Over the past few days, I had the privilege of spending time at the Telegraph and Sunday Standard offices. I did this as part of my grade 11 life orientation portfolio project. This assignment is meant to assist pupils in deciding which careers they would like to pursue in the future.
Upon my arrival at the Telegraph, I was introduced to a team of enthusiastic and jubilant employees who were very welcoming and patient with me. I appreciated this type of attitude they exhibited towards me because it is not always easy to have someone step into your working environment and start bombarding you with questions about all the tasks you get up to.
I had the opportunity to watch and learn how the news room operates. I watched as stories surfaced and got redirected to other newspapers because they didn’t suit the nature of the paper. I sat beside the Lifestyle coordinator, Ruth Kedikilwe, who allowed me to read over stories that had not yet been published; I even got to have a go at editing one of the articles. We had some agreements and where we didn’t she gave me pointers on how to improve my use of language. It was a learning experience for me and I got nothing but positive vibes and encouragement while working.
I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere in the office as the employees of The Telegraph and Sunday Standard newspapers were humorous, relaxed(well most of the time)and still able to sustain a standard of professionalism by submitting what was required of them on time. I was no stranger at the office as I was treated like an employees; I met with the bosses, sat in one of the meetings, worked and met deadlines like everyone else. I felt overwhelmed with the workload at times, judging by the fact that I was the only one who wasn’t calm and collected at all times. I tried my best not to show it though.
Seeing as sometimes employees do not get enough practice or training before being placed into certain roles in a company, I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be exposed to the realities of the work environment. This helped me to decide on the career path I would like to pursue in the near future.
