It’s been five months since I started interning at Jera—I can’t believe it. Thinking back to the first day I stepped foot into Jera’s office, I had no idea what my experience would be like. However, nervous fretting quickly turned into eager excitement. I was quickly immersed into Jera’s daily life, and since then, time has flown by. I have learned more than I could ever imagine about the self-publishing process. I have not only improved my writing skills, but I have also become much more interested in the publishing—especially the editorial—industry. Before I began interning at Jera, I had a vague idea of what career I wanted. And by vague, I mean all I knew was that I wanted to go into writing. That was it. Now, I know I want to be a member of a publishing team, one just like Jera. One where the team members work together to foster their own skills and to help authors fulfill their dreams.
My experience in finding Jera is quite a unique one. Having no idea where to intern my second semester of my senior year, I took to the Internet to see what my choices were. I wanted my last internship of high school to be meaningful. Yes, interning at a middle school would have been adventurous, but I was looking for something that would help me decide where I wanted to go as a future career. Though I have always known that I want to become an English major, English is a very broad subject and can result in numerous careers. I wanted to know what I should go into. Having no idea what to do, I began searching for places I could reasonably intern at that weren’t any middle schools or magazines. A simple search for “book publishing in Georgia” quickly gave me my desired result. Jera was the first link to pop up. I looked through the website, which gained my interest, and soon earned approval from my school program supervisor and from Jera. Who would have thought a simple search would lead to such an amazing experience?
Though I have only interned twice in my lifetime, I knew from the very moment I started my internship that Jera is special. I know no other internship will quite compete with the one I was fortunate to experience these past five months. Most internships involve some menial work and many afternoons where you start drifting off staring at a computer screen, but at Jera, I never once felt this way. I was always engaged, never feeling like I was given grunt work. I can say whole-heartedly that Jera did all they could to give me the best experience I could get. I never felt like I was in anyone’s way or was only taught by a select few. Every member has taught me about what their job entails and has shown great interest in teaching me all they can. I can tell, even from my limited interning experience, that this is not the norm. Most places don’t go out of their way to help an intern—especially a high school intern. But then again, Jera isn’t the norm.
The Jera team is truly a family. They work together efficiently but have a great time as well. Only at Jera have I witnessed a group of staff members talk about a client one moment, then start talking about the Avengers the next, and still get all their work done. Only at Jera would they all get together on a Friday afternoon to go see a movie together. No, it’s not simply for “team building.” They all want to go because they all get along so well. Every afternoon I spent at Jera was filled with laughter and humor, not just silence and clicking of keyboards. They enjoy life together while working, which can only be the best of both worlds. They are beyond brilliant at what they do, and it is reflected in their work. Not a single member of the team works at Jera because all they want is money; they all work at Jera because they have a passion for the industry and a desire to help self-publishing authors.
I can’t believe my time here at Jera has abruptly come to an end. I will miss interning at Jera greatly. Jera has given me numerous opportunities which I will never be able to repay them for. As Jera’s first high school intern, I can say that I have adored my time here and would highly recommend any future high school interns to choose Jera as their placement site. Sadly, there are not many English interning options in the Milton area. Besides a few newspaper and magazine sites, most options delve into marketing rather than writing. There is also the option of interning at a middle school with an English teacher, but that gives more of an insight on teaching rather than English. Though there is nothing wrong with any of these options—I interned at a newspaper myself and had a wonderful experience—Jera Publishing is a place that truly allows you to see what a career in the English field is like.
For aspiring writers/publicists/editors out there, Jera is a wonderful place to intern. I hope many more interns continue coming to Jera and the interning program continues to grow. Because of Jera, I feel much more prepared for my future career. And, more importantly, I have met people that have made a great impact on my life. If you know a high school student interested in interning in the English field, have them check out Jera Publishing. They won’t regret it.