Brandon Lucki wont graduate from West Virginia University in May 2007 as he and his parents had expected.
But this 2003 Wheeling Park High School graduate is far from upset �?�?� instead of taking classes in the spring semester as planned, hell be an intern with the Pittsburgh Pirates in Florida at spring training.
Lucki will work with four other interns and two managers, the only community relations staff traveling to spring training.Well be doing everything,Lucki said. Everything includes community relations, ticket sales and working closely with the general managers, players and their wives.
Lucki, a senior marketing major in the WVU College of Business and Economics, first interned with the Pirates last summer. He dealt with donations and handled pre-game activities.Every day is a different experience,he said.You can never plan for it. You never know what can happen in an eight- or nine-hour work day.
He worked at Major League Baseballs annual All Star Game, one of his favorite parts of the internship. He also enjoyed getting to know the baseball players and their families on a personal level.
Lucki said his coursework at WVU helped him prepare for the internship.I used a lot of marketing research methods and tactics to please baseball fan consumers,he said.
He added that having knowledge of spreadsheets and database software from the colleges management information systems classes was helpful because there was no time to learn computer programs on the job.
However, some things can’t be learned in the classroom.A lot had to do with personality and getting along with people,Lucki commented.The best part was the work atmosphere. Even though the Pirates werent winning many games, all the people that worked in the front office were funny.
Lucki had applied for internships with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers and Pirates. He chose the Piratesoffer because he believed it would be the most enjoyable.You should apply to everything that youre interested in,he advised.
Students at the College of Business and Economics can find internships through its Center for Career Development. According to Susan Robison, interim director, 35 students were placed in internships last summer.We publish weekly job listings with internships, and we fill about 95 percent of them,she said.
Luckis experience with sports marketing began last spring when he obtained an on-campus internship through the Career Development Web site with SportsWeave, a small athletics company founded by at the WVU Business Incubator.Im so glad now that I did the past internships,he said.Internships are a dry run.
Lucki will return to classes for the fall 2007 semester. After his December graduation, he plans to continue a career in sports marketing or sales.
Lucki has advice for potential interns.You get what you put in. Ask questions and learn about the organization if youre interested,he said.