My Interning Life: Aubrey Hamlett

Hi Everyone!

How time flies – I can remember reading about the ABC Cadetship at this same time last year. I hope that all the journalism graduates of 2012 apply for the position.

I won’t be applying for the cadetship. “But you are majoring in JOURNALISM! WHY NOT?!”

Yep that’s correct but it doesn’t mean that I want to be a hard news journalist on the beat somewhere in regional Australia working for the ABC. Don’t get me wrong, working at the ABC is a huge deal but I always saw myself working for a glossy magazine.

Many people ask me why I major in journalism. Well it’s simple. I’m doing a Bachelor of  Media Studies and we had to pick one major out of three steams; journalism, video and television or radio. I knew I didn’t want to do radio, and knew that journalism was the most logical option.

However I initially began a video and television major, but that stream was all about making your own short films or docos. Not the making the news, current affairs type programs. So I switched to journalism.

A lot of people also ask me what I want to do when I grow up. Well, that’s not so simple. I’m a piscean, I tend to change my mind – a lot.

Last year when I started this blog I was featuring a lot of graduates and tried to picture how it would feel to only have a few weeks to go with my university degree.

Well I’m now in that position and it’s week seven at my university which means I only have six weeks left. It’s a bit of a scary thought to be actually finishing my university degree after it’s taken so long to get here. I don’t mean that it’s taken me three years, I have been at La Trobe since mid 2008. So I think I’m ready to get my degree, I’m just scared of the unknown that is 2013.

A year ago I wouldn’t have imagined that I’d have been a paid PR Account Manager, gone to Cosmopolitan magazine, interned with Universal Music Australia (and turned down comp Lady Gaga tickets) and I certainly wouldn’t have imagined that I’d be going into September hoping that Melbourne Storm make it into the NRL Grand Final.

2012 started off well and then became a bit rocky in the middle and now, it’s all better again. I’ve definitely had a stressful winter trying to juggle interning, paid work and organizing my sister’s Hen’s Night. Oh and trying to catch up with friends and family.

I’ve enjoyed my time at Melbourne Storm immensely. I’m now in charge of the live chat via our website on Game Days, something I thought I would never get to do. I barely knew anything about rugby league six months ago, and now I know a lot more. My boss, Dan, is actually leading the way in the digital media area. He utilizes every social media possible, I’m definitely learning from the best.

The best thing that I have done this year was send Dan an email on the fly asking for a position. I think that I’ve finally found something that I enjoy and realistically picture myself doing. I’ve had to give up on a teenage dream (cue Katy Perry singing in my head) of being a features writer for Cosmo and working in the magazine industry.

I am still interested in PR but I am leaning towards a career in communcations/ digtial/ media type roles within the sports industry.

I wouldn’t have come to this decision without 18 months straight of interning. It’s crucial to get out there and experience the real world and see what the work place is really like.

An internship or work experience is essential for students wanting to score a full time job in the industry once they’ve graduated. The experiences you have will make your application stand out to a prospective employer than a student with none at all.

So here’s my advice if you’re a budding journalist, writer, radio producer, filmmaker, PR spin doctor…or whatever you damned well want to be because its your life and, you are entitled to change your mind a few times!

1. Create a blog and regularly post on it and use this as your own online profile. Get published (online magazine upstart edited by LTU students is a great start), get on Twitter – it will be your best networking tool to connect with your chosen industry.

2. Be Pro-active. Find an internship or work experience before your final year at university. Keep knocking on that door until somebody says yes, even if it means going to a regional newspaper or radio station. You’ll thank yourself in the end, make contacts in the industry and ultimately decide if its what you want a career in.

While I’d be perfectly happy to be an intern for a little while longer, I do want to start my full time (paid!) career. I’ve had varied experiences and hopefully this will help me stand out when I apply for jobs.

So here it is folks, my goal for 2013 is to get a job working in the media department of a sports organization. I know that this won’t be an easy task and it may take me a while.

I was recently told that once I’ve put in the ground work, serendipity helps everything fall into place.

So let’s pray for some serendipity.

Wish me luck x MIL x