An Anxious First Day

Hi all,

I started my my internship in the Central TAFE marketing team late last December but I wanted a few days under my belt before I did my first blog. The Central marketing team is in control of all the communications internal and external for the college and it ranges from press releases to events to social media and advertising. I was looking forward to my internship at Central because it has such a broad range disciplines I could try my hand at.

I was feeling very nervous before the start of my first day, as i rode the bus I remember thinking, "am i prepared for this?", "what if I'm just no good?" and "how big of a shock am I in for?". Soon after I arrived however I was feeling better, I was introduced to the rest of the team and their specialty roles and then my supervisor Mike told me i was in for a treat. My first day would be out in Subiaco for the Central design exhibition.

On the drive over Mike explained to me the importance of having a number of skills in a PR or marketing role. Photos for instance have become a much larger part of Mike's job than he ever thought and being able to take a good photo is vitally important, especially with social media. He explained that today he would lead the discussions with the designers while he taught me both how to take a good photo and how to conduct an interview.

I was very grateful for the gentle first couple of hours to allow me to settle in and feel a bit more at ease. The advice and tutoring given to me by Mike was invaluable and soon I was out by myself taking photographs at the creative industries students exhibition for the Central blog. This was a little daunting but my confidence soon grew and I was enjoying trying to use the skills and strategies Mike taught me with the artists and their pieces.

Before I went home Mike gave me some advice on writing to bear in mind for the next time I came in. His advice was to always, in any professional writing ask yourself whether the word adds anything, whether it is necessary? Good writing is succinct, easy to read and becoming a less and less common skill. Advice I think I can use for all my writing.

For me the most exciting thing about my first day was seeing the photos I took be uploaded onto the blog and contribute. I was so pleased and excited I couldn't wait to do more and learn more the next time I tried my hand being a PR person.

Until next time,

Steaf