All career paths begin with an internship

Taylor Childress

Starting a career right out of college is getting more difficult these days. Figuring out where to start and who to start with are hard questions to ask yourself at 22 years old. When I graduated this past May with a Journalism degree, it scared me to the ends of the earth! But, this is where all my hard work and late-night studying comes to use.

It’s been an exciting time for me. I have had the chance to experience many different aspects of my career choice, and I knew exactly the direction I wanted to go. See, I have interned with four companies now since I was 19 years old – all in different cities with different audiences and different focus areas.

My first internship was with a small media agency in East Texas. It was a great experience, and I got to learn a lot in just a short few months. I did all types of media relations work with all types of clients (tractor companies, churches, political campaigns, etc.) But, the small-town agency wasn’t for me. The second internship was in my hometown of Houston, Texas. It was one of the biggest agencies I have ever seen and was in the heart of downtown. It was great exposure to the PR industry. However, since it was so much bigger than most firms, there was more than one intern, which was challenging at times. Since there were so many of us, there wasn’t as much work to go around. My second internship was in New York. It was fabulous and the work was great, but I learned fast that clientele could differ from city to city in a huge way.

Obsidian is where I currently intern, and it has been great so far! I can truly say out of all the internships I have held, this one has been the most rewarding as far as learning and experience goes (and I’ve only just begun!).

I have learned many things by just working as a level two intern. The meetings and the media outreach are tasks I have always done, but with Obsidian, it is something that I can say has really affected my career knowledge in a good way.

Public relations as a field exists on a huge spectrum with many different audience types and focus areas. That’s the beauty of it all. You can work for one agency that is strictly sports and apparel or you can work for an agency that does it all.

Looking back to what I thought I wanted out of a career to what I want now is crazy. My internship opportunities have guided me to figuring out what I want out of a career, and I am very happy with where it has landed me today!

Want internship advice from Taylor? Comment with your questions below!