Practicum Internship: Week Eleven
 
     Next to the last week! The internship has developed into a, dare I say it, job. Yes, the sheen has rubbed off. It's a run of the mill, do-the-same-thing-every-day, job. The silver lining is, that I have found that I have a feel and a flair, for working in front of the camera (in class, as well as at the internship). Not just in my opinion, but so I have been told. So, I have a couple of ideas for shows, that would put me in front of the camera. My future employer is amenable, and solicitous of such ideas, and my only dilemma is, whether to save them for my own television station.

     The head of the station where I intern, is 78 and hosts his own show, so why not me? The curriculum of the media classes that we have had, at KKC, have trained us to handle everything from the news, to reality shows. I never considered that I would be able to put all of that to use; but my vision has grown to include many unthought of possibilities. The opportunities and encouragement that I have received at my internship, have complemented my education in unforeseen ways. Now, I feel that the sky is the limit!

     Well... we're getting down to the wire; the end of the semester, the end of my internship, and the end of my time here, at Kennedy-KIng. Please, forgive me if I speak a little less about my internship, than I do about the end of my time here at Kennedy-King. My internship is intended to prepare me for a career, in my chosen field, complementing and supplementing the education that I received at Kennedy-King. I suppose that education has served its purpose, inasmuch as I have been offered a position at my place of internship. After close to thirty years in the workforce, I can honestly say, that I would rather not be employed, by any employer, that would have me as an employee (to paraphrase Groucho Marx)! That said, I will be accepting that generous offer, as I have developed the deplorable habit of enjoying the comfort of eating food, and living indoors.

     I am happy to report, on a brighter note,  I have been successful in gaining admission into my school of choice, to pursue the acquisition of my Bachelor's Degree, DePaul University. Kennedy-King has been a great stepping-stone, after thirty years out of the halls of academia, back into the lion's den of scholarly pursuit! I have had to reinvent myself in a hundred different ways, in order to fit into the college environment. The internship, on the other hand, was a snap, after all, I've been working for the last thirty years, and one job is pretty much like another.

     The beauty of the internship that I am serving now, is that it is in an area that allows me to improvise, whereas, the jobs that I have worked, permitted no such innovation; and, as I was always told: "If you are doing something that you love, it ain't work!" Actually, there is room for creativity within certain prescribed limits, in the industry, and if one would be innovative, he must have someone who can appreciate those qualities, in a position of authority, so that he can have his work approved; or he must be in control. My internship is a good fit, because the head of the company, seems to appreciate those qualities, and, as such, it will be a good place for me to hang my hat, until I can realize my dreams of entrepreneurship.

     Meanwhile, I'll be entering DePaul in September, to pursue my greater goal; that of fulfilling my over-reaching aims of attaining a doctorate degree. My internship, and, in a larger sense, KKC, have been pivotal in furthering my advance, toward that goal.

Practicum Internship: Week 9

     Hello, Professor. I am still enjoying my internship, overall; my only complaint would be that in any job situation, one must deal with sometimes difficult personalities. And God forbid, that those difficult personalities should be in positions of authority. My technical director is a real character, albeit, a brilliant man. From the beginning, I have had to exercise the greatest possible forbearance, to be able to utter that old saw: "I never met a man, I didn't like."

     This brilliant curmudgeon has taught me wonderful things, but has required for payment, my application of a patience I'd never possessed! A hidden bonus I suppose.

     I imagine that my internship has achieved that highest goal for which it was designed; inasmuch as I have been asked by the owner of the station at which I labor, to stay on after my apprenticeship. As I have said, elsewhere, I have endeared myself to those with whom I work, as well as the guests who fill the bill. I have said before that I am not necessarily a job candidate, however, I am strongly considering taking the boss up on this offer, as it is an evening  position, so that I can attend school in the daytime and work in the evening. 

