Intern Insights: Reflecting On A Great Experience As A @NBCNewsPr Intern

Now that my internship is over, and I have changed my twitter bio to “former @NBCNewsPr intern,” I have had the time to think about my internship as a whole. I loved my internship, and I am proud of the work I did there, but there are things I would have definitely done differently. This is where my dad says, “hindsight is always 20/20.”

The biggest thing I wish I could do over was I wish I had set up more informational meetings with people throughout the company. The reason I didn’t set up more meetings was because I was nervous, which looking back was such a waste of time. I was nervous that people would be bothered with me asking to meet them, because of their busy schedules. I then realized that everyone I asked to meet with was excited because it showed that I that cared about the people I worked with, not just doing the bare minimum at my internship. Every person I contacted found time to meet with me.

Informationals were a great way to learn more about the career paths of the people I worked under. I learned about how many different careers exist in media, and how everyone had gone down a completely different path to reach their job. Hearing about the variety made me feel a ton better going back to school, because I feel like the impression is that there is only “one way” to reach your goals/dream career. These informationals taught me that everyone has a different path to their career, and just because your major is one thing doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be doing that forever. I met with people who majored in a variety of different topics; yet there they were in similar jobs in the media industry. It was great to hear the advice everyone had too, because they have been through the fear that comes with college graduation, and applying for jobs they didn’t know if they would get. Every person I met with gave me great advice on what is to come, and the most recurring thing they said was to relax. Jobs, careers, and life will come, but right now making the most of college is most important. At one of my last informational meetings, the person I met with asked me where I was going on Spring Break. I replied that I never really went on Spring Break, and he laughed at me. He told me to go on every Spring Break I could possibly go on, because once I had a real job Spring Break was over for good. That statement really resonated for me. I feel like everyone is focusing on what needs to get done before graduating, when really we should be focusing on the day ahead. My internship taught me a lot of things, but most importantly, it taught me the meaning of focusing on the near future and not the big picture. I learned this because while I was interning at NBC there was no time to worry about the big picture because we were so busy with the present. Now that school is here, I will most definitely focus on upcoming football games and fall weather, and know that my career will come when it does.