The Intern Diaries: Welcome to My Summer of Slavery

After sweating, slaving, and stressing over my resume for what felt like weeks, and checking Mediabistro and Ed2010.com for journalism internships like a madwoman, I finally landed myself a job at one of the most successful women’s magazines in the country. For the sake of anonymity, I’ll withhold the publication’s name – for now, at least.

But I will share all my experiences with you every Wednesday in hopes that you’ll have some pity for a poor, unpaid, slave (oops), learn something about the publishing and journalism industry, and enjoy my tales of development and debauchery in the Big Apple.

After only my second day, here’s what I have to report:

The copy machine really is every girl’s BFF…
I’ve spent more time staring at this over-sized piece of mail-room machinery in the past 48 hours than I have into my boyfriend’s pretty brown eyes, and I think there’s been more physical contact, too. Copying should be in BOLD print in any college kid’s intern description. This is unpleasant for two reasons: One, I have worn my new fabulous Moschino heels two days in a row, and this makes standing over my sad little grey friend a bit uncomfortable. Two, I think I have three paper cuts. Oh and three – HOW HARD IS IT TO COPY YOUR OWN SH*T!

Coffee is too…
Tonight, I will attend my friend’s 21st birthday party. Tomorrow morning, I will feel like crap. After spending a semester abroad in Spain, engaging in daily siestas and remaining in my bed until at least 11 am (no class until 12 was such a bonus), it’s been really hard to wake up and hit the showers before 7. Thus, the past two days have been marked by an excessive amount of coffee consumption, and I don’t think it’s a pattern that’s going to stop any time soon. What’s the point of starting the day so early, I ask? Wouldn’t everyone rather stay at work until 7:30 and get a little extra shut-eye?

Those Bosses Really do Trust us
For all the tedious, mindless and downright annoying things I’ve had to do (really, boss lady, you can’t fax that yourself?), I’ve been given a lot of cool responsibility as well. Today I brainstormed with another intern for article ideas, and if the editors like them, we get to write them. I will potentially be published this summer in X magazine, have writing clips to show my future potential employers, and get a job even though the economy has gone to sh*t. Hooray! Seriously, though – knowing that I could have my article alongside a seasoned writer’s work is really cool, and it makes the copying bearable. Well, sorta.

NYC is EXPENSIVE
I spent almost 80 dollars yesterday! On what, you ask? A grande coffee and large water bottle from Starbucks (I know, I should carry around my own reusable water bottle… relax all you environMENTAL cases), a salad and bag of chips for lunch, band aids to aid my blistering toesies, a cab (oops again… the subway was crowded), a strawberry mojito (hey- an after dinner drink was in order!), and maybe another strawberry mojito. Oh – and a magazine to read during my lunch break. The city that never sleeps is also the city that never stops stealing bills from my wallet. Sorry, mom. I promise I’ll have a paying job someday.

Don’t Surf the Web on the Job
An editor just walked past my desk while I was on Facebook looking at pictures of my drunk best friend at the Indy500. FML.