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How to choose: Internship vs. Age out


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I'm a third year in college (studying business), going in to what would be my age out year of drum corps. I have an internship offer at a Big Four accounting firm for the summer of 2017. Between internship opportunities, my parents, and my own ambitions as a musician, I am incredibly torn on choosing what avenue to follow for my summer. I'm worried to turn down the offer for fear of not having it available again next year. Most third year business majors get internships which turn into full time offers immediately after interning, where I'm from. I'm worried that by not taking this offer, I will be setting myself back career wise and miss out on setting myself up for success in the professional world. If there is anyone who has ever faced a similar dilemma in choosing between an internship/advancing your career or marching, please leave your feedback here.

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The Big Four internship is meaningful, arguably more so if you are an accounting major than if you are in finance or, perhaps, business technology. And good for you: That third year internship is important, and there is a lot of competition for a Big Four spot.

That said, from your vantage point as an undergraduate it looks somewhat more critical for your career than it needs to be. Much, much about what you do in your career - in those first few years, yes, but especially once you are no longer entry level - is in your hands to shape as you want. Circumstance matters, and your own skills, critical thinking, and adaptability matter, too. Still, you have some good control that can overcome something like not having a traditional internship, if that's what you choose.

Certainly, there is a way to tell the drum corps story that will be appealing to many employers. They see hundreds of students with conventional stories; you have a chance to stand out. Some of those employers crave the conventional, because it is safe. But some, correctly, look deeper. And wider.

I'm saying there is probably a cost to turning down the internship, but it doesn't have to be a significant one. There's a cost to giving up your age-out year, too.

I'm also not recommending one opportunity over the other. You'll need to work that out. But I'm impressed you are asking the question. Talk to friends and family. Pay attention to what you're feeling (without giving in to anxiety). (Is there any opportunity to intern, or do part-time projects/work, during your senior year?)

Never faced this situation myself. I'm a finance professor at a big school where the Big Four is a big deal. But also where plenty of other things are big deals. Often, I help students think through the tradeoffs of study abroad vs. internships.

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When you're 30, 40, 50 years old you'll find that your life's experiences count more than your education and, certainly, more than any single internship or job.

"Business" is a big world that doesn't have to begin or end with the "big" four. Your degree is certainly important, but the drive and determination you learn from completing major tasks and attaining significant personal goals (like you learned in corps) will go as far (and, IMO, MUCH farther) towards determining your success than the bean-counting, suited professionals at a Big Four firm.

You have 50 years or more to prove your mettle in business. You have one year left to complete a significant personal goal you set for yourself long ago.

Your life will happen as you form it, but quitting gets easier the more you practice it, too.

March.

(just my $.02)

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I agree with Garfield -- You will have dozens of opportunities during your business lifetime, but only one opportunity to age-out.

Edit: Plus what you start out wanting to do may not be your life's vocation. I've "reinvented" myself many times since I was 21: engineer, foreign language major, professional musician (military), computers, musician again, acting, and back to computers. Life is certainly strange and oft times not "plannable". What does your heart and/or gut tell you?

Edited by CrownBariDad
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One of the greatest regrets in my life is that I didn't go to the Winter Olympics with 27th Lancers in February 1980 because I was offered an internship with a Fortune 100 company that Spring Term. I would have only been gone for two weeks, but that would have disqualified me from the internship, and I decided it was more important to launch my career than to take part in this once in a lifetime experience. I urge you to learn from my mistake and do all you can to march your age out year.

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I faced a similar situation about a while back...after three years of marching, I was debating between marching with a new corps or doing some international research with a grant I had received. I ended up choosing not to march and I haven't really regretted it.

Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but I know for a fact that the research I did that summer led to another international research opportunity the next year which directly led to me going to a globally ranked graduate school in my field for a fraction of the amount it would have otherwise cost. Now, had I marched with the corps I had a contract offer from, I would have won a medal and then gone on to win a gold medal in my age out year, but I may not have gotten into the grad school I wanted.

For me, I made the right choice, but I remember sitting in Beijing, China waiting for word to come in about who had won finals and being pretty heartbroken about not marching that first year. In the end, I took about 2 years off from the activity as a whole, though I now go to more and more shows each summer.

I guess the moral of my story is that you won't know if you made the right decision until well after the fact.

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I have been told by some in the business world that everyone is getting an internship and everyone has the same grades, so much so that no one is standing out. So while an internship may get you an all important foot in the door, your drum corps experience could make you stand out. There is also another possibility. Many alums take an active interest in the kids who currently march with the corps they marched with at one time. Those who are 35 and up may work for good companies and could be a connection. I am not suggesting you march with a corps only because it has alums in Fortune 500 companies, but in life often it's the people we meet along the way often in unexpected places who help us the most.

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This is tough. I had some setbacks in my age out year and ultimately decided not to march anywhere and instead pursue my career. That plan ended up putting me on a path toward getting an internship that has directly impacted my career since then and especially my current position. I often wonder if I'd be anywhere near as successful in life if I had marched my final year, and I usually come back to "no, probably not." At least, not on the same career path I've been on.

That said, not a day goes by that I don't regret not marching my final season.

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