First Day at ACMA
Yesterday was my first day working with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and I have to say it’s a relief that my first day is over. Before I started my internship, I was very anxious because it was my first day. I seem to be more anxious than most people because of my anxiety disorder but it wasn’t bad as I thought it would be actually. I didn’t really get much sleep on Sunday night as I only slept for four and a half hours and waking up early in the morning didn’t really help me either.
Getting to the ACMA’s office (based in Pyrmont) was surprisingly easy. I had to catch the early morning train to Town Hall and get off there and follow Google Map which took me through Darling Harbour and then to their office. It only took about a 20-minute walk which I thought it would be far away but it wasn’t. So all that panicking trying to figure out how to get there was all for nothing!
Anyway, once I got to their office, there were a few people I had to meet and had to go through the paperwork with me like with the registration, getting my photo taken for security reasons etc. and I even got my own tag as well which is awesome! After all the paperwork was done, I was introduced to the people who I’ll be working within the next few weeks and they were welcoming and friendly. I was told that the person who was supposed to be looking after me was sick and they had to get one of the managers to take over the day.
I didn’t really do much the whole morning because it was mainly the introduction and they explained to me what the ACMA is all about, what they do etc. and it was a lot to take in! Their office was pretty big as it took the whole floor of the level. They also have a lot of employees working there but it’s not as big as SBS but much bigger than BBC in Beijing. The area I was working in was Media and they had an amazing view of Darling Harbour and the Harbour Bridge.
Lunch break went for an hour and a half which was quite a long break so I just walked around in Darling Harbour enjoying the sunny weather. After lunch break, they allocated me with one of their video editors and she showed me what videos they and their pre/post-production as well. It was interesting to see what they do. I had to help them to brainstorm some ideas for a video which was a bit difficult at first because I’m not the best at creative ideas and It took me a while to figure out what to do. I did finally manage to get a few ideas down tho with the help of my case worker (who was with me for the first day) before I finished work (thank goodness!) but it probably wasn’t my best work to be honest.
It has been a big learning curve for me on my first day because it’s different from the work I’m used to doing. I guess that’s good because I’m actually learning something but it has been tough! Thankfully, the people I worked with was understanding about my anxiety and how it was my first time working with them.
Overall, it’s a good start for my internship but I know I could have done better. Hopefully, next week will be better!
Thanks again for the support during this time! It means a lot! I’ll be back with another post tomorrow and this one is gonna be emotional as it’s my birthday tomorrow.
Kawika In Sight 
Hi Dave, I've wanted to comment on your posts for awhile now because I have a lot more in common with you than you might think- in terms of anxiety and depression. For me, it was work that change my life and made me a lot better. It gave me confidence and I feel so much better about myself. I have much less anxiety now from being forced to step out of my comfort zone so much with work and being able to do things I never imagined possible. I hope work experience will be positive for you and you'll learn lots of skills. Well done for this- I know how hard it can be so you should be really pleased with yourself. I have so much admiration of anyone who shares their story the way you have!
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