A heart to heart

I’m almost 2 months into my internship, and the relationship with my bosses couldn’t be better. They seem to be liking the work I’m doing, appreciative with all the little things I help them out with, and just plain ol’ happy to have me around to lend a hand when needed.

And while our corporate relationship is great and all, one thing I’ve discovered as an intern is that the best intern/editor relationship is one where you can actually have real conversations with one another. I’m at the office 9 hours a day, 3 days a week…I’d like to talk to my editors about more than what packages to send back and which credits to compile. Wouldn’t you agree?

So in my downtime, when neither myself nor one of my editors was too swamped, I decided to approach her for a little heart-to-heart. She’s been in the biz for quite a few years now, working at both big-name and lesser-known mags. I’ve only got a few weeks left at my internship…might as well milk it for all it’s worth, right?

While our conversation was short and sweet, it was actually really informative. I asked her every possible question I could think of. What is the corporate culture at all the different publishing houses like? Is the industry as cut-throat as it seems? Are magazine employees usually treated well? I even asked her about her college experience and internships, and, to my delight, she was happy to share her experiences with me. Hmm. I guess she remembers what it was like to be an intern herself, terrified of the prospect of graduation and taking any advice you could get.

Ok, so I still have a lot to learn about the industry. But knowing I have my editor as my mentor(not to mention an amazing reference come graduation time, but that’s a whole separate issue) is a huge relief. My advice to you fellow edsters out there? Learn as much about the biz as you can! Ask your editors out to lunch, take on projects in different departments, and get as much career advice and as many contacts as possible. The more you know, the more prepared you’ll be when it comes down to landing that coveted EA position. The editors can be your friends, too!

Are any of you buddy-buddy with your editors?
--Ed’s Intern #1