Internships: a push for transfer success

Written by: Emma Sargeant
With the consideration of transferring to a 4-year college, much dedication is required to complete the average two years of an associates of arts degree for a smoother ride. It is easy to lose interest and passion in a subject, which could affect the best potential grade a student, would hope to receive. Internships are an opportunity to explore a career to learn more about the major choice that will determine a student’s future to ensure the investment of the two years of a four-year college transfer degree would be completely beneficial. Internships also present the commitment and ambition of a potential student to enhance the possibility of being an attractive asset to their school. Seattle offers a bounty of internship possibilities to help students get their foot through the door of their ideal career to understand the reality of their future work place. With a career in the arts it is important to understand the hard work behind reaching a comfortable job after struggling from the bottom of the chain. Students will be put in a position to see the challenges and to ask about how to work through them to attain success. Bumbershoot is coming in September and the festival is inviting people to participate in an eight-week intensive course. Interns are involved in the building of a large-scale event with teams instructed by mentors to understand what goes behind the scenes of festival management, including promotions, designing and working with artists to compile a successful musical line-up. The internships for Bumbershoot are organized by a group called OneReel which also invite people to get involved with Teatro ZinZanni. The internship program focuses specifically on the festivals’ division, offering a comprehensive learning experience in all aspects of event production. KEXP continuously offers the opportunity to learn about the world of radio and music. All KEXP internships can be taken for class credit, although being enrolled in school is not a requirement. All internships are unpaid, unless otherwise stated. If you know a ton about music, learn about the programming and DJ Assistant positions. If you’re interested in learning about the music business discover underwriting, administration and marketing. If you want learn how non-profit organizations raise money explore the development and membership drive internships. Those with excellent writing skills should try the Online Content or Marketing Internships. 4culture, an art program in Seattle, which financially supports events such as the Seattle Film Festival, help guide students to discover available opportunities to work in the art business. To apply for internships it is best to compile a resume because it is a great way to show your skills and experience. Internships are highly competitive so you must put your best foot forward. Internships are unpaid and require a commitment of spending 15-20 hours of your time for the chance to learn from experienced masters of your anticipated field of work. Ask questions; ask what your mentors graduated with. Jen Graves, arts editor of the Stranger, did not graduate with a degree in the art but with a degree in English. Her 10 years of experience has pushed her toward her now successful career at Seattle’s alternative newspaper. Internships are good practice to work hard and have a blast, learning real skills that you can directly apply to the real world.