For the past three months, I have been preparing, researching, talking, meeting and preparing some more. Now, it's time to fly.
Literately, fly. To San Diego, California. This weekend.
This Saturday through Tuesday, I will travel with two other Point Park University students to the 2014 Baseball Winter Meetings jobs forum. There, representatives from many major and minor league baseball teams will be looking to hire job seekers for full time and part time jobs, and interns for the upcoming baseball season.
There will be teams from all over the country, at all levels of baseball. From rookie ball to the big leagues. They'll be there.
I've made a website, perfected my resume, printed business cards, bought new suits and accessories and more. I've had talks with alumni, reached out to teams and executives, gone through mock interviews, met with university administration, and have been in contact with high people in high places.
It's been a lot of work and preparation. The past three nights alone I've gotten, at most, 5 hours of sleep each night. All of the time that I've spent preparing, researching and studying are about to pay off. Hopefully.
My goal is to network with as many people as possible, be in the right place at the right time and land a summer internship or job with a team. Hopefully, that job is something in the media or broadcast relations field.
I have recently been in contact with one highly respected person with a lot of connections that worked in the business for a very long. I sent dozens of emails to teams and people that were going to be at the meetings, and one happened to notice me. I somehow managed to impress this gentleman who I will be meeting with in San Diego. He won't be one hiring anybody for any jobs, but he can point me in the right direction and introduce me to the right people.
I also heard back, today, from one executive with a team that is one state away, that was also impressed by my resume and website. He encouraged me to apply for one of the multiple internships that his team is offering at the meetings. I also am awaiting word on a chance with one major league club, also one state away.
The trip is being sponsored by the Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing. The Center's directors Tom McMillan, who I have wrote about in the past, and Mike Fetchko have been nothing but supportive and are, with other university faculty, putting a lot on the line for us. The Center's graduate assistant will also be going to the meetings with us, and she has been such a big help so far and has put a lot of work into this trip as well.
I was told from the beginning that I was "just a freshman" and that I had no chance of even going to the meetings. I applied anyway. They loved my cover letter and, at the time, pathetic resume and were impressed enough to give me an interview. They even told me afterwards that they just wanted to talk to me and figure out what I was all about. I impressed them enough to change their mindset that was, "we're not sending a freshman." Well they are. They wanted to send their best and they felt that I was one of the three. I'm not just a freshman, as I have said in one previous post.
I am nervous and anxious and excited. I haven't been on a plane since my freshman year of high school and I haven't been to California before. There are a couple of reasons that I have tried to keep this quiet over the past couple of months:
There were a lot of people that didn't get to go on this trip that wanted to.
I didn't want to brag, the Center didn't want me to brag. I would rather brag when I come back that I was offered multiple positions with multiple teams than brag that I was going to the west coast for weeks.
I am a freshman. I didn't want a target on my back any earlier than I need to. I just started at this school and I know what it's like to have targets on my back. I wanted to avoid that for at least a couple of months.
I'm ready to go on this trip and I'm so anxious to see what opportunities arise because of it.
My website, if you were curious, is JoshCroup.wix.com/JoshCroup.
My attitude has always been, "because, why not?" and I'm going into this trip with the same mindset.
So, let's go.
Because, why not?
Josh
Literately, fly. To San Diego, California. This weekend.
This Saturday through Tuesday, I will travel with two other Point Park University students to the 2014 Baseball Winter Meetings jobs forum. There, representatives from many major and minor league baseball teams will be looking to hire job seekers for full time and part time jobs, and interns for the upcoming baseball season.
There will be teams from all over the country, at all levels of baseball. From rookie ball to the big leagues. They'll be there.
I've made a website, perfected my resume, printed business cards, bought new suits and accessories and more. I've had talks with alumni, reached out to teams and executives, gone through mock interviews, met with university administration, and have been in contact with high people in high places.
It's been a lot of work and preparation. The past three nights alone I've gotten, at most, 5 hours of sleep each night. All of the time that I've spent preparing, researching and studying are about to pay off. Hopefully.
My goal is to network with as many people as possible, be in the right place at the right time and land a summer internship or job with a team. Hopefully, that job is something in the media or broadcast relations field.
I have recently been in contact with one highly respected person with a lot of connections that worked in the business for a very long. I sent dozens of emails to teams and people that were going to be at the meetings, and one happened to notice me. I somehow managed to impress this gentleman who I will be meeting with in San Diego. He won't be one hiring anybody for any jobs, but he can point me in the right direction and introduce me to the right people.
I also heard back, today, from one executive with a team that is one state away, that was also impressed by my resume and website. He encouraged me to apply for one of the multiple internships that his team is offering at the meetings. I also am awaiting word on a chance with one major league club, also one state away.The trip is being sponsored by the Pittsburgh Center for Sports Media and Marketing. The Center's directors Tom McMillan, who I have wrote about in the past, and Mike Fetchko have been nothing but supportive and are, with other university faculty, putting a lot on the line for us. The Center's graduate assistant will also be going to the meetings with us, and she has been such a big help so far and has put a lot of work into this trip as well.
I was told from the beginning that I was "just a freshman" and that I had no chance of even going to the meetings. I applied anyway. They loved my cover letter and, at the time, pathetic resume and were impressed enough to give me an interview. They even told me afterwards that they just wanted to talk to me and figure out what I was all about. I impressed them enough to change their mindset that was, "we're not sending a freshman." Well they are. They wanted to send their best and they felt that I was one of the three. I'm not just a freshman, as I have said in one previous post.
I am nervous and anxious and excited. I haven't been on a plane since my freshman year of high school and I haven't been to California before. There are a couple of reasons that I have tried to keep this quiet over the past couple of months:
There were a lot of people that didn't get to go on this trip that wanted to.
I didn't want to brag, the Center didn't want me to brag. I would rather brag when I come back that I was offered multiple positions with multiple teams than brag that I was going to the west coast for weeks.
I am a freshman. I didn't want a target on my back any earlier than I need to. I just started at this school and I know what it's like to have targets on my back. I wanted to avoid that for at least a couple of months.
I'm ready to go on this trip and I'm so anxious to see what opportunities arise because of it.
My website, if you were curious, is JoshCroup.wix.com/JoshCroup.
My attitude has always been, "because, why not?" and I'm going into this trip with the same mindset.
So, let's go.
Because, why not?
Josh
