Free Essay Sample on Internship Experience

General Comments

Based on the experience obtained, an internship is the exposure to the working environment for students with the objective of linking college education to its professional application. Through the internship, students get a chance to acquire hands-on experience on the various theoretical studies that are pursued in college curricula. The experience not only gives the students an opportunity to interact with professionals but also allows them to utilize skills acquired in college to navigate real life situations. Besides, internship entails yielding an output from the knowledge consumed in college.

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Interns are learners, both graduates, and continuing students, receiving practical and professional guidance so as to integrate theoretical knowledge into the professional demands of their of career choice. As an intern, one receives professional guidance on how to use various skills to generate an output that makes economic sense. The interns experience also involves a deliberate apprenticeship process that enables participants to receive corrections on the different areas of learning upon making technical mistakes. This is usually conducted by supervisors who ensure that desirable work skills are developed and nurtured.

As intimated earlier, internships subject students and graduates to the environment where they receive hands-on exposure to the working life that relates to their respective areas of study. The internship programs prepare students for the challenges of employment by aligning the academics with professional requirements. For these reasons, the internship programs should be structured in a way that meets the training standards of the colleges so as to give them adequate preparation for the future demands of the working life. Also, academic credits can be used to assess the skills acquired by interns as a technique of measuring the suitability of the interns to face the professional world. Moreover, academic credits can offer motivation in aligning professional goals with academic targets as well as personal ambitions.

Internship Experience

Organizational Structure of the Broadcast Station

The chief executive officer heads the organization. The chief executive officer is charged with the overall operations of the stations production, marketing, finance and administrative departments. During the internship, most of the personal duties and responsibilities interacted with the production department. The department consists of production staff, operations staff and the creative teams that are responsible for the delivery of competitive content to the viewers. Besides, the production department manages on-air content and also ensures news and interviews meet the broadcasting standards. Under this department, an interns leader is responsible for the training of interns. The supervisor provides on-the-job instructions as well as act as a reference person for interns to access consultation on various issues of the internship program. Although other employees in the department participate in the provision of guidance to the interns, the supervisor is overly charged with handling work-related and work-unrelated issues that impact on the learning outcomes of the interns.

Analysis of the Supervision of the Internship

Communication channels at internship differed from those of a BCA classroom situation. At the workplace, colleagues observe formal information exchange channels and each channel serves as a conduit through which broadcasting activities are coordinated. People with certain technical knowledge and vast experience offer guidance on the day-to-day production and streaming of programs at the station. Conversely, a classroom situation does not provide particular persons with a specific expertise through which activities are coordinated. The instructors are the only point of reference regarding task engagements.

Supervision in the workplace is characterized by tight schedules where employees are required to meet so as to deliver quality broadcasts to the viewers. These schedules can change depending on the happenings of a particular day. As a result, assignments of employees, as well as those of interns, may change to accommodate new events. This environment makes supervisory activities tight. Although the noose is looser for interns, one has to follow the tight schedules of the rest of the employees so as to learn from their engagements for the purpose of meeting internship objectives. Also, as an intern, one has to sign in and out like other employees. On the other hand, classroom schedules are definite and seldom change to accommodate happenings in the course of the training. Besides, there is loose supervision in the classroom environment, and unlike during the internship where every activity is monitored, end products of the learning process tend to take center stage compared to the specific outcomes emphasized at internships.

The Major New Things Learned During the Internship

News reporting is one of the items that the internship offered an extensive experience. Here, I learned about the editing of news items from various reporters to meet the broadcasting thresholds. Also, collation of news of reports and prioritizing of news articles for presentation to the public audiences was experienced at this desk. Moreover, I learned that news reports have the intention of spreading a certain stance of the broadcasting station regarding issues affecting society in addition to the aim of giving the general public updates on the latest happenings around the country and the world.

The experience at the internship also involved the participation in talk shows. Talk shows presented unscripted information to audiences where experts and opinion leaders present topics that are geared towards enlightening viewers. The particular lesson obtained in this segment of broadcasting was the discovery that moderators of talk shows often conduct rehearsals with guests to generate content that is ultimately presented to the viewers. What viewers hear may be coming from the talk show guests and moderators, but the content invariably represents a product of producers, writers, stage managers and technical crews.

