A learning experience

The first day of my internship, I jumped right in, as if I had been at the San Angelo Standard-Times for years. Afraid -- yes, I was. But I was reminded by colleagues and supervisors that it was an internship, and I was there to learn. So I took it one day at a time. Now I feel I've learned so much.

Though, I'll admit, when I made mistakes I was hard on myself, feeling as though I had learned nothing at all my entire time there. (That was a bit dramatic on my part.) I've learned that you cannot let things bring you down. This self-pep talk allowed me to move past the mistake, learn from it and take a better approach the next time.

I'll also admit that recognition, especially from co-workers and supervisors, is one of the best feelings in the world. A kudo you get for a great headline on an A1 centerpiece outdoes any of the mistakes you made ten-fold. It’s also a sign that you've learned. You take that praise, and you strive to produce more work like it.

Whether through criticism or compliments, I want always to continue learning and growing in whatever I do, but particularly in my passion, my career. As long as I keep in mind that everything is a learning experience, then growing is all I can do. And that's not bad at all.

-- Ana A. Ramirez, St. Mary’s University, San Angelo (Texas) Standard-Times