An internship led to a newspaper career

A volunteer experience and an internship led Matt Ballinger to a successful copy editing position at a newspaper. Matt's comments on his career experiences are found below.

When did you start thinking about a career with a newspaper?
In my sophomore year of high school, an influential English teacher suggested that I work on the school newspaper, for which he was the adviser. Two years of working on the paper, one as its editor, and my senior year spent learning from another influential journalism instructor helped me discover that I enjoyed challenging authority and restrictions on freedom of the press and that I enjoyed being involved in the day to day operations of a newsroom. But I didn't really think of a career in news until I got involved in the student newspaper at Orange Coast College.

How did you find the internship?
My Orange Coast College journalism adviser had connections with the Daily Pilot in Costa Mesa. She helped me attain an interview and coached me on possible questions and answers. She was very involved in my internship's success, and she remains a friend and mentor.

What did you learn in your internship?
In my internship at the Pilot , I found myself learning things I couldn't have learned in a classroom ­— chiefly, office politics. Also, I experienced the workings of a professional newsroom.

How did your supervisor assist you?
My internship supervisor, whom I am still friends with, helped blunt some of the more pointed situations in the newsroom. As a copy editor, my colleagues and I have a naturally adversarial relationship with reporters. My supervisor taught me by example and by explanation how to minimize problems that can arise with the reporters. He also helped me hone my leadership skills.

How did the internship assist you? It advanced my career almost immediately. When my internship ended, I was offered a position as a full-time editorial assistant for a weekly publication. Soon after that, a copy editing job with the Daily Pilot became available. I worked that job full-time while I completed my bachelor's degree in journalism at Cal State Fullerton.

What advice would you give students?
I would advise any student to try various internships so you can experience different professions and different work environments within a profession. My work experiences taught me that I enjoyed working for a smaller newspaper, but also that I'd like to work for a large newspaper or magazine or Web site — or whatever comes along next — at some point. I'm currently a copy editor for the Daily Breeze newspaper in Torrance.