Anastasia Dmytrovska, intern at the Journalism Projects Department

On choosing a career path

Last year I graduated from the Institute of Film and Television of the Kyiv University of Culture. I studied television journalism because I decided in the 10th grade that I would work on television.

My university knowledge helps me a lot during my internship. Knowing what "BZ", "GRF", "filling", "interruption", "decoding", "SNH" are, I save my time and resources. Therefore, specialised education definitely helps in work, but it is not a panacea, because you can learn everything during an internship. The desire is crucial here. Fortunately, I have no problems with this. As one of my friends says: "Dmitrovskaya, I don't know what I love as much as you love your journalism."

I am sure that the internship helped me to get a clear understanding of what I wanted. Now here's a bitter truth for those who think that "I want it all" is a valid story. On the contrary, it is often a story of uncertainty. At least that's how it worked for me. I applied everywhere and had absolutely no idea what I wanted. I said: "I want to go to television," but television is a hundred professions and directions. It's hard to do anything without a clear understanding of your desires. So I decided to take a break and stopped looking for a job on TV. I wanted to figure out exactly what I wanted. And I succeeded. I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but two weeks after I took a break, I was selected for an internship at 1+1 media. And I got there, which fully reflects what I wanted.

Impressions of the internship

I realised on the very first day that the "pluses" were my place. When the journalist of the project I was interning for told me about the tasks, I thought: "Holy shit, this is exactly what I wanted." When I first applied for the internship programme, I really wanted to work in the newsroom. Because for about six months before that, I had been writing news for a regional media website, which was also an internship that made me realise that I wanted to do television news. Now, just as I wanted, I work in the newsroom and make original sections for news bulletins.

Even though I am an intern, I feel that my work is important. There is no such thing as being ignored and giving up on my words and suggestions. Here I can feel free to ask questions and make mistakes. I know that I will be supported and, if necessary, the same thing will be explained several times. My editor is interested in my column being good. He adds to it, corrects it, advises on how to make it better. This is very valuable to me. And we have a powerful team. I don't know how they did it, but I hardly felt like I was new.

On what inspires her and advice for future interns

When I chose journalism, I realised that this craft is not about routine. Journalism is changing and requires adaptation to change. Here, you learn something new every day, and sometimes it's far from your own experience. Because that's your job - to understand. And when you understand, you have to tell people about it. And that's what drives me. A job where one day is like the next is definitely not for me, because I have a hard time with uniformity and consistency. And in journalism, I have a column today, a feature tomorrow, an interview the day after tomorrow, and so on. I don't want to romanticise this work, because, of course, it can be difficult here too. But no matter how difficult this job is, it will still remain the best in the world for me. 

For me, an internship at Plus is primarily an opportunity to realise my potential. I am glad that I have joined a team of people where my ideas are not only heard but also helped with their implementation. Today I am able to do much more than I was three months ago. And this is exactly what gives me confidence. I am aware that there is still a lot of work to be done, but at the same time, I am proud of myself. Because, despite all my fears, I took the plunge, applied for the Closer to TV programme, and got exactly where I wanted to go.

As for advice to future trainees, I will not say something like: "To get to the goal, you need only one thing: to go". Here I would say that to reach the goal, you need to understand where you are going and why. Once you have decided, act. Be proactive and decisive. Have patience and be prepared that you will not always succeed the first time. And one more thing: I forbid you to doubt yourself and your dream!