The internship dilemma – The Internship Dilemma It was the

The internship dilemma

The Internship Dilemma It was the week prior to Spring Break in March of 2018, and junior sport management student Monique Jones was wrestling with a decision that could change the course of her career path for years to come. She explained to her advisor that she had two internship opportunities on the table and had to make a decision by April 1, which was less than 2 weeks away. It was apparent to her advisor that the decision was difficult because both internships offered excellent opportunities for her leadership development, but one internship site had a perceived stronger brand in the marketplace than the other.

Both internships would start June 1 and continue through the end of the fall semester of her senior year, at which time she would return to campus to complete her degree. Both internships would require her to move away from home and school; the money for rent, food, and living expenses were about the same and each internship site was willing to provide a small weekly stipend to help offset expenses.

Monique was offered an internship opportunity outside of Boston, Massachusetts interning with a not-for-profit agency, Good Sports. Good Sports is a small organization that provides donated sports equipment to youth sport programs serving children living in underprivileged communities. Although the organization is small, its impact is not; as of 2018, Good Sports had donated over $26 million in sports equipment. In the internship, she would help organize events for both fund- and friend-raising. These events— fundraising galas and kick-off parties for kids—were particularly attractive to Monique because they involved event management, which was the type of work she wanted to become involved with for her career. In the position, she would have a leadership role in each event, travel throughout the area including New York City and New England, and work with a well-known event planner. Monique also had an emotional interest in the cause, as she had worked in a sport for development program, Husky Sport, in Hartford, Connecticut, and knew how difficult it was for children from underprivileged communities to get access to new sports equipment.

The second opportunity was to be a ride operator at a nationally known theme park (Disney World). The theme park was different from Good Sports in that it has a well-defined internship training program in place and works with thousands of students each year. Monique went through three interviews, which included a phone screen, a Skype interview, and a final phone call with a placement officer. She felt that she was competing with many other students for the same position, which gave her a sense of accomplishment when she was offered the internship. In this position, Monique would be trained in the particulars of the ride she would work on, visitor safety, extensive customer service, leadership, and, in addition, she would be exposed to other student interns from around the world. In her conversation with her advisor, Monique felt that being a ride operator was not for her, but she was willing to consider this unique opportunity because it was with Disney in Florida.

Prior to the meeting with her advisor, Monique developed a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis for both positions. The strengths of Disney were the brand name and the training program for customer service and leadership, along with the opportunity for growth at the end (potential employment). The strengths of Good Sports included the event management skills, being able to do a “little of everything,” having a professional mentor in the field, traveling throughout New England and New York City, and the opportunity to develop her leadership skills.

The weakness of the Disney program was focused on the type of work she would be doing as a ride operator. She did not think that the title or the work were what she wanted to have on her resume, and she was afraid of being pigeonholed in one area and not being able to work in other parts of the business. The weaknesses of Good Sports were that the operation was small (fewer than 10 people), she was concerned she would not have adequate support from her supervisors because they would be busy with other projects, and there was little potential to be employed later on.

The opportunity for employment at Disney and its related companies (ABC, ESPN) seemed more extensive than that of Good Sports, but learning to run events in a nonprofit agency could open doors into the not-for-profit world. Not-for-profits employ 12 million people per year, or 9% of the workforce (University of Wisconsin-Madison, n.d.). Monique’s parents were leaning toward Disney because the brand name and logo would be with her for the rest of her career. They felt that the Disney name would initiate a conversation with potential recruiters and employers.

Knowing Monique from her classroom experiences, her advisor thought Disney might be a better experience overall for her. The advisor believed going away for an internship would allow Monique to focus on the internship and not her family or social life. By doing so, Monique could focus more on the task at hand—her career. In comparison, Good Sports was located within a 2-hour drive of her family home in Connecticut, and she would have been encouraged by her family and friends to come home on a regular basis, including some nights and most weekends.

CHAPTER 15 CASE STUDY

Questions for Discussion 1. What is the value of a brand name on your resume? Would you be willing to forego experiences in exchange for being associated with a larger brand name?

2. What differences in training could Monique receive in a larger organization versus a smaller one?

3. Do you agree with her advisor’s suggestion to focus solely on her career during an internship experience?

4. If you were Monique, which internship would you have chosen, and why? Which internship seemed to give Monique the better chance to develop and display leadership skills?

 

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