Full time job or Internship?

[mmntech]

Wonderful, you did the same thing I did. And the media job market is in the toilet too.

Trust me, do the internship. If you want to work in television, you'll need every ounce of experience you can get your hands on. Most entry level media jobs these days require a minimum of two years relevant experience. Try volunteering at a public radio or television station too. It will give you a chance to network and build your portfolio.

The Apple Store job will pay the bills but it's dead end. Take any opportunity you can get.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

Take the internship. In the long run an extra 5-10k in student loans isn't going to make or break you, but not taking the internship might.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

i would go with internship for the reasons people before me have said.

I wish I could find some that don't require me to pay. Even if it was free work, but all the ones I have seen posted through my school are ones that have an intial start up fee (either travelling, or because the program costs money) and they don't pay any.

 

[Paladin3]

Take the internship and work it hard. Get to know and impress people. Scream "give me a job" as loud as you can at anyone who will listen.

Would you rather be a known name or an unknown resume when the next position becomes available?

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Thanks for all the reinforcement guys. I'm definitely going with the internship.

 

[nanette1985]

Enjoy your internship.

The fact that you actually considered the other option worries me - if you seriously want to work in this industry you have to make connections your number one priority all the time.

Don't waste your internship. Get every contact of everybody you meet, see, breathe the same air as. It's expected and will be respected. And work those connections.

Have fun!

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Enjoy your internship.

The fact that you actually considered the other option worries me - if you seriously want to work in this industry you have to make connections your number one priority all the time.

Don't waste your internship. Get every contact of everybody you meet, see, breathe the same air as. It's expected and will be respected. And work those connections.

Have fun!

I wanted to go with the internship all along, but I hate debt. Looking at the bigger picture, I now just need to view it as positive debt. The fact that the interest rates are so low makes it easier to accept.

Someone early in the thread asked if I already got a offer for a internship. I'm applying to every station/studio that I can think of. It's definitely competitive, but I think I have a leg up over other candidates. CNN featured a story that I covered a while back. It was a great experience which made me realise that this is the field I want to work in.

 

[nanette1985]

I wanted to go with the internship all along, but I hate debt. Looking at the bigger picture, I now just need to view it as positive debt. The fact that the interest rates are so low makes it easier to accept.

Someone early in the thread asked if I already got a offer for a internship. I'm applying to every station/studio that I can think of. It's definitely competitive, but I think I have a leg up over other candidates. CNN featured a story that I covered a while back. It was a great experience which made me realise that this is the field I want to work in.

You're right that debt is scary, and you're looking at a field where the return on your investment is unlikely to be positive .This is the cool thing about learning to make & use connections - work your rolodex (or whatever the current term is) to find free or low-cost living arrangements. House/apartment sitting, somebody's floor or spare bed, whatever. Beg, borrow, trade in order to keep expenses down.

It's great that you get to apply to every station/studio. Use the application experience wisely to make connections - be extra nice to every body that you meet, get names, details, everything, and keep in contact. Look out for things you can do for the other person, and hopefully you can provide something for them.

Best of luck and seriously, have fun.