Dear Coach,

My internship experience isn’t what I expected it to be. I’m working in an isolated closet-like office down the hall from everyone and I share it with a part-time reporter. It’s my third week and I haven’t produced anything original. My paper might be coming up for sale. Things are stressful for everyone. It’s tough to concentrate. Going to work feels like “work,” and I’ve always heard work is something you should enjoy, not dread. The only incentive right now feels like the resume line and paycheck. – Sinking

Dear Sinking,

Your sign-off says it all. You are allowing yourself to sink. When you sink, you lose perspective. When you lose perspective, everything else follows.

First: Stop.

Next: Know that the stress you describe is not specific to your paper. Newsrooms in general – impending sale or no – are in a state of transition. Transition breeds stress.

Right now, you are caught up in that unrest. Step out of it. Do not make any major decisions about your future or whether journalism is for you while you are in it.

Next: Remember, your internship lasts for only ten to 12 weeks. It is not a forever job. There will be moments, however small, where you will say, “Oooh – this is what it’s about!” Grab those moments.

Most of all, shift focus. Instead of thinking about what the workplace should do for you, think about what you can do for it – no matter how small that act might be. Try to create something original (again, small), rather than worrying or complaining that what you’re doing isn’t what you wanted. Be active, not a receptacle waiting to be filled.

Finally: During these short weeks, show up each day – mentally, physically and emotionally. Each day, contribute and collaborate in some way. The impression you leave on colleagues around you will help build your future, wherever that may be. But without that shift in focus, the line on the resume won’t mean much.

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