Once upon a time, there was a banana.

I’m having one of those “back-in-my-day” senior’s moments. In fact, I’ve used that exact phrase (must be said in slightly huffy and indignant voice) more times than I care to admit this week.

It all started early last Sunday morning when I was sitting peacefully on my couch, sipping tea and reading the papers. I was flicked fairly mindlessly, my brain pre-occupied by the pressing question “How early is too early for yum cha?” and the related dilemma “Can I feasibly eat prawn gow gees before 10am?”  Just when I’d decided, “Yes! Yes I can!”, my focus was suddenly drawn back to the newspaper by the unwelcome sight of my own face staring back at me. And it wasn’t attached to this column.

Oh dear. Hate looking at pictures of myself in any context, let alone the news section of the paper. Never a good thing. Instant dread. Glanced quickly at the other photos on the page, scanned the headline and ascertained it was something about magazine editors – of which I’m no longer one but whatever.
The gist of the story was that the magazine industry was apparently in a “tizz” about some anonymous rumours on a website.

One of these rumours – are you sitting down? – was that “Mia Freedman once sent a work experience person out to buy her son a banana.” A banana. A BANANA.

Here’s a brief snapshot of what went through my head after reading that sentence.

1.    Did I do that? Possibly. But more likely banana was for self. Son not partial to bananas.
2.    Even if true about son, banana is fruit. Good Mother Points in that.
3.    At least no mention of the time I sent Art Director to buy my son McDonalds. That definitely happened. Look, she was going there anyway.
4.    Why is shocking banana allegation not on page 1 where it belongs? 2020 Summit? Pah!

As my friends and family woke up and opened their own newspapers, my phone began to beep. “At least it wasn’t a Mars Bar!” texted my mum. “Selfish cow,” texted an editor friend. “Why didn’t you let work experience girl choose the cover and then take her out to dinner?”

During yum cha, and for the next few days, I thought a lot about work experience students and how their expectations have changed. In short: A Lot.
I started my own career doing work experience when I was 19 and my first boss was the wonderful Lisa Wilkinson.
Back then (in my day etc), I was grateful for the chance to get her coffee or her mail. I would have gladly washed Lisa’s car – or her feet – had I been asked. Heck, I would have blow-dried her dog (I do know an editor who was asked to do this when she herself did work experience at a magazine). During this time, I believe I was also regularly sent to fetch assorted muffins and sandwiches for staff. And one time? A peach. I know. But it’s true.

Occasionally, when the receptionist was at lunch, I was given the basic task of sitting at her desk and answering the phone. For me, this was Christmas. I was stoked just to be there, breathing the air. I was ambitious and knew from day one that I wanted to be an editor but even with the arrogance of youth, I understood it would take a little time before I got to do the really fun stuff.

So I’ve always had a soft spot for work experience students. As an editor, I insisted we have a structured program to give them a well-rounded understanding of how a magazine worked. Inevitably, this included some boring tasks because – GUESS WHAT KIDS – there are many, many boring tasks to be done in every workplace. At every level.

Over the years, I began to notice a change in attitude from some (not all) of the work experience students. Gratitude was being replaced with a sense of entitlement and absurd expectations.

I’m guessing that Banana Girl was one of those; a sixteen year old who rocked up for her week expecting to interview Jessica Alba and attend fashion shows. That’s the kind of experience she was after, thanks. And she wasn’t the only one.

More and more, I noticed work experience students arking up and it was driving my already over-worked staff nuts. It got to the point where, before they came, we had to inform them in writing that “you will be required to do administrative tasks and whatever else is required to help around the office including trips to the mail room, coffee runs, filing etc”.

Some decided this wasn’t, like, acceptable and never showed up. Others showed up and then sulked. Or disappeared mid-week.
To ensure my radar wasn’t unreasonably set to Fuddy Duddy due to my Gen X status, this week I asked some of my Gen Y mag colleagues about their experiences with work experience.
They came back with some corkers.
Like the girl who emailed an editor direct with a story idea and signed off with “Get back to me ASAP”.
Or the one who refused to help the fashion assistant take clothes down to the courier dock, announcing, “I have a degree, I’m not a Sherpa.”
Or the one who said to the deputy editor “I’d really like to interview a celebrity while I’m here. Can you arrange it?”
Of course, many work experience students are wonderful young women (and occasionally, young men, bless their brave souls). A 26 year old features editor puts it like this: “It would be 50/50 split: the little creatures who slump and sigh at being asked to get the mail, and those who have already gone down and got it before you can ask. Guess who gets the internships...”
Back in my day there were no internships. They should be grateful….

