Internship of the Century: working for the Cubs during the 2016 World Series

About three seconds after the Chicago Cubs won the World Series, the people outside my house started screaming. Within five seconds, I could hear fireworks going off and cars honking up and down my street. It only took about ten seconds before the city of Evanston came through on their promise to set off the town’s emergency sirens after the Cubs won the World Series.

It’s probably the most dramatic ending to an internship I’ve ever had.

During my time working with the Chicago Cubs, I got to experience something that people have been waiting for their whole lives. Honestly, I’m not sure I deserved my front row seat to history, and not just because I’m a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan.

Let me be perfectly honest with you. I can’t hit a curveball and don’t have any insider knowledge about the game of baseball. I could never afford tickets to a playoff game at Wrigley Field and don’t have the upper body strength to carry hot dogs around for seven innings.

But during the month of October, I got to show up for work every day at Wrigley Field and watch the Cubs end their 108-year World Series drought.

Here is what I learned:

• Sometimes the best internships aren’t during the summer. This is definitely something I’ve been hearing more and more of, which makes sense, given that summer internships are often the most competitive. The Cubs allowed me to work around my academic schedule while still getting incredible professional experience during the school year. Sure, I had to make sacrifices with my time, but it was completely worth it.
• Talk to everyone. One of the best parts about working for the Cubs was getting to network with industry professionals from across the country. I worked in the media relations department at Wrigley Field and spent most of my time helping journalists and media professionals get the information they needed to do their job. Getting to talk with people like Bob Costas and Mike Wilbon was unforgettable, but they aren’t the same guys who make entry-level hiring decisions. Helping out journalists from publications I might want to work for one day was even more valuable.

• People might not remember the conversation, but they’ll remember your face. This was a big one for me, since I’m usually pretty quiet around strangers. But even though I didn’t know what to say to guys from the Chicago Tribune or Major League Baseball, I realized that it didn’t actually matter what we talked about. Just making small talk was enough for them to start greeting me when they arrived at the ballpark every day. I know those contacts will be helpful down the road.
• Stay in the moment. Another thing that’s easier said than done. Don’t beat yourself up over little mistakes you make when you’re just starting out, and try not to think too far ahead. I always tried to get to Wrigley Field early (we had to get there five hours before first pitch on game days) and pick a seat. Usually, I would just sit there for a few minutes and take in the empty ballpark, reflecting on how lucky I was to be in this position and how many people around the world cared about this team. Moments like that made the boring stuff a little easier, because even when I was justing taping down press credentials, I was doing it in one of the most beautiful ballparks in the world.

Austin Siegel is a journalism student at Northwestern University and a guest writer for ProMazo’s Millennial Voice. Check out what ProMazo writers are doing to disrupt the current job recruiting model here, and read their other writing here.