If You Wanna Be My Colleague

Jamie Gillingham  //  September 21, 2012

“I always call my interns colleagues,” she said.

You can’t just call someone an intern.

Whether or not you got my Mean Girls reference, the sentiment remains. But, you absolutely can call someone an intern. Been there, paid for the co-op, got the callused media kit-packing fingers to prove it.

Pre-living it, I would have said there’s a certain romantic mystery to being an intern at one of the finest public relations agencies in Toronto. I had visions of coercing the top editors to include my client in the pages of Elle and Fashion magazine, attending swanky networking events with top PR professionals and, most importantly, putting my stamp on an industry I was nothing short of destined for.

Post-living it, I would say there’s less mystery and more expensive button-downs purchased (when I couldn’t afford them) to impress people I’d thought only existed in PR fables.

It’s safe to say there’s a gap between the experience I was expecting and the experience I, well, experienced. But, it’s also safe to say that for every person who pronounced me their intern, simultaneously condemning me to a life of coffee- fetching and paper stapling, there was one who didn’t. There was one who, instead of directing, taught, instead of ordering, guided and,  instead of being their intern, I was their colleague.

In due time, I learned these were the people I needed to impress.

They are the people who, when the heavy lifting is done, the coffee fetched, ask you to write a pitch, invite you to client meetings, trust you to secure coverage for an account they poured their heart, soul and, above all, time into. If I were in a place to toss around advice, I’d advise you to do what you’re asked by those who order – but do more for those who provide you opportunity, criticism, and respect.

It’s astounding how a single word can morph a dynamic you’ve grown accustomed to, and perhaps bored with, into one that excites you. Being someone’s colleague isn’t simply about working in the same agency, it’s about inching closer to a level playing field. It is a word that most certainly does not travel alone. What I mean is, it brings with it mutuality, trust, and appreciation. When I first made it across the professional barrier from intern to colleague, I was surprised at the drive a simple word could create. I was once again ready to take the PR world by storm.

Before you start believing I hated any portion of my co-op, let me reassure you that I didn’t. What I do hate now, however, is the self-entitlement I had going in. What I hate is that I thought respect for my skills was a right, not that it had to be earned. What I hate, what I really hate, is that because of this I wasn’t ready to work as hard as I needed to. It’s a less than ideal notion to learn, but we all need to start somewhere – and it’s usually from the media-kit up.

 

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Smack dab in the middle of a public relations degree, Jamie currently calls Halifax home. With a love of writing, fashion and all things plaid, he spends his time exercising his narcissism (www.manupstyle.com) and tweeting about things like sweating, leather and Shawn Desman.