Comments

[Cerry]

Pfft, a banana. At least a banana is small, light and easy to carry. When I did MY work experience at the uni radio station in year 10, we did a broadcast from the uni bistro. Guess which lucky work experience student got to lug 2 speakers that were about half her height up the stairs so we could use them for said broadcast? Sure, if I'd been able to punch a hole in the ceiling and crawl through it, I would have been about 2 meters from the required destination for said speakers, but that's besides the point. The point is, if banana girl's worst job was getting the banana, she shouldn't be complaining too loudly.

[patricia]

I'm just over Gen Y and work as a Sales Manager bringing in amazing blue chip clientds for the business. Your article re starting at the bottom fascinateds me. I work with a lady in her 30s (Gen ?) who came through the bottom to higher management WITHOUT ANY QUALIFICATIONS,SKILLS & NO TRAINING. However, my salespeople and me are really making the profits and we don't count as I'm GEN Y-Z, AND SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW THE QUICKER YOU GO UP, I await the day!!!

[fattpanda]

Hooley Dooley! I grew up in a very remote part of australia and would have given my right arm and possibly a kidney to do work experience at a magazine! What will it take to bring some of these Gen Y's down off their pedestals? More to the point, Who gave them the impression they were allowed to get up there in the first place?

[Micaela Pritchard]

I am a teacher in a high school and it does not surprise me in the least that someone "reported" you for asking them to buy a banana at the shop. Many young people would be thrilled at the prospect of being able to work with you but unfortunately there are some young people with a highly developed sense of entitlement. Thank you for having work experience available at your workplace. I hope this recent unpleasant incident has not put you right off the whole idea.

[Jelica]

Mia I know one of the ungrateful girls that did work experience at Cosmo when you were an editor. Her story was; so there I was standing in Mia's office on my last day, with this other work experience girl who was thanking Mia…and I just thought to my self, what for???
I couldn’t believe she was bitching about you, I’d be happy just to meet you!

[Danielle Melnyczenko]

:O... I'm dumbfounded. I got accepted for a weeks work experience at DOLLY when I was 16 but I lived in Darwin and Dad refused to send me down hahaha. He told me to apply but didn't think I'd get it.
I would have done anything for those people... then at the end of the week asked them to adopt me so I could fetch them banana's for the rest of thier lives.
I'm still enthralled with the publishing industry... a magazine junkie, hardcore. I'm 22 and now live in Western Sydney... am I too old for work experience? I could show those ungrateful fruit-hating snobs whats what.
Loving your blog babe :D
Dani oxox

[gigdiary]

Back in the 80s, (yup, one of those ‘back in my day’ diatribes), I ran a music publishing business, out of a suburban office. At certain times each year I’d get calls from students asking for WE. I guess they saw my Yellow Pages ad, ‘Music blah, blah,’ and thought ‘well, it’s local and it’s music’. I always tried to deflect them towards the city music publishers (EMI, Warners etc) as I knew that while mundane tasks are supposed to be part of work experience, a modicum of glamour/excitement is certainly inspirational for a WE candidate.

At the same time, I employed a few girls through a government scheme that subsidised their wages. These previously unemployed girls were highly motivated employees who undertook all tasks smilingly, turning post office and lunch runs into social networking opportunities.

As I say, back in my day.... (yawn)

[Richard]

Back in my day..... I had a hard time in my work experience.

As a 17 y/o, I worked for a high profile new car franchisee.

Sometimes when he was too busy bullying us all and unable to keep his regular massage appointment, I was sent along in his place so that he wouldn't lose his regular slot [spelling?:)]. I never quite understood why, but for tax or other reasons he wanted to maintain the pattern of expenditure. I was sworn to secrecy, given the cash and ordered to bring back the receipt.

Much to my surprise and teenage delight, his massage was at a "rub and tug" joint disguised as an upmarket health spa.

