You Don't Get

It strikes me as odd that people don’t like to ask questions. You wouldn’t go to a restaurant and not ask to order anything, so why are people scared to ask things? I’m not going hungry for anyone…

Obviously, there is a limit to what you can ask. Enquiring about someone’s sex life one your first meet does not usually get you a second date(sometimes it does though, just saying) but there are some things you can ask for, where ‘no’ means you don’t lose anything.

So, university had finished for summer and I was bored of watching benefit fraudsters scream at their girlfriends who turned out to be their sisters (NOTE: I’m talking about Jeremy Kyle, not my neighbours) and needed something to do. I went work experience shopping and managed to land a two week unpaid placement at a London based magazine. My family and friends convinced me that all I would do was make the tea and do some filing so, in my head, I was heading for boredom.

I didn’t really know much about how magazines work and was really nervous about my first day. I envisioned it would be like Andy’s arrival at Runway magazine in The Devil Wears Prada, with me being Anne Hathaway, minus the hideous skirt but no less frumpy.

Luckily, it was nothing like that though. There was another girl doing work experience at the same time and we were treated like proper freelance writers; pitching ideas, reporting news stories and writing articles for their website. We were invited to the editorial meeting with all the magazine heads and were even asked to pitch in! We had our own computers, an hour for lunch and plenty of banter with the staff. Who could ask for more? Needless to say, I had a fantastic two weeks.

I've been kind of spoilt though, as now I’m back to reality and my current employment is nowhere near as fun. I wouldn’t ever swap the experience I had; it taught me a lot about life, asking questions and to always have confidence in what you do. I know some people don’t reckon work experience placements because they are mostly short and unpaid but, for an incredibly valuable experience, it’s worth it. Think about it; although unpaid, I have experience at working for a magazine and that speaks volumes on a CV. To top it all, the magazine have asked me to do an article for one of their future issues and I’m incredibly excited about that. My name will be in print in their magazine!

This all happened because I ASKED ONE QUESTION; “would you be able to provide me with a work experience placement?” If they had said “no” I wouldn’t have lost anything and looked what I gained from them saying the opposite. I’m also writing for a local newspaper now too and that’s also because I was brash enough to email the editor directly and ask him for an opportunity.

So, questions are not as scary as they first seem. I ask questions all the time and I don’t mind looking stupid; how do we learn if we don’t ask questions? Sometimes you will get a negative response but just brush yourself off and move off. But when you get a positive answer, you could have a fantastic experience, all because you were brave enough to ask for one. It all comes down to that old saying anyway, if you don’t ask…