Student Blogger: The ups and downs of interning in TV news

Taryn Sidney

Today, we hear back from student blogger Taryn Sidney about the best and worst parts of interning for her local CBS affiliate station. You can go back and read her first post on the pros and cons of unpaid internships here.

Working at CBS 3 in Springfield, Mass. was my first internship … ever. Of course, on the first day when I walked through the door, I was nervous. But my last day there was the most confident I had ever felt leaving that place. Even though my internship was an amazing experience, I had some pretty crappy days too.

The Best:

I can’t stress enough how great it is to get experience in your field of study. I feel so much more prepared for the real world than I would have if I just stuck with the campus media clubs.

Another great thing about my internship was getting to meet people. My coworkers had already graduated and had their first jobs, so they really knew a lot about the business. I valued their advice and definitely took everything they taught me home at the end of the day.

And, finally, it was reassuring to know that I was good enough to be there. I liked knowing that they asked me to intern with them because they saw me as a valuable asset to their station.

The Worst:

One of the worst things about working for CBS 3 Springfield was the cost. I had to pay for parking three times a week at $6 a day. That most definitely adds up. Plus, I had to put gas into my car.

Another thing that was hard about my internship was the commute. I go to school in Springfield, but it isn’t exactly the nicest city or the least crowded. So not only was I terrified of finding myself somewhere I didn’t belong, but I had to take a total of an hour in travel time per day.

The possibility of messing up was one of the hardest things about working for a TV station. It only happened once,but it was one of the most gut-wrenching feelings ever. Flubbing a line during a live broadcast isn’t exactly what you want to do to impress your supervisor,and I definitely felt bad afterward.

The Verdict:

In my case, the good outweighed the bad.  I’d definitely intern at CBS 3 Springfield again in a heartbeat!