I used every trick in the book to load him up with work, fake clients, anything, to ensure he was too busy to make his next appointment. I've never worked so hard in all my life :)

Sadly, it was too good to last. Maybe his wife became suspicious - she used to chat a lot with our office staff.

After half a dozen work "experiences", my educational semenars... sorry, seminars, finished as quickly as I did!

But oh, the memories! Hard times, indeed...

[Meg]

part of my job is to supervise work experience students and out of the dozen or so i have supervised there was only one who was nice and polite, listened to instructions (the first time) and made notes, she did great work and didn't argue when being asked to make corrections. she was so great i recommended her for a job, which she was given.
the others had terrible attitudes and such a sense of entitlement it drove me crazy. one guy was so bad i was ready to take my annual leave to avoid him until his time was up. most lied on their cv's about their expertise in software, this is SO stupid because it takes me about one day to figure that out. one guy argued everytime i asked him to change something - it's not a suggestion! many didn't even bother listening to me and then got upset when i made them redo their work. after the first few i got tough and made sure from day one they understood how things would work, i wouldn't put up with crap and if i was forced to go to my boss about any difficult behaviour then they could forget about being considered for a job, he needs people who are easy to work with and team-players.
what i never understood was that they all said how they really wanted to work there but didn't seem to realise that if they couldn't follow my instuctions, do the work well and make a decent impression then i would have no choice but to tell my boss this if he was considering them for a job.
i did some work experience for a magazine when i was a student and i was so thrilled i didn't care what i had to do, and some of it was mind-numbing. i was so thankfull for the opportunity.

[AK]

Hi Mia... I did work experience at Cosmo Bride as I was finishing my media degree. I had tried so many times to get in, and all of your magazines were already so busy with other work experience students. I ended up emailing you directly and trying to write something witty and interesting to catch your attention... and it worked!! Although I did not end up working in magazines, it was a great experience and I enjoyed every moment (even dropping off mail and buying coffees for staff!). If you don't start at the bottom, how can you enjoy the climb to the top?! Always appreciated that you gave me a chance, thank you so much. x

[LR]

Im an a gen Y but i do agree that most of them expect it all and now. i actually work with one of them she just started with our company and is already complaining she wanted to get into one of our departments and now and from expreience i know this will be hard. i have been with this company for 3 years and started at the very bottom and while i am not 'high' up i am proud of my two promotions through the company due to very hard work and while i am miles away from my goal i am happy to do the boring tasks to get there. I dont expect to be given my dream job straight away i know i have to work very long and hard to get there and i am happy to do it cause when i do get there. I will have at least desereved it. I just want to point out that not all Gen Y people are selfish and self imporant (yes there is a lot of them but there are some that arnt)

And Mia if you asked me to get you a banana i would have happily done it just to have work experience there.

Dont worry, if you didnt do it then you have nothing to worry about :)

[georgie]

Well, I'm generation Z, and too young to do work experience atm but I would do anything to do work experience at a magazine in a few years time. Who in their right mind would be rude and ungrateful at such a fantastic opportunity. If and when I do work experience, I will do everything they ask, no matter how boring/stupid/monotonous the task may seem. Everyone has to start somewhere...

gg xx

[missinterested]

Mia, I work in advertising and I've seen the same shit happen here. A lot. Like mags, it's one of those industries where most people do their time working on boring accounts and doing the unsexy jobs prior to expecting a Harbour view and a shot at the exciting, big budget campaigns. Unless you're a card-carrying member of Gen Y, of course. Like you, I'm regularly dumbfounded by the arrogance of these little punks. One graduate who got a junior job at our agency just had 'art director' printed on her cards. And when a senior art director (with 15 years experience) asked her to change something on a layout, she snapped at him in front of other people and said 'I'm an art director the same as you; how dare you critique my work'?!

WTF?!

The worst thing is they're all getting away with it. I work in an office chock full of ksubi kids, and they all show up after the weekend hung-over and pretty much unable to do any work, and no-one says anything. Companies are bending over backwards to attract these people, and doing everything they can to keep them. A friend of mine works for a place where if you work for four years, you now get the fifth year off - paid! Yep!! No wonder the Gen Xers are all stressed and dissatisfied. We've got these little dweebs cruising up behind us, demanding all the perks that we never dared ask for - and they're getting them. I could go on about this for days; whining about Gen Y has become my favourite pastime. But it's so boring. It kills me.

