Internship Stories: Erica Wheadon

One of the ways that Deakin students can gain industry insights and experience is through our Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programs. There are a range of internship opportunities advertised at any given time and students always come away with valuable knowledge and increased networks to draw upon throughout their study and after graduation.

Below, Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) student Erica Wheadon shares her insights from a recent internship with Central Queensland University. As Erica has shared here, undertaking an internship can be very fruitful!

In Trimester 3 (2019-2020), I was offered an internship with Central Queensland University as an editing assistant to Professor Donna Brien (Professor of Creative Industries, research academic, author and editor). This role consisted of proofreading and copy-editing scholarly book chapters and journal articles for a range of forthcoming publications.

Prior to my first week, I had been unsure of what to expect, or the level of work I would be editing. Due to the remote nature of our arrangement, I had been given full autonomy over the way I presented my edits; however, the sum of my previous experience had been completed in an academic context – structured, supervised and with little “real-world” consequence. As a result, I began to seriously question my abilities.

Fortunately, I persevered, and with every new brief (and associated feedback), I developed more confidence in my processes, setting an intention to learn more with each new task, as well as contribute more than was expected. As my own literary interests centre around creative nonfiction, I found that both the coursework and research that I had completed throughout my Masters had given me invaluable insight into how to approach a variety of literary material, regardless of topic. It’s not often we are afforded such valuable, hands-on experience in this field, so I considered it important to not waste the opportunity.

At the end of my internship, I was accepted as a thesis proof-reader and editor with Central Queensland University, enabling me to not only write and pursue further study but also assist others in getting the best out of their writing as well.

Thanks to Erica for so generously sharing her insights here.

For students who are keen to find out more about internship opportunities in the Faculty of Arts and Education, you can contact the Work Integrated Learning (WIL) team – contact details available here. They are always happy to help!

 

*Featured Image (Cover) by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash