By Heather R. Taylor
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, September 3, 2007

Decades after most of my contemporaries began flourishing in their careers, I began a two-year internship, becoming perhaps one of the most senior interns in radio history. Working countless hours for no pay may not sound like a good midlife career move, but while I worked for free, the experience both enriched and freed me.

I produced and hosted an hour-long weekly radio talk show, "American Odyssey Radio," with responsibility for identifying and researching themes, writing the scripts and operating the audio board. Unlike my 20-something intern counterparts, I received neither college credit nor stipend. My compensation came in the form of opportunity -- the chance to create an engaging broadcast that could be heard in more than 270,000 Washington area households on WEBR and reach even more people over the Internet.

From a conversation with Jazz Times magazine publisher Lee Mergner about new recordings and trends, to exchanges with Vocation Vacations founder Brian Kurth about how to "test drive your dream job," to hearing the extraordinary story of businesswoman and kidney donor Ayanna Najuma, I enjoyed the excitement of talking with people about their lives and work. It was fun to create interesting themes for each show. One was about improvising and included a segment in which actors from Washington Improv Theater improvised an amusing episode in the style of old-time radio drama.

A quasi-technophobe (I got my driver's license at age 28!), I found I could learn not only to operate the board but also to do so while simultaneously carrying on an interview. There was one memorable exception. On one live show, I introduced my first guest, a psychiatrist, only to discover she couldn't hear me. I was more than a little tempted to postpone the interview and put myself out of my misery -- ironically, the show topic was coping with anxiety and fear -- but I went ahead, chalking it up to the unexpected experiences of live radio. Days later I received an e-mail from the psychiatrist and braced myself for a complaint. But instead, she complimented me on my questions and thanked me for inviting her to be on the show.

My passion for audio broadcasts had revealed itself a few years earlier, while I was a consultant for WomensNewsLink, a Web-based business. My job was to identify, book and interview nonfiction authors, but that was the year the dot-com bubble burst and the company folded. When I learned about a radio production class being offered at the local public access station in Fairfax, I leapt at the chance to relive the experience I'd loved so much.

My husband encouraged me to pursue my interest and the whole family supported my early efforts. Before I could get on the air, I had to complete the course. Offered on six consecutive Saturdays, it conflicted with our usual child-centric weekend schedule, but with everyone willing to be flexible, I made it to through to the end.

On the day of the final exam, I passed the written portion but was shocked to learn I'd failed the audio portion. Anxious about my first solo show, I apparently failed to monitor the sound levels on the board and was unaware the 20-minute show was inaudible. My teacher said I'd have to do it over again the following Saturday. But I had no more free Saturday mornings left in the family schedule. It felt like now or never. So I mustered the courage to ask if I could try again that same day. And I passed.

As an intern, I was able to work at something that could make me happier professionally than I'd ever been before. Throughout my work life, I had taken few risks. As an intern, I enjoyed the freedom to make mistakes and to learn from them without devastating consequences.

The experience seems to have compelled me to challenge myself in a way I never expected. Currently, as host and executive producer of "The Heather Taylor Show: Boomer Radio in the Nation's Capital" on WMET (1160 AM), I'm figuring out a way to make a living in broadcasting, a fairly youth-obsessed industry.

In middle age, "Carpe diem" makes a lot of sense. After all, if not now, when?