a job at Seventeen, compliment her. She knows exactly what you’re going through, and she knows you’re smart (why else would she copy off of you?) So she might be able to offer advice about how she got the job or any openings where she currently works.

I don’t do this with people I know peripherally on Facebook. I’m too shy about it, and if I’ve never written on their walls before, it looks awfully suspicious if the first thing a person says is about a job. But maybe you’re less shy about these things, and maybe you are willing to invest the time in a new friendship that might be beneficial to both of you. If so, good luck.

Always an intern; never an editor Intern Diaries

by Breyanna Knoll

I worry about the risk of a post-grad internship. Editors might believe I fear entering the real world, lack ambition or work for free at the drop of a hat.

But I have my reasons.

I completed an internship with a magazine the summer after my junior year. This appeared to be a normal timeline because most magazines will not even glance at you if you are still a sophomore. While many of my fellow writing majors proved unsuccessful in their internship searches, employers appeared unimpressed.

Many would-be-editorial-assistants paddle the post-grad internship boat. Each year, the competition strengthens and the industry shrinks. If someone else foots the bill while she interns — or she is willing to work three jobs — it seems like a viable option.

The more internships a person completes, the more connections she can make. In an industry about whom you know, connections obviously are important.

They also fill in resume gaps. An interviewer who asks about these certainly would rather hear about all the writing you did than the pizzas you delivered.
Making it in this industry often means moving to New York City. Most magazines are published there, and people need time to save up the money or nerve to move there.

I feel good about being at St. Louis Woman Magazine. I graduated early, so I tell myself this is just another part of my education. Most of my friends are still in school, and many of them will graduate late. So I still feel on track.
It is slightly embarrassing attempting to explain my situation, but I’m willing to blush a little if it is the difference between a job and a rejection letter.

Despite all of the benefits, I would be careful about completing too many. Anything beyond six months of internships after graduation invites suspicion.

by Breyanna Knoll

I quit my job this week.

No, not this job. My day job.

The salary of an intern varies between none to little, so I worked at a real estate office in addition to interning at the magazine. Someone is taking maternity leave here, and St. Louis Woman offered me a writing position for the summer. I will get paid and even be listed in the masthead as an editorial assistant!

I am obviously excited about it, although I am also a little concerned. I know a lot of people have trouble staying in the present, but I am particularly bad at that.

I constantly plan, change my mind and begin planning again. So instead of looking forward to my May through August position right now, I keep wondering what I will do after August.

I am not afraid to take the leap. It felt good to quit my job that basically involved babysitting realtors and using my degree in no way whatsoever. I will enjoy having a schedule where I work all day at one place instead of mornings at one and afternoons at another. And most of all, I'm finally being paid to write.

No, the leap is very exciting and not scary at all. It’s the landing that I’m worried about. Will I land on my feet and slide into another job with my impressively updated resume, or will I careen headfirst into a faltering publishing industry in a faltering economy? Maybe it will be a little of both. Even though I have no idea how this will all work out, I have to believe that I will someday look back and realize it was an excellent idea to quit my day job.

I am really making an effort not to obsess about this. As much as I have enjoyed interning here and writing these entries, I look forward to getting paid and feeling like I have a real job. I just have to remind myself not to look so far forward that I forget where I am.

by Breyanna Knoll