My first job Emily Chang

My First Job: A Turtle-Sized Break

My First Job: A Turtle-Sized Break

October 28, 2013

• Views3,499 Views
• Like19
• Comments10

inShare35

A turtle had washed up on the north shore of Oahu. It wasn't a story that would make history. In truth, no one would talk about it on the island for more than 5 minutes -- but, to me, it was the biggest story in the world. It was the first story I was assigned to write for a newscast on Channel 4.
It was the summer after my freshman year of college. I decided to return home to Hawaii for an unpaid internship at KITV, one of the local stations. A few months earlier, I realized I didn't want to be a doctor and dropped out of all my pre-med classes. Harvard didn't have a communications program, so if I wanted to become a reporter, I'd have to be entrepreneurial and find my own opportunities.
When I got to KITV, I had to be aggressive and ask each of the reporters and anchors if I could "shadow" them when they went out in the field. Otherwise, I’d have to sit in the newsroom transcribing tape all day. I made myself as useful as possible, picking up coffee, trying to find people to talk to when we got to the scene of a fire or a local political event. They didn't need my help; I just knew I wouldn't get invited along if I was dead weight.
In the ladies' room, one of the main anchors asked me what I wanted to be when I graduated from college. I said, "I want to be a reporter, of course. That's why I'm here." She said, "Never say you want to be a reporter or an anchor. You want to be a 'journalist.'" To this day, I always refer to myself as a "journalist" when people ask what I do. I consider myself, and other journalists, "storytellers." There is no simpler way to put it.
I made it my summer goal to put together a resume tape, a reel of stories that I wrote and voiced over myself -- something that every aspiring on-air reporter needs to give prospective employers an idea of what you look and sound like on camera. I spent hours in the edit booth splicing shots together and re-voicing bits and pieces. I never thought it was perfect, and I cringed when I watched it years later, but I left KITV with evidence; a tape, and a few turtle-sized stories.
Of course, it wasn't that one internship that landed me where I am today. It took more internships, freelance positions, full-time positions, late nights, early mornings, missed vacations, cancelled plans and persistence. Today, I'm anchoring Bloomberg West live for two hours every day, covering technology, innovation and the future of business. And while, on any given day, I may be interviewing Jack Dorsey or Reid Hoffman, I'll never forget that turtle.

Featured on:
• My First Job