We all have big dreams and ideas for what we want our futures to look like. Mine is to work in the world of entertainment. I don’t know exactly what I want to do, but I might decide to take the route towards casting or directing— or maybe even combine the two and become a casting director. I had applied to a lot of different places for work, and an internship in casting located in Boston seemed very promising. Unfortunately, the day before I left for Europe on a study abroad trip, I was told that I did not get the internship. It was really last minute when I decided to apply to work for a company in Jacksonville that brings all of the Broadway shows to town, and I got the position.
On the job, I learned a few things about myself.
1. Office life isn’t for me
I am a people person. I like being around people and talking to them. But an office desk is pretty constraining—it was a barrier that kept me from interacting with the outside world. I felt like I was trapped. I also had to share a cubicle, so it wasn’t an ideal situation. We had to awkwardly shift around, and I felt like I was never comfortable because I was always in people’s way. The desk was as big as a desktop computer, making it very limited in space. I also prefer face-to-face interactions, since it was weird having to scream from one cubicle to the next just to ask a question. There were several occasions when I just wanted to put on my headphones and tune everything out since I was going to have to keep to myself anyway.
2. I have a newfound appreciation for my hometown
Working in my own city felt a little strange. I grew up over by the beach, and my office was located in the booming business area of Downtown Jacksonville, which is a 40-minute commute from home. Thank goodness my internship was pretty laid back, and they didn’t need me for work until 11 am, so I was able to get lots of sleep. Driving to work was great because it was after the rush hour craze, and I felt like a big girl in a big city. But returning home was a bit of a nightmare, since I would get stuck on the steep and terrifying bridges.
3. I value family time
The good part about being home was that I had all this time to go out with my family. (The best part was, of course, my parents paying for my food.) Even better yet, they also paid for all of my drinks! Since I had been away at school, my mom completely renovated my bedroom. It was fun to be in the new room and take advantage of it before heading back to Gainesville. However, one down side about all this family time was that I never really had the chance to go out drinking with friends. Even worse, my friends were out of town for the summer because everyone was interning or working in different cities. So, I didn’t get to live the 21-year-old lifestyle too much. I was so excited to go to the beach bars while being back at home, but I didn’t have anyone who could go with me, and I don’t think my mom really wanted to stay out past 10:00 PM drinking with me either.
Being home for the summer taught me that maybe I wasn’t totally ready to go off and live in a new city on my own. I was able to explore my hometown a little more, which gave me an appreciation for the people who drive to the downtown area for work every day. I am now ready to add this internship to my resume and feel more prepared for a shot at the entertainment industry.
Although it was no dream job, I know I am slowly climbing my way up to the entertainment business having experienced this.