Seth Wells | @Seth_Wells22
You hear it all the time; “Get an internship.” Whether it be from a professor or parent, this is a line many of us students are all too familiar with. So what’s the big deal? Do internships really look that good on a resume?
The simple answer to that is yes. Internships are key not only to graduating, but also to landing that all-important first job out of college.
As students we know it can be a lot easier for others to tell us to add to our already busy schedules, but we need to listen to their advice.
I sat down with Mark Pearson, a junior Sports Media major here at Butler, to talk about some of his internships and experiences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=254BYj-J4zk&feature=em-upload_owner
Pearson has found his internships rewarding, especially when it comes to the experiences and connections he has gained through them. Getting to know talented broadcasters at 96.1 FM in Grand Rapids and working with sports reporter Jack Doles at Wood TV 8 in Grand Rapids as well.
Pearson has had to balance all of these internships with either work or school. The 96.1 FM and Wood TV 8 internships were over the summer and had to be balanced with his summer job(s) at the time. His new internship with the Pacers, however may be the hardest to manage. Pearson not only fights the same battles that all students go through with grades and homework, but also has a job on top of that and the internship.
Because of this, his days can get rather packed. In the audio slideshow above, Pearson describes how all of his Fridays go. Starting at 7:10 when he wakes up and goes to class for 4 straight hours from 8-12 in the morning. No time to rest though as he has to cram lunch into the same 30-minute window that he has to get to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for his internship with the Indiana Pacers. The internship keeps him busy until around 5:00 p.m., which is when a couple of Pearson’s friends pick him up and drive to work that night for Coachesaid.com. The crew broadcasts high school football games around the Indianapolis area and depending on distance they have to travel could keep him busy until 11:00 p.m. or later. That’s a very long day, especially for a college student who has studying and homework on his mind at this time as well.
Pearson doesn’t regret adding the internships to his already busy life, though. He has already seen the benefits from these internships and gained important connections throughout the field of which he hopes to work in one day.
What Pearson has showed us and me personally, is that if you are willing to have a busy schedule and work hard you can complete internships while maintaining a job and good grades. Like I was told as a kid, “Not everything is going to be easy”.
Seth Wells covers the MLB and Butler Men’s Basketball for BU:30.
srwells@butler.edu | @Seth_Wells22