Exploring Geographic

Hi, it's Mina, and I've just finished my second day of interning at National Geographic Magazine. My job is to create graphics such as graphs, vector illustrations, and diagrams to go along with stories published in the magazine. I will also have opportunities to create graphics for the web and the iPad.

At any other job I would still be in the middle of training and orientation, but not here! I've already been thrust into several projects, one that may come out as early as the October issue.

The October issue, you say? The first thing you must know about NGM is that 3 months is like 3 hours before a newspaper goes to print. NGM plans very early and has a very long working process. I am making art for another story that is not scheduled to come out until June 2011. The reason behind the long production time is the quality that NGM ensures. Every detail is tediously scrutinized. This process is very different from my internship last summer at University Directories. The student directory/planner publisher needed quick results in a short amount of time. It's a drastic change from making 60 ads a week to 4 graphics in 2 months.

Anybody who has taken Professor Hefner's management class in the J-School knows that attitude and passion are the most important traits of an employee. Passionate is exactly what the people working at NGM are. They absolutely love their jobs. Many of the employees have been working there for 25+ years and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Loving your job is one of the most important factors in a successful career. I hope you all love your jobs as much as I do!