Eastern graduate of 2009, Amanda Bush expresses the importance of patience and productivity after graduation. Bush is an editorial researcher with the magazine publisher, BG+H. Minority Today’s Rashida Lyles-Cowan caught up with Bush.

Q: What was one of your most memorable moments in college?

A: My most memorable moment in college would be more like a semester. I’m most fond of my first semester of freshman year because it was a time that I had waited for, for many years. Finally, I felt like an adult, not knowing that in hindsight, I was just a mature child. That time was memorable for me because of the lessons I had ahead of me and the eagerness to begin a new chapter in my life.

Q: How did you manage and organize time during college?

A: My organization Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. instilled in me many things, but one of the first and most difficult lessons I had to learn was how to manage time and balance things that are important to you. The order you complete your obligations should always be ordered by priority.

Q: How did you find internships?

A: Rather than taking the internships I was offered by career services, I was creative in brainstorming on places more interesting to me. I knew that any entertainment venue, network, or activity that people indulge in had to have employees, which usually called for an employee Web page. That is where most internship contacts are as well. Once I completed one internship, I let my supervisor know that I would be looking for another one soon and they would call on those they knew based on my good employment history with them. It did not take long to realize that the entertainment industry is a small world. Everyone knows someone who can direct you, if they cant direct you themselves. So by putting myself out there, and persistently following up, I landed six internships.

Q: Where were your internships?

A: Bad Boy Entertainment, Janice Combs Publishing, Iris Talent and Modeling, Nickelodeon, etc.

Q: What type of experiences, training did you learn at your internship?

A: From those six internships I learned almost every aspect of the entertainment industry well enough to qualify for an entry level position in talent management, marketing, publicity, casting, scouting, publishing, production and on camera. I did not learn all of these skills from one internship in particular but the glory of doing more than one internship in your industry of interest means you get to learn the basic essentials of different industry fields. But it was the specific skills that I learned that are transferable into any industry.

Any intern is going to have to do administration; answer phones, mail invoices, order inventory etc. And every internship requires interns to be computer literate. All of my internships gave me the opportunity to implement the skills I learned while attaining my degree.

Q: What was one of your favorite moments during your internship?

A: One of my favorite moments was leaving a talent showcase with the A&R (talent director) from Bad Boy and him asking me what I thought about all of the artists begging for us to listen to their demos. All of them spoke with much conviction and promised that we would agree he or she wa the next big star. Standing in the rain that night waiting for a cab and looking up into the New York City streetlight he said, ‘Everybody thinks they are hot. And some of them are right. But its too bad were not looking for whats hot. We are looking for something special’. That not only rang true as wisdom every unsigned artist should know but something that I can translate into my career and personal live as well.

Q: What obstacles did you face during the transition of being a college student to the working world?

A: Considering all of my accomplishments by senior year, I felt pretty confident about graduating and beginning my career. A year after graduation I now know that post grad is definitely a life transition. When people told me the economy was bad, I heard what they were saying but did not understand how that would affect me. But even with all that I have accomplished finding the job that I wanted was tough and more than anything frustrating. After proving yourself worthy of a degree, it’s like being a freshman in the world all over again. Having a degree and some practice living on my own in conjunction with not having the refund checks or job I wanted to support the way I wanted to live was/is tough. One unexpected part of the transition is the effects post grad has on your relationships. Everyone is stressed trying to begin their career and it can add strains on friendships, especially when all of your friends are transitioning at different times.

Q: What is some valuable advice to give future graduates?

A: My advice to graduates about to face the post grad transition is be patient, yet proactive. Some may come out with a job, most will not. Be proactive in your job search. If you only find five jobs you qualify for, search harder for the sixth because that sixth is the one that the less active seekers will find. Lastly, do not be discouraged. With the economy being this bad, it has nowhere to go but up.

Rashida Lyles-Cowan can be reached at 581-7942 or rnlylescowan@eiu.edu.

Amanda Bush, who graduated in 2009, is an editorial researcher with the magazine publisher, BG+H. (Courtesy photo of Femi Photography)

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