Paying those dues...

I've talked before about all the those incredibly fun intern responsibilities. Now, I love working the large events. I actually love the long days and even the hectic hustle and bustle. These are the days where I feel like I'm actually doing something fun and meaningful and get to put myself out there in the Denver community. The days in the office, on the other hand, can take a bit of the fun away at times.

Last week during my days in the office I was sent over to help out the sales team, and their special project for me was to out together binders for sales training. What seemed like a simple task turned into four hours of printing off hundreds of pages and six hours of assembling binders. When I told one of my supervisors the task I was given, he actually laughed.

But I've learned we all have to pay those dues. Whether it's assembling binders for hours or having to go downtown to dispute the parking tickets the DJs got at an event (yes, this happened to), it's part of the experience. Even tasks that seem boring or not exactly what you expected can be learning experiences.

Today, for example, I learned an important part of radio promotions when I was asked to write a concert proposal. I learned how radio, concert promoters, and artist management work together to promote a concert and was happy to have even a small part in that by simply writing a proposal. The proposal, outlining what the station will do to support an artist and their show, will be sent to the concert promoter and the artist's manager for final approval.

Moral of the story, never get discouraged with an internship when you are asked to do some of the more tedious jobs. Your supervisors and bosses understand. They've more than likely been there themselves.While I get discouraged at times thinking I'm not doing anything important or meaningful, I know the hard work I put into every task does not go unappreciated.