Internship is not just about merely working for the sake of academic reason. It is all about experiencing what work is like in the real world — most especially in the field of mass media.
A student intern is there to learn how to work in the newsroom, how to gather news, how to write news and how to deliver it, regardless if it is done through the radio, television, print or the internet.
There are many lessons that one must learn in the duration of his internship program.
However, here are the five most important learnings that makes an intern a better person:
Punctuality
Tardiness is not an option, especially in the world of news. An intern must be expected to be punctual, especially when he is asked to go to the assigned area to cover the news. He must be there as early as possible, so he can get the details that are newsworthy. Once this is done, he must submit his draft for correction and revision, before broadcasting or publishing.
Resourcefulness
When an intern is given an assignment from his supervising head to cover a particular subject, he must be resourceful enough to do some research on his own through reading articles or the latest news related to the subject to be covered.
Courage
An intern — a future media practitioner — must be brave enough to overcome all the obstacles related to work. Even if he is an intern, he is expected to have the courage to accept the challenges, especially those related to the given task from his supervising head, no matter how difficult these are. Do not hesitate to ask the important questions from news sources.
Teamwork
There are times that one must work with his fellow interns on certain occasions. These range from set interviews to covering press conferences, and so forth. One must bear in mind that two heads are better than one.
Openness to constructive criticism
He must accept that constructive criticism will help him to evaluate his work, and therefore, show him more room for improvement. Constructive criticism will help evaluate the lapses which should not be committed in the future, and at the same time, things that can be improved on.
Overall, these five life lessons will help interns grow to be better persons.