A month ago I was a salaried investigative reporter working for Natural Resources News Service in Washington, DC. Now, I'm an unpaid intern for WAMU radio. In a way I've stepped backwards, but sometimes it's necessary in order to find your way forwards.

I don't know where the internship will lead me, but I'm glad I left my previous reporting job to find out or else I would still be there imagining what it would be like to work in broadcast news.

I've only been there for a week. While I feel as though I'm on another plant, so far the experience has been great. I'm learning the jargon, how to cut audio, write scripts and learn a whole new style of reporting. I even got the opportunity to report a story which aired on Sunday, February 17.

So for all the young reporters out there like myself, if you're interested in reporting for a particular type of news outlet different from the one you are in, save money and intern, even if it's just for a couple months. It's cheaper than going to grad school and you get hands on experience. If you hate it, than at least you can say you tested the waters; if you like it, than hopefully the experience will help you move forward toward achieving your goals.