When I left the Washington Post offices this past Friday I felt most accomplished. In all of my time there, I never felt more depended on than this week. It’s a great feeling to be needed, but also a great responsibility.
In a group that is powered by 7 staff members and two intern on a day-to-day basis, we found ourselves, for a majority of the day, only down to two. My co-worker, Andrea and I were left to tend to the everyday tasks that are done to run the Interactivity (blogs/panel sites) section of the Washington Post.com. On Wednesday, I was prepared for what I may be up against, and trained briefly on how some of the home page and section front boxes are updated, but I was still nervous. Knowing that with one html coding error I could blow up the entire front page of the post.com, I feared not only that I would disappoint my co-workers, but that they would lose their faith in what I am capable of doing. However, feeling a little put back after last week, I knew that I had something to prove.
I can honestly say that Friday couldn’t have gone any better. Our managing editor of Interactivity even complemented me on a great day’s work–which he rarely does, especially to any interns!
In all of my time at the Post, I have never felt more challenged, but also never more accomplished. This internship has really taught me a lot– to be accountable, to learn everything that I can while I am there, and to never back down, even when something is challenging. I know now that I will never be able to progress if I’m not willing to put in the time to learn. This is why I would always encourage people to seek out internships that are challenging–don’t ever settle for the easy way out. I know that I will be much more prepared in my future internships and jobs because of my internship at the Post. And to think–I’m only a freshman!
