Trying to find the right balance The Intern Diaries

by Whitney Riggs

I never thought I would turn down the radio in my own car.

I remember when I was younger traveling with my parents to soccer tournaments out of town. They got so annoyed when my favorite Backstreet Boys song reached a certain volume. Just when I was about to belt out the chorus of "I Want It That Way," my dad mumbled something under his breath and “Turn it down.” I couldn't understand why on earth he would do something like that!

Just the other day, I drove back to Bloomington from my fourth day of interning at St. Louis Woman Magazine, and I was beyond exhausted. I had been up since 7 a.m. — which is unreal for a college student like myself — my head was pounding, my lower back was tight as a rope and all I wanted to do was eat something. Too bad I hadn't gone to the grocery in months.

While all this complaining swirled about in my head, I unconsciously extended my arm and did the unthinkable: I turned the radio off. I couldn’t handle the sound of the bass pumping in my eardrums any longer, and I most certainly didn’t want to hear some rapper say "baby" again. I rode 20 minutes home without a peep from my speakers.

At that moment, I realized I was starting to grow up. Goodbye youth.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a college student at Indiana University spending my summer interning at St. Louis Woman Magazine. I have a semester left before I graduate, so this internship should be great experience before I really try to get a job.

When Rebecca sent me e-mail a few months ago congratulating me on receiving the editorial position, I was beyond pumped. Don't get me wrong: I still am today. But unfortunately, the amount of free time lacking in my life is starting to put a damper on my summer. Driving to Indianapolis(home office) from Bloomington a few times a week while holding a steady job and taking a summer class is a bit overwhelming, to say the least. I'm tight on money, crazy busy trying to complete stories, and I haven't even touched the book I'm supposed to read for my Italian class.

Will I be able to balance my priorities?

Bright Lights, Big City The Intern Diaries

by Breyanna Knoll

I looked at the calendar today and realized I am one-sixth of the way through my three months here as an editorial assistant. It is not a huge milestone or anything, but I just hate to see the time pass so quickly. I really love it here, and I wish I could stay longer.

I have to start planning for what happens after July. I usually make a conscious effort not to plan too much. When you chase the future, you never get there. But my lease and this job both end on July 31. That makes it an excellent time to take another leap and move to New York City.

This seems like an absolutely crazy movie where the main characters are doomed to failure. Imagine this synopsis: A young couple married less than a year moves to the most expensive city in the country with no job prospects. They have degrees and savings, but the economy is faltering and so is the publishing world she hopes to break into.

You would yell at the screen, why are you doing this? You have a good life, and he has a software development job he loves!

I want to work for a magazine, and New York City has the most job opportunities. A lot of people out there want the same jobs I want, and they are local. They can come in for interviews at a moment’s notice, and editors do not have to wait for them to relocate. Editors want them now, and I want editors to want me now.

There are some sneaky tactics to make employers believe I am local. I could get a New York cell phone number. I could use an apartment address I know of on my resume. On Monday, I could hop on a plane for an interview on Tuesday. Lies are not the way to start a career, and I could never let my editor know how I got the job.

Besides, this will be an adventure. If we come back broken, in debt and complete failures, at least we will know that we tried. Wish us luck.

Getting a career started is all about taking risks The Intern Diaries

by Breyanna Knoll

As I move into a temporary editorial assistant position with the magazine, new recruits will arrive to take over the Intern Diaries. One of them is a friend that I recommended. He is an excellent writer, and I am hoping that helping a fellow writer will give me a little career karma.

This business runs on connections. If you do not have the skills necessary to write successfully, a recommendation will not get you the internship. Okay, sometimes it will. Although they can benefit you, do not expect to succeed on connections alone! If your skills look exactly like the ones on the next resume, a current employee vouching for your responsibility and friendliness might give you the extra edge.

When I heard that another friend was searching for a summer magazine internship, I offered to put in a good word for her here at IW. She refused to apply, stating that she could not afford to live in Indianapolis over the summer.

As a recent graduate, I completely understand the importance of a budget. But if someone hands you an opportunity and you really want to work in a magazine, find a way to make it happen. I went to New York City with about six hundred dollars last summer. In New York, that is not just a shoestring budget. It is more like a thread. I made it work because I knew what the opportunity could do for my career. It would have been easy to stay home with my fiancée, my family and my summer retail job. But I would have been sacrificing my future happiness because I’d always wonder what would have happened if I had taken that internship.

Today, my friend is still applying for internships in our hometown. The likelihood of this happening is slim, since good internships generally fill up the semester before they take place. I really hope things go well for her in the future, but taking risks is a part of success in this business.

I am taking a big risk in August. Stay tuned for my final entry to find out about it.

Nothing to lose The Intern Diaries

by Breyanna Knoll


For the first time since I graduated five months ago, my job and degree correlate to an actual paycheck. While a staffer is out on maternity leave, the magazine has hired me to answer the phones and write articles. I am taking on longer articles, more responsibilities, and I will be listed in the masthead as an editorial assistant.

Honestly, I started this job with the belief that it would fill in my resume while I searched for a paying job. I certainly hoped I could develop a paying job out of it, but I tried not to get my expectations too high. All I knew was that I would work as hard as I could and that would be enough if something opened up.

Others seemed even more apprehensive than I was. I cannot tell you the number of times I heard family members or friends say “You graduated, but you’re working for free?” But this has allowed me to fill in a gap in my resume, get extra clips, and earn a little bit of money over the summer.

I have to say, interning after graduation was hands down the best career move I have made. This is a fledgling career, but it has worked out well so far. I think one of the main reasons it worked was that it allowed Weiss Communications to take a chance on me with very little risk on their part.

Recent graduates might think they are worthy of hire because they have a degree from a decent school and an internship. But they do not consider what an investment a new employee is for a company. Hiring someone means the cost of a salary and benefits. As a return on their investment, the company hopes the employee will perform the job exactly to their expectations. Firing someone is very difficult without justifiable cause, so a new employee is actually a long-term investment for the company.

An internship after graduation shows the company you are serious about getting into the field. Best of all, you can let your work speak for you.