We are told to read newspapers every day – ranging from the English newspaper for improving our language proficiency, Chinese ones for social awareness, and the countless others for unknown reasons. These make the reading list seemingly inexhaustible. We do complain about journalists writing such difficult articles. However, besides being an inactive reader absorbing information passively, we can also become an active intern reporter – and receive rewards from seeing our own articles published!
During the last summer vacation, I participated in a three-week ‘Summer Work Experience’ scheme, an internship programme designed for secondary students to have a taste of the real workplace environment, such as being in a newspaper publishing house.
The taste, however, was bitter in the first couple of days. Unfamiliar with the real operational flow, things always seemed to be going completely wrong in my hands, and I was a heavy burden in the eyes of my ‘colleagues’. Once, I was assigned to attend the government’s reception conference. But like the protagonist in a comedy, I went to the wrong building in the wrong district. When I was corrected by the photographer, it was all too late – the meeting room was already too full to squeeze a sardine in.
The final solution? The photographer accompanying me needed to take photos outside the room, and I stood by, amazed by the power of direct broadcasting – till I was unable to utter a word when the chief editor asked for the answers of the questions written beforehand. Finally, we needed to resort to the government’s news department. What a depressing experience it was!
Fortunately, the grey clouds above my head were blown away by the kind guidance by real reporters, and the hidden sunshine was uncovered again to illuminate the ground below. I started to catch up on the unstoppable pace in the editorial room. I realised that while the job of a journalist was indeed difficult, preparation beforehand could ease to a great extent my pain caused by the slipping and falling on the real ground. In the second week, I was offered a great opportunity to conduct an interview with Mrs. Smith, the world-renowned choreographer for Lady Gaga. I searched a lot of information about Mrs. Smith: her profile, the dances that she had choreographed, and I even watched five ballet performances arranged by her. It was only when my mother scolded me that I realized I had spent ten hours working non-stop at home.
The hard work at home, to my surprise, had won me appreciation from Mrs. Smith. It was such a delightful experience not only when she praised me for my good preparation, but also when she was talking so sincerely and merrily – I was inspired by her great enthusiasm for the work that she always loves to do. The article I wrote was even promoted on the front page of the main post! This was the first moment that I started to realise that I didn’t choose the wrong job.
Hard work does pay off. In this wholly cheerful experience, I now fully understand the idiom ‘no pain no gain’, because the great difficulties and hurdles I tackled as a reporter have not only made my work much less suffocating, they also revive my interest in working in the reporting sector. Maybe I am not a successful reporter in the future, but this three-week internship did allow me to take a glimpse of the duties of a journalist, and it cleared away the brick walls on my roads towards journalism. Why not give yourself a try during the next summer vacation? You may find your dream job!