[lu]

I'm a mum to pre-teen kids. I think its my job to make sure they dont end up like these Gen Y'ers who no doubt had mum and dad give them EVERYTHING on a platter. Now they expect it from the world. They need instant gratification, they cant wait for it to happen.

I remember when I was in highschool (back in my day!) lay-buying clothes that my mum wouldnt buy for me, with my babysitting money. I doubt any Gen Y kid would have ever needed to do that because they probably all had credit cards.

[MiBe]

Hi Mia,
when I saw the post on the actual site I couldn't stop laughing.
I worked my way up in magazines and I too started as a workie, actually with thanks to you Mia - I like another person who has commented here emailed you directly when all my other attempts failed. You were so lovely you personally arranged for me to do work experience at Dolly which turned into a long term internship.
I have since worked my way up to a senior magazine position and even now in my current role no task is beneath me.
I have to agree with most other people here that most of the workies I have ever had especially during my time as a coordinator were more trouble than they were worth.
If they did bother to show up it was never on time, they would usually take three hour lunch breaks, complain about the tasks they had been given and I even had parents and teachers call me to instruct me that their child/student would like to do something more interesting like go on a fashion shoot or do a celebrity interview. My usual response would be "I would also like to go on a fashion shoot and interview a celebrity and I have been here two years, so they can just get in line." In saying that the good workies I had were usually brilliant and many have since gone on to have careers in the industry. Thanks again Mia for giving me and many others their start in media.

[Em]

I did work experience at Cosmo four times over the course of my degree - travelling from Melbourne each time, out of my own pocket, to do so. I loved every minute of it and was ridiculously grateful for any whiff of a menial task. Mia, you were lovely to me when I was there, and the same can be said for every other staffer - thank you. Please believe me when I say that not every Gen Y-er has that sense of entitlement!

[Danielle]

My name is Danielle,
I’m not only a mother at home but I’m a mother at work.
I’m a personal assistant with a flock of 27 sheep.
Each day I pick up the slack, I tend to their daily needs and wants and I’m always the one they can come to in their hour of need. These tasks can be anything from emergency coffee runs to proposals worth millions. No task is too small, no task is too big.

I can’t imagine anybody going into work experience with an attitude like that, why bother, no body is prepared to work for what they want these days they just expect it to be handed to them on a gold platter and when it doesn’t happen they turn around and whinge about it..stop whinging and just do the job and work towards what you want.

Mia..if you need a banana let me know and I will do my best to get you the freshest one in Queensland.

[Dusk]

Look...even Mother Teresa had her detractors. You can see it can't you? A Gen Y-er complaining that "That woman made me fetch a glass of water for her after a day of visiting poor villages. How dare she?? I came here to help people."!!

Unfortunately, being the mother of a few Gen Y-ers, I'm all too familiar with this 'I Want It Now I Want It All but I Don't Want To Work For It' attitude.
The Instant Coffer generation!
I'm generalising of course because they're not all like that but...I do the 'back in my day' crap too and I had promised myself I would never do that. grrr.
The prevailing attitude seems to be Ambition without drive and Rewards without Onus.

My Apprentice Chef son complains that occasionally he has to do 'menial' jobs. Trying to explain to him that Gandhi weaved his own material was a moot point.
...although I too don't understand why the Rites of Cooking Passage have to include being yelled at by the Head Chef if the souffle he (the HC)made deflates...

I once made the mistake of asking a work experience person to please photocopy something for me. Apparently this wasn't part of her job description (because obviously Admin Tasks don't mean photocopying, filing, etc and do mean going live on air and making executive programming decisions, 2 hour expense account lunch breaks, etc).
I had to tell her that it wasn't part of my job description to cater to self absorbed silver platter brats...the response being a literal stamp of the foot and "wait 'til my father hears about this."
Did I mention this girl was the daughter of one of our board members?

I did read your Big Banana demand in the papers and then visited that site... it's funny and let's face it, it could be true (that site's contents).
Every industry has their share of dictators (and chicktators :)...but my first thought was no thought.
Big deal if you did. You're the boss. A banana? Sheesh. Obviously this girl hasn't read The Devil Wears Prada!

