Choosing between marketability versus “doing what you love”

Earlier this week I had to make some decisions about the interview I had on Friday in Atlanta. This is the one with the major internet content provider where I would be working on its strategy of deploying content to handheld devices. Ever though I have yet to receive an offer (the interviewer said it would take one to two weeks) I had to decide on whether I would accept the position if offered.

 

The reason was because I know someone with business contacts in Atlanta who offered to make phone calls on my behalf to a connection he has high up within the company to help secure the internship. Even though the interview went very well on Friday (it ended with the interviewer telling me “I can’t make any promises because I have more people to interview, but let’s just say I greatly appreciate your knowledge of the industry and your enthusiasm”), I want him to make the phone call to lock it up. However, the catch is if I ask that the call be made, I would be required to accept any offer I receive because of it.

 

This internship position is pretty amazing. When I worked at AOL, I knew of people who had these types of jobs and have always wondered what one would have to do to get them. I have a big interest in the media whether it is print, radio, television, or internet. Having this company’s name on my resume will enhance my credibility if I decide to seek future employment in the media sector. In addition, these are not the types of jobs that are easy to come by. I should consider myself lucky that I was pre-selected for the interview and did as well as I did. Yet I am having trouble deciding on what on the surface looks to be a ‘no brainer.’

 

“These are not the types of jobs are not easy to come by.” That’s exactly the reason I would have to hesitate to accept this internship. The course of study I have chosen so far at Kenan-Flagler has been finance focused and most of the summer positions I have interviewed for have been industry finance positions. If I don’t get a full time offer (or choose to not accept one) after spending the summer in Atlanta, how will I market myself to future employers? I can go back to interviewing for industry finance positions but since I didn’t have finance experience prior to business school and will not have had a finance internship, I will have a hard time getting an interview for many of these positions. By accepting this internship, I may be narrowing my employment options for post-graduation.

 

Yesterday morning, I thought about the situation a bit more. So far I have had a paltry return on investment on the more than twenty cover letters I have sent out for specific finance positions (by that I mean companies that have specifically advertised a position either via Kenan-Flagler or on their web sites). Meanwhile, I dropped one cover letter for a position where I am excited about both the company and the function I’d be doing within the company and I now have a (at my estimation) 50% shot at getting an offer. Perhaps the marketplace is trying to tell me something. Locking down an internship will certainly make the rest of Mod IV a lot smoother.

 

I am going to come back later and tell you what I decided.