This past semester, I had the opportunity to intern for Bayou Life (a well-known magazine in Monroe, LA). And let me just state the obvious here – internships on television are far from true. Thank goodness. This was no Devil Wears Prada type of experience.
When I first heard of this internship, I was at a spot in my work career that I did not want to be. A new opportunity sounded enlightening, yet a bit fearful. However, I got an interview and soon the position. I truly could not of been more excited to learn new aspects of marketing and advertising (my nerd is coming out again, I know).
On my first day, I had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, everyone welcomed me with open arms, and by the end of it, I felt as if I made five new friendships. They let me sit in on meetings, take photos for the magazine, update their website and social media, and they even let me model for their June issue. Nothing about this experience was regretful (except maybe that glass vase I broke LOL).
When I think of magazines, generally I think of advertisements and then some. I mean ads are essentially the sole purpose of magazines right? For Bayou Life, though, it was so much more. This company is comprised of the hardest working women, and everything is owned and operated locally. This gives Bayou Life a chance to really spotlight Northeast Louisiana’s best local businesses. They have hundreds of people that run ads with them, but each month a different business, person, restaurant, etc is chosen by Bayou Life for a feature in the issue. To top it off, every month has a different theme. June was their wedding issue, and I modeled dresses from Eleven26 boutique and held beautiful bouquets from local florists.
What truly drew me in while working for Bayou Life was the uniqueness of the magazine. The staff does a wonderful job at making the magazine genuine and captivating to viewers. Thank you to the staff at Bayou Life for treating me so kindly and always making me feel welcome. Cassie Livingston, the owner, has created an amazing magazine, and I truly hope it thrives forever. ❤
I thought I would end this post with three helpful tips to anyone interested in applying for an internship or starting out at a new job.
- Always keep an open mind. Keeping an open mind is so important in the workplace because it shows your employer that you are willing to take risks and try new projects.
- Complete your assignments to the best of your ability. I was given many tasks at Bayou Life. I never wanted to seem like I wasn’t a hard worker so I made a point to finish on time and always complete everything the very best I could.
- Be friendly and make connections. Leaving Bayou Life after working for five months, I realized I have made connections with each employee all in different ways. This is so important when it comes to future job opportunities, resumes, and references.
That’s it for now.
-R
Rachel Dolecheck 