It's incredible just how many students have yet to experience a professional interview for a job position that isn't minimum wage or in the service industry. Employers expect Students to carry themselves professionally and know how to navigate the application game without any real training prior to the Interview.
That's where The Internship Bootcamp comes into play. The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences refuses to just throw their students the the audio world wolves when their time here has ended. The CRAS chapter of AES organizes an event partnered with the schools internship coordinators to put their students on the spot, take them out of their comfort zone, and simulate a internship scenario comparable to the real thing.
The Students were each divided into teams and rotated between four stations. A team leader was elected for each station and the group's work was graded at the end of the fifteen minute time limit. David Torres, the Gilbert Campus internship coordinator was in charge of food related training. The participants were briefed on basic food handling like wearing gloves, washing hands, making sure everything is neat and better than the way they found it. All are important details that shouldn't be overlooked. Running food for the higher-ups during your internship isn't uncommon, and is widely considered a test of your capability to follow directions. If you can't follow those directions to the letter, employers will find someone else who can.
Danny Wright, a on campus project staff member, ran the station simulating basic studio work. The students were corralled into studio B where Danny gave them instructions to follow on the Neotek console. Directions like making reverb aux sends, inserting dynamic processors, and patching in and out of I/O's. He explained the importance of understanding your patch bay at the studio you'll be working. If you know the patch bay, there's no reason you can't flourish as a successful employee.
Rachel Ludeman, Tempe campus internship coordinator, was in charge of party Planning. The participants were tasked with planning a fictional party for a fictional band, and estimate the cost for 40-50 people eating Mexican food and listening to a mariachi band. After some rough research the teams provided documentation for the information that they gathered, and presented it to Rachel. Their goal was to stress the importance of a budget and attention to specific details can be the difference between someone being hired and fired.
Mike King, another on campus project staff member, was charged with live sound training. Mike King gave instructions to the group on setting up a live sound stage and getting cables plugged in to their correct snakes and mic's all in a timely manner. In live sound not only do you have to be accurate, but efficient as well. In the realm of live audio, the show starts when the show starts. There's no "take two" if things go wrong, there's no time to trouble shoot, you have one chance to get it right. Not to mention the thousands of screaming fans and a rock star who aren't going to be too happy if you get it wrong.
It's thanks to the Internship Bootcamps that students have a taste of what the real world has to offer before they're exposed to it. It's important for students to step out of the classroom, make mistakes, and learn what to pay attention to in a safe environment like school. When you're on you own your competence and level headed thinking will be tested, now is the time to start preparing.
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