New Heights: A Journalism Trainee’s Thoughts

I am pushing myself to new heights. Where I started from back in June is nowhere near where I am now. In June, no one knew of me. While I am no famous writer yet, more see my name and are fans of my work. I’ve gone from a no views aspiring writer to a published writer with thousands of views. And I am not done yet.

Learning Differences

I have been through three phases of the internship program at GameSkinny. I am proud to say I’m one of the few still here that have helped sculpt the program now run by Katy and the GameSkinny staff. Each session brought new challenges. It has been a long and challenging road, but I would not have had it any other way.

My first session was the second intern phase at GameSkinny. As a writer and editor for my team, I learned how GameSkinny and the world of gaming journalism worked. I found my writing started improving as the great editors helped with great advice along the way.

My second session was the third phase. In this one, I was promoted to rank of Team Leader. In a sense, I got to see what it is like to be an Editor-in-Chief of small team. I had my own team of fellow interns that I helped learn the ropes just as I had in my first session. I kept track of views and checked articles. I helped team members find their voice, and sometimes when in a block, their topics.

Then the program evolved into what is now the Journalism Trainee Program. Gone are the small team environments. We are all now interns on equal footing. We all have our strong suits and have travelled a long path over the past semester. I know I have learned even more as part of the training program. I have also met people that I hope will remain friends for life.

My Lessons

One of the greatest lessons I have taken from the training program is how to use SEO (search engine optimization) to get views. By implementing training learned from a series by GameSkinny’s Ashley Shankle, I was able to multiply my views by about 10 percent. That may not seem like much, but the difference was almost overnight it seems. I’m not done learning yet. I want to multiply my views by 100%.

I have found that the GameSkinny staff are some awesome people. Program head, Katy Hollingsworth, is an absolute joy to work under. As is Amy White, Editor in Chief, as I have come to learn here in later months. I have to admit that I was astounded to see the amount of women in charge at GameSkinny. Not feeling like I had to burst through a “man-only” space made things feel so much better. I could be me and work to the best of my ability.

Semesters Wind Down

As this semester of the training program winds down, I find myself looking forward to the future. I’m still hoping to get an awesome paid writing position somewhere, but in the meantime, I will continue to learn. I plan on being part of this awesome program until I feel like I have outplayed my welcome or I find myself drawn to bigger things. I look forward to the next semester of the JTP and all the new faces that will be joining us.

Have an interest in writing and love video games? Don’t hesitate to sign up. If you don’t think you can handle the rigors of daily assignment writings but want help, they offer a great writer’s workshop. If you are serious about writing, the programs at GameSkinny are a definite plus. Check them out!