     This would make me the poster boy for KKC's stated outcome of "An Education That Works." Of course, I still consider myself a professional student, whose ultimate goal is to earn a PHD, but like many students before me, I must still eat and drink, in short, I must still pay bills. I have acquired an education that enabled me to do, just that. there goes my summer vacation!
     P.S. I intended to include a video this week, but didn't work Monday or Tuesday, due to a loss of power, that they are waiting to have corrected. stay tuned for my next entry. Till then, keep the faith!

Practicum Internship: Week 8
     Eight weeks into the program, I feel the need to emphasize, the human side of the equation. I have touched on this in past posts, to the degree that I have mentioned my interest and admiration for some of the guests (and hosts), on the programs that air on Star Planet Television, as well as the employees and owner of the station.
     There was one, but are now two technical directors, both of whom are eager to share their vast knowledge with me; but, as is often the case, they are so used to doing what they do, that they have forgotten how steep the learning curve (hill?) was. They seemingly expect me to be able to remember complex procedures after one explication. As per our conversation in the classroom, I plan to begin to tape, or write down their instructions.
     Maybe it is because of my pleasant, easy-going nature, or for some other reason, the guests, hosts, my fellow employees, and the owner, seem willing to take me into their confidences. A number of the guests have extended themselves to me, outside of the studio, on a professional and personal level. Besides being a guest on the owners show, the hosts of a show with a metaphysical forum, have invited me to be a guest on their show, after observing my knowledge of, and passion for the field of philosophy.
     In short, I find that although I originally saw myself as a behind the scenes guy, that I have the temperament and personality to be in front of the camera as a host of my own show. What's more, the owner, who hosts the show: "Straight Talk," is 78 years young! So he has become a source of inspiration to me, demonstrating, clearly, that age need not be an impediment to success in front of the camera, in this youth dominated society.
     P.S. In the future, I intend to do my blog entries, in part, if not entirely in video.

Practicum Internship: Week 7
     Hello, Professor McArthur. In my post for this week, I am pleased to report that in addition to employing my behind-the-scenes skills at my internship, I was pleased to put my, in-front-of-the-camera skills, to good use last week. I was ambushed , and therefore, wholly unprepared to be interviewed; but, indeed, that did not deter the owner-operator of the television station, from putting me on the spot. To the contrary, he may have gotten some perverse pleasure out of putting me on the spot!
     But due to my extensive training at KKC, I was undaunted, and leapt headlong into the video fray, with a total lack of concern for possible injury to my fragile male ego. Actually, my biggest concern on this occasion, was the fact that, usually, I am dressed in a television-presentable manner; whereas, on this date, I was dismally under-dressed.
     Anywho, here is the interview for your perusal. Enjoy! It is the show dated 03/12/15.
StarPlanetTv.com

Practicum Internship: Week 6
     Hello Professor Mark (notice how I avoided misstating your name? Sorry about that!), I was so absorbed by the prospect of a last minute project I was finishing for my midterm with Ms. Ash, that I forgot to post this blog entry. As per our conversation in class, Wednesday, much of what I have to say is redundant. As with any job, or indeed, Life itself, most of our days are pretty much like the ones that preceded them, and we perform the same actions over and over again.
     That being said, I honestly can say that I am being given more and more responsibilities, each week. From the very beginning I have been working the cameras and lights, and connecting the microphones to our guests. But slowly they began to entrust the building of credits and lower thirds, to me. I feel good about this, because, my fear was that I would go someplace where I would be seen as merely a go-fer. That would have been intolerable to me, partly because of my age, and partly because of my intelligence.
     So, in a nutshell, that's why I chose to intern at a small business concern, and so far, I feel like Hannibal, of A-Team fame; i.e., "I love it when a plan comes together!"
     Another point of interest, is that the people that I'm working with, are happy to teach me things, that reinforce and supplement what I have learned at school. It is for this reason, that I feel confident about being able to assemble and run an Internet Television station, after, of course, learning a whole lot more! But I will get there. Good-bye, for now.

Master Fard Muhammad Documentary