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internship confirms doubts?

Generalist

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Thanks to anyone who responds. I am a marketing student at a local community college. I am pretty close to graduating with an associate degree in the spring. I started an internship at the college I am attending about two months ago, working on their faculty and staff newsletter. Basically what I do is edit submissions from staff and faculty as well as work with the other intern to shoot and edit video for the newsletter. Since I have been there I have had some doubts starting to creep in, but don't really feel like fear, but more of a gut feeling that I may have headed down the wrong career path.

I question how much of a grasp I really have on grammar even though I have received some very generous compliments on my nonfiction writing. The other intern who has actually worked in the newspaper business for over 20 years as a writer, copyeditor, editor and has pretty much taken over, which is what I guess you would expect. But I feel when I am there my brain just shuts down. I really do a lot of stupid stuff, mostly little things I suppose. I also feel that I take forever to edit some of these submissions, usually the lengthier ones. I also feel like I can't keep up with everything, such as not remembering to put certain submissions in the newsletter multiple times or misunderstanding simple requests. I also tend to get way too wrapped up with the editing process. I think I have some issues with perfectionism and some anxiety. The director is very pleased with how the newsletter is coming along, but that is pretty much because the other intern is a newspaper veteran with decades of experience.

I tried sharing these thoughts with a friend, but she sees me with rose-colored glasses and seems to think everything I do is wonderful. So she isn't really a reliable sounding board I suppose you could say. So, if anyone has read this I would appreciate any constructive feedback, observations, etc.

In case you are wondering, I have done very well in my classes, but this internship is a different story. Have you had the experience of performing well in your program of study, but once you are put in a real-world situation you find yourself struggling? Thanks again to anyone who might have actually read this post.
 

Tilt

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Just looking at your post, your writing skills are quite good in terms of structure, clarity, and grammar. I write and edit content for my company and it's always an uphill battle to completely perfect a piece.

From experience, I would say:

  • Read it aloud to make sure the content sounds correct and don't be afraid to Google grammar rules
  • Take a 15-minute break for every hour that you edit.
  • If you can, sleep on it. Edit it once and then edit again after a few hours to a day
  • You're struggling because I would guess that you are being perfectionistic
 

phoenix31

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Welcome to the forums. :)

The good news is, you only have your Associates. So if you feel like you're on the wrong career path, there's always the option to pursue a Bachelors in something else without having wasted much time or money. Or just having an Associates in general probably qualifies you for many entry level jobs and you could just go looking for something that interests you and then work your way up in that field based on experience or further education.

I'm just going to go ahead and say I'm ignorant about these things, but being a marketing major is preparation for editing a newsletter and writing nonfiction? I would think that is more of an English major thing. But I don't know anything about marketing. Aren't there plenty of other jobs that you could look for that wouldn't involve this particular activity that you don't feel strong or confident in? Things that focus more toward advertisement strategy?
 

Tilt

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Also, it takes awhile to adapt content to a specific audience and a company's message... a lot of it just takes experience and practice. The coworker might just be overbearing, but nonetheless, you might learn tricks from her. Remember, there is more than one right way to write great content, even in marketing! :)
 

Patches

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There is a certain confidence with any skill-based field that can ONLY come with experience. It sounds to me like you're putting too much emphasis on comparing yourself to someone who has TWO DECADES of experience more than you. You have to walk before you can run.

I'm in an extremely different field from you, but your experiences resonate with me regardless. I am a very academically inclined person who does well in school, and I can guarantee that my grades and academic ability in a didactic setting far surpasses that of some of my colleagues. However, many of them have a good decade or two of actual job experience over me. Most of my shortcomings in my field stem from just that - Experience is something that can only be earned. You must have time to make mistakes and learn from them. You must have time to perform your job slowly and learn before you gain speed.

Don't compare yourself to your coworker. It doesn't hurt to pay attention to them and learn from them, ask them questions. They are a valuable resource, and they have been where you are. If they're approachable and helpful like that, then use them as a tool.

Does the job make you happy? Do you enjoy what you're doing? Then relax, stop being so hard on yourself, and keep at it. Learn from your mistakes, but don't beat yourself up over them. You're not in class anymore, the real world is a very different place. You will acquire more skill, more speed, more aptitude at the things you are doing as you repeat the process. If you want it, keep at it.
 
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