The Job Extremes

For those unaware of this fact, I'm a journalism student on the verge of graduation, and also on the verge of starting a real life (add to those insanity, too).

Apart from the allegedly named 'educational system', I've been trying to secure some real life education for myself through engaging in different kinds of internships and freelancing jobs pertaining to the nature of my education.

But what's been very humorous to me is the difference of job natures between my current and my previous job.

Prior to the job I most recently got, I was a photojournalism intern at the opposition newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm for three months, while I'm currently being brewed to handle the tasks of an online community manager (bottom line, I do marketing stuff on Facebook).

Photojournalism at Al-Masry Al-Youm...

Back at the paper, when I first entered the photojournalism department, everything was so quite. I was quite petrified, although everyone was really nice; but I have to point out that everyone were 17 men, me being the only female at the department for no less than a month and a half; afterwards we became a total of THREE females in the department!

The crazy photojournalists I was honored to work with

You can take a guess at how it was like for me; if you can't, well, I kept repeating to myself like a maniac "إيناس, إنتي واحد من الرجالة" just to be able to fit in, and not feel like an outcast. I did manage to fit in, and I did develop quite a rapport with my team mates, but alongside such rapport was my intimate reunion with my Tom-Boy side of myself.

When the divine power was pleased with us, and sent us work down our ways, it was either boring stuff like interviews and conferences, or maybe less boring like sit-ins, and tasks were sometimes taken up a notch to cover a walk, or a protest. I can never forget the adrenaline rush of the first time I had to take photos in the presence of military police, or the first time there were people beating up one another, and hearing breaking glass over my head, not knowing where it was coming from. *Sigh* That was the day I decided I wasn't yet quitting this internship.

Anyways, you get a relative picture of what it was like. Yet, there were those days when we had absolutely nothing to do, and those were the killer times. Whenever the big boss 'الريس' was around, or either of the deputy heads, we had to behave like Kinder Garten kids in a classroom; and we loved one of the deputy heads so much we'd keep cursing him on Facebook chat all day long! *Sigh Again* ... The good old days!

Community Manager-to-be at Kijamii...

I narrate what I narrate now after a total of 6 work days at Kijamii, not knowing what the future holds for me there. But here's what I can currently transfer to you....
Unlike the dim-lit department, full of of back-bending office chairs, there was the Kijamii office, with bean bags scattered everywhere, in addition to a cozy sofa for those who get bored of their desks. They honestly had me at the bean bags; and the coziness of the office turned out to be a mere reflection to the beauty of the characters who liven up the essence of work there.

This time though, I pity the guys who endure working in Kijamii's female dominated sphere. I can't begin to describe what it's like for me working there, so I won't. You'll deduce.

I can state though what makes me go to the office daily with a smile on my face. I love that my bosses are 24 years old, and we don't actually have to rise when they declare their presence. I love that one of the first suggestions I added to Kijamii was buying a trampoline, and it was met with warm acceptance. Although this scares me, but I love how my female mates think I'm "cute" (mark my word, I'm gonna make them quite it!!). I love how my bosses respect break time (mostly) and how they believe no one should take their work home. When I'm with the girls, it's beautiful how we can discuss stuff I can't publicly share. For a new addition to the team, engaging in such personal conversations really made me feel like I belong.

The only downside of working at Kijamii by far is that it's mentally exhausting, with little or not physical action; for a hyperactive person, that is REALLY BAD! I just need to be more persistent on morning sports, that's all.

Bottom Line....

When I got accepted for the photojournalism internship, I was very excited about the task itself. I may have grown to love the people afterwards, and I may sometimes miss them, but it was all about the task.

When I got accepted in Kijamii, it took me a couple of days to swallow the job nature, which is very new to me, and not quite the kind of job I'd imagine myself doing.

Chasing after trouble to capture it in a picture gave me wonderful adrenaline rushes that brought me back to life, but I always was eager to leave when the clock stroke 3-3:30.

Managing online communities hurts my head, makes me lazy, and definitely doesn't give me adrenaline rushes; on the other hand, the giggles we share, and the unspoken bond that's growing fast makes me smile inside and out. That smile urges me to be more and more giving to my team, whether it's on the social or professional scale.


Regardless of the pros and cons of either jobs, they'll always remain two unforgettable jobs I had. I'll always be grateful to the new experiences those teams taught, and carry on teaching me.