Story by Maggie Nageau
Photo by Nserrano
Sophomore business major Alex Jekowsky thought he was living his dream with his paid internship in marketing, soial media and digital marketing — at Playboy.
He met the models, went to the parties, and enjoyed the atmosphere of Hef’s Holmby Hills mansion. But he also learned how a company works.
“I was the only intern in an office full of older men and women. Even though they liked to go out and have fun as an office, I knew that, to a certain point, I needed to stay professional and well respected,” Jekowsky said.
But not everybody gets to work for a successful magazine company. And not all Chapman students find their internships very helpful.
Sophomore Jeffrey Allen, a television writing and producing major, was far less happy with his internship for an unscripted TV company in Hollywood. He left after just a month. He got to pitch his own ideas, but more were shot down.
“There were several other interns and there was never a whole lot of work to do. I really felt myself getting stuck in a 9-5 rut without much excitement or passion for what I was doing,” Allen said.
Allen, want to work in the entertainment indusry has high hopes to go into the entertainment industry. However, after his experience as an intern, he does not believe he will ever want to work for that type of company again.
Phene Wardlaw, a junior English major, interned for the Odyssey. She had the freedom to write on different topics of her choice. However, she did not get feedback on her articles, which inhibited her learning experience.
“I liked getting school credit for my work, but I wouldn’t work for them again unless they changed a lot about the structure of the workplace,” Wardlaw said.
Her experience gave her insight into what she would and would not like to have in a future employer.
Despite the good and bad, Chapman pushes internships as valuable.
Claire Hauso, a career relation’s assistant at the Career Development Center, highlighted their importance:
“Not only does an internship look great on a resume, but it’s definitely giving them real world experience. Having that opportunity outside of the classroom is really great to show off to employers when applying to jobs after graduation.”
Hauso also recognizes that some students do not get the experience that they wanted. It is an important piece in figuring out what a student does and does not want to do after graduation. Many students realize they do not like their chosen field of work and decide to change their major, that way they do not waste anymore time.
This past semester, 660 Chapman students had independent internships for school credit. While not all are happy, for some it helps them decide on a career path.
For Jekowsky at Playboy, he learned the importance of planning ahead for social media. He worked in planning strategies, pending events, and understanding and creating relationships with partner sites, all of which are tools Jekowsky can use for his future in startup companies. His hard work did not go unnoticed by his coworkers. He took initiative and networked, in order to make lasting connections within the office.
If Jekowsky were to work anywhere after graduation, his top choice would be Playboy. What surprises many is that he had more women co-workers then men, who were very passionate about working there, and he enjoyed being a part of a team that sees the good in the company.
“If I ever have questions about anything, I feel very confident and happy that I can reach out to any of my co-workers and they’ll give me a helpful response. They have already served as great resources in helping me with my first startup company, ULyngo,” Jekowsky said.