The opportunity to use the camera in streaming various events with the station offered a new lifetime experience. I used the camera to during live events where sports venue programs were featured. Such an experience provided the opportunity to learn the work of directors in reporting, especially when I participated in capturing of programs while on air. The use of the camera extended to the shooting of interviews in the streets and the broadcasting studio. This way, I understood the significant role the behind-the-scenes broadcasting personnel play in ensuring that reporters get the message to the viewers.

Professional and Personal Growth from the Internship

Improved Communication Skills

Communication skills are vital elements at the workplace. During the initial days, communication was a challenge due to the inability to blend into new crop persons as well as the unfamiliar environment. The turning point came to the realization that building relationships mattered most in receiving attention and guidance from the organizations employees. From personal initiatives, I sought guidance from the co-workers who obliged to offer the assistance requested in regards to performing certain tasks. This happened especially in the absence of the supervisor who oversaw the daily management of my duty roster. The lesson learned from the preliminary experiences was that one has to make the move to seek assistance from the senior employees as these employees are often willing to help whenever interns request for their consultancy. As a result, relationship building improved and also the ability to take the initiative to solve problems at the workplace. Besides, blending into the work environment improved as interactions in the work relationships grew from acquaintances level to a professional standard where colleagues work together for a common objective.

As mentioned earlier, a broadcasting environment is characterized by tight schedules that require strict adherence to the guidelines of the supervisors. The mentioned situation sometimes requires emotional intelligence and regular communication with leaders and employees to deliver quality content to the consumers. I learned to keep calm in such circumstances as a way of not only avoiding mistakes but also as a source of motivation to perform allocated duties. In effect, self-confidence in personal abilities and skills improved, resulting in more output and reduced mistakes in individual assignments.

Improved Work Schedule Management

Unlike the classroom situations, work environment demanded that one must make appropriate time allocation to tasks assigned to meet the prescribed timelines. The experience was obtained when participating in the production of programs alongside the other employees. Although the rules did not expressly define the expectations of interns, the work schedule and culture at the organization made it necessary to work in close collaboration with the organizations staff for one to realize internship objectives. Activities such as breaks instilled a culture of managing time to accommodate work schedules.

Development of Office Etiquette

Signing in and out provided the challenge to conform to the professional standards of the organization. It not only ensured a quick blend into the organizations culture but also allowed for timely involvement in the activities the employees were assigned to perform. Also, the internship experience instilled an obligation to adhere to the dress codes as spelled out by the code of conduct. This aspect proved significant as the feedback from the supervisor explained the reason for the selection to participate in talk shows and street interviews. The lesson learned from conforming to the dress code is that it projects the image of the organization, and, thus, every staff member should strive to guard such image as well as create a comfortable working relationship with colleagues.

Teamwork

Most assignments at the broadcasting station require a close partnership between employees. The writers, reporters, producers, and directors, among other groups have developed a culture of working together as most of their roles complement each other. Through talk shows, programming, filming street interviews, and coverage of sports events, the teams work ethic developed as a product of necessity to blend into the professional environment. As a result, relating to the experienced employees became easier, and the realization that broadcasting jobs require groups of people for success, significantly improved my personal abilities to work with others. The lesson that was drawn from the experience of working as a team is that the flow of work in organizations dictates that each team member is considered integral to the successful performance of personal duties and responsibilities.

Classroom Experiences that proved useful during the Internship

The BCA classroom sessions offered the theoretical and practical frameworks upon internship engagements were based. In particular, the BCA 532 class exposed me to the use of after effects and photoshop programs in video technology. These technical skills became in handy when I received deployment to the editing room where there was a prevalent use of Photoshop and after effects programs. The opportunity to work in this department was a result of the possession of skills regarding the mentioned programs, and thus, class work helped in fulfilling the learning objectives of the internship. Besides, the relationships built during classroom sessions especially in discussions, was vital in the gelling with the companys employees. Notably, ability to raise issues w...