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When I first decided to pursue a career in journalism, the number one thing that made me doubt myself was my personality.

I’m an introvert (duh), and stepping out of my comfort zone was – and still sometimes can be –  one of my biggest fears.

I knew to be successful in this career, I’d have to get out of the headspace of being “scared,” but what I learned was that I wasn’t necessarily scared, but not confident in what I was doing.

There are many things you can do to gain confidence, but what worked best for me was simply doing what I was afraid to do. 

And the more I did it, the easier it became. 

I remember the first day of my internship at the newspaper.

My first assignment was to write a story about COVID-19 guidelines at our local YMCA, and I remember being ridiculously nervous. I was new to the community, and because of my previous remote internship, I had yet to break the barrier of interviewing face to face. To be honest, I cared more about what the person I was interviewing thought of me, rather than focusing on the job that I was there to do.

I had no confidence in what I was doing and I was scared that they would notice it, too.

But the more I began interviewing people and writing, the more I gained confidence in what I was doing.

Confidence doesn’t just happen overnight, and an essential step towards gaining it is to step out of your comfort zone.

In the journalism industry, everyday will be different and you won’t know what to expect. One day you might be writing about the local school’s homecoming queen, and the next day you may be calling law enforcement and attorneys to get information about a crime, so it’s important to be confident in the skills you’ve obtained throughout the work experiences you’ve had.

And honestly, some days you’ll have more confidence than others.

One of the most nerve wracking stories I wrote at the newspaper was about a local deputy that had shot and killed an unarmed man. It’s currently a sensitive topic, and I was terrified to step on any (important) toes.

The next month I was assigned to go up and ask residents about flood damage from Hurricane Sally, and quite frankly, I was even more nervous to talk to residents than lawyers.

Journalism isn’t the easiest path, but the harder you work at it – and the more you step out of your comfort zone – the more confident you will become.