The Intern Diaries: Part 6

It’s been a long and lively summer – and that’s not just the shimmery, sun-kissed tan that I definitely did not get talking. For the past two months, I have soaked up as much knowledge that I could at my internship at a radio communications hub. I’ve worked with several stations, experienced live on and off site events, participated in “TV Theme Friday” around the office – you know, the normal stuff. My last week in my cubicle was much of the same, but it gave me time to reflect on just how valuable the previous weeks became.

Manic (Music) Monday

Monday grogginess wasn’t in order for my last weekday kickoff, because my fashion choices were apparently on point. Several of my co-workers complimented my multi-colored dreamcatcher earrings; one even mentioned that they matched my sunglasses. Mind you, these co-workers were male – your stereotypical football-watching, guy’s guy male. It’s the little things…

Before heading out for the day, I had a good conversation with my boss – a rarity, since he is always in and out of meetings. After going over my university’s evaluation forms (shoutout to you, UF CJC!), we talked about normal things like music, family, concert experiences. It was cool to connect with him on a more natural level and it made the overall internship experience come full-circle. (There’s another piece of advice: chat with your superiors, if you have the chance. You’ll not only gain insight on the industry, but you may find that you have a lot in common. That’ll certainly take some nervousness away!)

Added bonus: that night, I scored some tickets to see Black Sabbath with my dad at the local amphitheater. Between the risqué (to say the least) t-shirt slogans and deafening sound levels, I’d say crossing this show off my concert bucket list was pretty successful.

Friday, Friday, Saying Goodbye on Friday…

Well, the time had come. It was my last day in the office and, yes, I admit, I was a little bit bummed. I had made some cool new friends there (Facebook adds and Twitter follows already pending) and had, true to its form, learned so much about the radio industry. That day, I even got to create and schedule my very first two commercially produced spots for the Top 40 station – all on my own! It was a very full-circle moment for me – and I may or may not have immediately texted my friends to let them know, yes, I was really going to be on the air that weekend.

Later, as I passed out my little thank you notes to my co-workers (I’m a note-writing kinda gal), I thought about just how much I had learned in so little time. For the past couple weeks, I had already been thinking of ways to apply my new production tricks to the stations back at school. That may the best part of any internship – being able to apply what you’ve learned and making it even better. After an experience like this one, I am definitely ready to get back to Gainesville and kick some ass. …Okay, maybe after a week of downtime. And some sleep. Yeah, sleep sounds good.

How has your internship gone so far this summer? Share your own stories and comment below!