Internships and Impressions
Student involvement leads to jobs post-graduation
By Danielle Rebel | Marketing Intern
Many graduates and students agree classroom learning can only take you so far. In order to get the job of your dreams after graduation, it takes more than dedication to your studies. It takes the motivation to seek real-world experience through internships and campus involvement.
“There’s only so much you can learn in the classroom, and the skills employers really want you to have you learn in jobs and real-world opportunities,” said Theresa Boyle, a 2014 graphic design and music industry graduate. “The sooner you get involved and start doing these things, the sooner you know what you are interested in.”
Boyle knows firsthand the importance of getting involved early. She recently accepted a position as director of creative and marketing with Bass/Schuler Entertainment, a college-booking agency in Chicago.
Last summer, Boyle interned with Bass/Schuler, where she helped colleges book entertainment groups. Boyle continued to freelance for the company during her senior year at MSUM, and was surprised when they offered her a permanent position.
“I pretty much knew right away my answer would be yes,” Boyle said. “Chicago is a great city. It’s on the cutting-edge of entertainment and there’s so much opportunity there.”
Scott Bass, co-owner of Bass/Schuler Entertainment, stresses the importance of creating solid relationships and maintaining them during and after completing internships.
“There are six interns a year at (Bass/Schuler) and they come and go pretty quick,” Bass said. “You tend to remember the ones who made an impression. When the position happened to open up we immediately thought of Theresa, and she had interned a year and a half prior.”
Though Bass attributes her landing the job to the great impression she left with the company, Boyle says she owes her initial internship, and now full-time position with Bass/Schuler, to her experience as showcase coordinator for Dragon Entertainment Group.
“What’s really great about MSUM is the small campus size, and that there still are a lot of opportunities for students,” Boyle said. “You just have to knock on the right doors and take advantage of those opportunities.”
Above all, Boyle says it’s imperative to take risks, like she did when accepting a position seven hours from home.
“It is often a scary and intimidating thing,” she said. “Sometimes your risks won’t pay off…but in the end I think you always learn something. If you really want to grow and improve it’s definitely worth it.”
Like Boyle, junior Brady Odegaard, music industry major, has stepped outside the classroom and began gathering real-world knowledge through multiple internships.
Odegaard works at the Fargodome and Purple Hat Productions as an operations intern. He is one of many behind the scenes during set up, sound checks and concerts of famous artists who visit Fargo-Moorhead.
“Seeing all the behind the scenes action is fun,” Odegaard said. “You get to see what goes on, how the artists act when they’re not in front of a huge crowd of people.”
It’s not all glamorous, however. Odegaard often works 20-plus hour days for each concert. Though the days get long, he says gaining industry knowledge is well worth it.
“I learned a lot of the basics (in class), the actual knowledge of why you do what,” Odegaard said. “During the concerts it’s putting the knowledge to real-life use.”
He begins each day at 7 a.m., unloading artists’ semis and setting up equipment. The early afternoon brings a sound check, and potential to meet performing artists. During the concert, Odegaard runs monitors and sound or helps with set changes, ensuring the band sounds and looks exactly how it is supposed to. Once the concert is over and teardown is complete, Odegaard can call it a day – usually at 4 or 5 a.m.
“The hours can be long sometimes, but once you get used to it it’s fun,” Odegaard said.
Not only do Odegaard’s experiences help him prepare for a future career. Odegaard brings the knowledge back to campus and shares it with fellow students.
“We have the same type of sound board on campus that a lot of bands use, so when I learn more there I can come back to school and show other students different things you can do.”
Both Odegaard and Boyle agree that no matter what their major, the most important thing students can do is get involved outside of class.
“It’s like in math: you learn an equation, but you don’t really understand it until you do it yourself, instead of watching the teacher do it,” Odegaard said.