Besides...after having had a personal virtual encounter with you, I'm left thinking that perhaps you're a bit too nice!
Willing to accommodate everyone who contacts you. So anytime you need a banana Mia...ask us. I'm sure we'd all be happy to send some to you.

[Emily McCormick]

Hey Mia

I absolutely agree with you that everyone needs to start at the bottom.

When i did work experience at Cosmo i was more than happy to collect mail and buy snacks for staff.

However i was dissapointed that you barely acknowleged my presence during my week in the office. A simple "how you doing?" or even "hello" would have been really appreciated.

You say that you have a "soft spot" for work experience students, but actions speak louder than words.

All the best.

Emily

[B]

I'm Gen Y and have to admit that I have the 'I Want It Now' mentality in some aspects of my life (food and music, mainly), however not in my work life. I work in the medical field so it's not like the work experience kid can demand to sit in on surgery... or so I thought. Just last year we had this girl who was 3rd year pre-med doing the practical component of her course in our hospital (maternity ward). I did this too, and was thrilled to be carrying paperwork/equipment/rubbish from one place to another, as long as I could be around doctors. This girl, however, actually asked me if she could sit in on a birth. A BIRTH. I'm sure as a mother you would love to have had an undergrad student sit in on one of your most intimate moments ever.

[Kym]

Hi Mia,
I did an Agricultural Science degree, and worked everywhere from a cotton farm to a dairy and in a Stock & Station Agent's for my various stints of work experience. Loved all of it... well, except maybe the dairy. It was 5 am starts and involved standing directly below cows' back ends, which means you can occasionally get showered with wee or sloppy manure. Did I complain? Nope. I got to spend 2 weeks at the Gold Coast and go clubbing on weekends! Get a banana? No worries mate!

[Kym]

Regarding the last post...yes I am a girl!

[Emma]

I'm 23 - what gen does that put me in?!

Anyway, I would've LOVED to do work experience at Cosmo and would've been so grateful to just be in the buliding! I'd even do it now, especially at Cosmo Bride! That'd be sooooo cool!

I didn't get the oppourtunity to do work experience at all cause my school took it out when got into year 10, the didn't have a week for it so we would've had to miss a week of school to do it and I wasn't allowed.

It's not like you asked her to get you drugs or something; it was a banana! OMG, wonder what she thought she was going to be doing there!

I'd still do work experience (like I said esp. at Cosmo Bride!) so if anyone from a mag wants me I'll get you all the fruit you want!

I just wouldn't get cigarettes for people; I won't even do that for my own mother...

[Michelle]

LOL wow did this stir up a heap of replies? I'm so glad you addressed it though Mia as I also read the original comment in the paper and thought "Aaaah I bet she'll say something AND she'll be honest about it!" and you did :o)

FWIW "in my day" (!), late 80's, I was desperate to be a Zoologist (!) or Marine Biologist (because of course there are just a plethora of jobs around for those!) when I finished school and so my work experience was both at the Zoo and in a Marine Park on the North Coast. Let me tell you, fetching a banana for you (or for Luca!) would have been a pleasure compared to the stuff THEY make Work Experience kids do :o) The worst would be a toss up between scooping shark poop off the side of a tank with the sharks still in it (true!), or having monkeys throw their poop at me while I BROUGHT THEM BANANAS (and yet I loved every second of it and did it all uncomplainingly)!!! So the whole banana fetching thing here really made me giggle :o)

Oh and of course I never followed up on the Zoo thing - I finished school and caught the travel bug and never looked back...!

[melanie]

This is what you get when a generation grows up knowing nothing but economic growth! I, too, am a Gen Xer and it's purely the fact that we grew up in a recession where ANY job was worth doing because at least we had one! I now have my own business and these younger kids (yes, yes...back in MY day...) just breeze through and quit at the drop of a hat, or sometimes just don't turn up, or always act like THEY are doing YOU a favour! Bee in my bonnet? You betcha!

Maybe with the looming economic crash they can actually learn how to work and that noone can reach the top without buying a few bananas first. Arrrrgh...Paris Hilton has A LOT to answer for!

They are not all like that. Just the majority...haha!