Gosh, the first time I watched the Devil Wears Prada, my eyes glowed with envy of Anne Hathaway, who worked for a magazine. I was so jealous of her style, job and role at the high end fashion magazine.
But, this was before I interned for 2 well-known magazines, Family Circle and Good Housekeeping. When people meet me, other than looking at my resume of course, they haven't a clue I was an editorial intern for Good Housekeeping and a home décor assistant intern for Family Circle. Sure, I can guess what you're thinking: OMG-- she's so lucky to have interned for not one, but 2 magazines. And, I still think I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity. But, you must know a thing or two about the magazine industry, it can be pretty brutal at times.
When reading over Ryan O'Connell's Why Internships Are Bullshit, I immediately connected with this line, "Grace-- one of the editors-- seemed nice enough, but she did look a bit worn down. It seemed like this job had stolen her spirit and was keeping it hostage in the cat food aisle at Rite Aid. The way she carried herself and the cadence in her voice gave me the impression that the world was perpetually taking a giant dump on her face--a glamorous, couture dump, but a dump nonetheless. " I couldn't help but feel the same when I got my second internship at Family Circle Magazine.
When I made my way to NYC the interview, I was nearly on the verge of puking my brains in the elevator. But, I knew I needed to calm myself down, so I told myself, "you're going to be alright, I promise." Walking into a magazine hub with glamorous women and men isn't always what it's cracked up to be. You might think you're going to meet famous folks and have lunch with editors, but honey, they're too busy doing their job to pay attention to you.
When I received the congratulatory e-mail stating I got the internship, I was thrilled and apprehensive. My first week at FC was nerve-wrecking and I quickly learned quiet and shy girls DO NOT belong in the mag industry. I tried to talk and get acquainted with my editor, but we just never connected on that level. I wasn't able to have a conversation with her because well, she was so darn busy and she wasn't like me. I would often check-in and ask what she needed from me, but there were times where she didn't have any tasks for me. Therefore, I was left to fend on my own.
So, just because you see movies glamorizing magazines doesn't mean you should always listen to them because most of the time, that's so not how things are!