Thursday, December 13, 2007
Would Non-News Internship Hurt?
Q. I'm at a crossroads and don't know how to make a decision.
I'm a junior journalism student with a previous internship at a weekly, some daily work, and lots of
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freelance experience under my belt. I've applied far and wide to papers across the country for internships and have received little response -- and few rejections. As a backup plan of sorts, I applied to several jobs in corporate communications, thinking that if I didn't receive a journalism internship I would have something to fall back on.
Several months later, I received a corporate internship with a great benefits package, excellent pay (that would allow me not to have to work full time while attending college) and paid housing. No newspapers have responded to me, and only say that they'll be making their decisions "soon." I have to respond to the corporate offer by the end of this month.
In taking this internship, would I be taking myself off course for a job in newspapers in the future, or would future employers see this the way I do -- that I am getting as much broad-based experience as I possibly can? And, is it appropriate to ask for an extension for the corporate position in order to see where everything else falls?
Best,
JuanaA. You ARE at a crossroads. That is no problem, provided you stay in the driver's seat and don't let fate take the wheel.
I have interviewed several seniors this fall whose experience was similar to yours. Obviously -- or they wouldn't have been talking to me -- all wanted to be back in journalism. Each had a good story about why they had gone with a business internship, why they wanted to come back to journalism and what they could bring back to journalism from their experiences.
In a perfect world, I would have had you wait a little longer to start working your Plan B options. But as the clock has started ticking, you're right to call the newspapers you've applied to and tell them about your deadline. That is the same thing I would have you do to decide among newspapers.
I would add one strategy. I believe that your university has a pretty long break for the holidays. Recognizing that this non-news internship might push you in a direction you're resisting, I would try to get into a couple of newspapers for some face-to-face interviews. The hustle and initiative might put you over the top.
Good luck and let me know what happens.
Coming Friday: This mid-career journalist has, once again, been passed over for a promotion and wonders how to put an end to this dry spell.
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