Nobody wants advice from an intern. We are young, inexperienced, and make mistakes like it’s our job. But if you are a student looking for that temporary blast of ‘real world’ into your life (and resume), who better to seek advice from than someone who has completed a program in your field of study and lived to tell the tale?
For those brave ‘doers’ who truly value personal development, the three month summer adventure becomes a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build and strengthen skill sets, apply yourself creatively, and churn out some game-changing work.
In this new blog series, we will be putting our summer interns in the proverbial hot seat. Ranging from Design, Animation and Marketing, they cover all bases of Grasshorse’s specialties and have unique perspectives on their internship experience.
First to walk the plank is Kyle DeDecker, a Graphic Design intern and hardcore gamer who against all odds managed to survive the summer without some serious hazing from his University of Iowa counterparts.
Age: 21
School: Iowa State University
Major: Graphic Design
Hobbies: Movies, Weight Lifting, and video games.
Favorite games: Portal and Portal 2, Battlefield series
Contrary to (my) belief, internship opportunities don’t appear out of thin air. How did you find out about Grasshorse? What did you do to prepare for the interview and why do you think you got the job?
The owners of Grasshorse had become regulars at Iowa State’s “Explore Graphic Design” event, which is basically a career fair for graphic designers. I had visited their booth the previous year and liked the work they were displaying. This year I went on to the school’s career management website that posts job listings and saw that Grasshorse was advertising a graphic design internship, so I posted my resume and a couple of sample pieces of my work. Lisa Horak sent me a response email saying that Steve and Kathy were going to be at Explore GD this year, and that I should interview with them. So I got my portfolio together, dressed up in business casual attire, and had a successful interview with them.
I believe I got the job due to the strength of my portfolio and my ability to articulate the thought process behind the various pieces I showed in my portfolio.
What types of projects have you worked on during your internship?
The majority of the work I’ve done was centered around Grasshorse’s Poke My Voodoo brand. I was tasked with updating the PMV website, creating in-app ads for the new premium content that was being rolled out for the brand, and creating 3D assets for future updates to the game. The Louisa County Development Group also asked me to do a brand identity project for an event that they are planning.
Biggest accomplishment (during internship)?
Getting working knowledge of both 3D modeling and web development, two things that I knew little about before starting at Grasshorse.
Toughest day/most stressful day?
Luckily the atmosphere at Grasshorse is relatively laid back for the most part, I would say the toughest time I had was trying to learn a bit of web programing in both Javascript and PHP. I had done some coding in the past and it isn’t really one of my strong suits.
Important things you’ve learned about GD?
Basically the technical aspects of the various design programs I used. School is great for teaching design theory and composition, but it doesn’t do a great job of teaching you how to use the design programs quickly and efficiently, they sort of expect you to pick up all these tips and tricks on your own. I think I’ve learned more about the functionality of these programs in this two month internship than I have in the rest of my school career.
Post-Grad plans? Specific industry?
As of right now nothing very specific. I’m hoping to have a varied enough skillset and portfolio to be able to apply for a wide variety of jobs.
Recommendations to people looking into internships with Grasshorse, Graphic Design or just in general?
Start your search early and apply early. I can’t imagine the amount of stress other people put themselves through trying to scramble to find internships at the last minute. Make sure your portfolio is in order and your resume is up-to-date before applying, anything half-finished does not look good.
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Take-Aways: Grasshorse design internships offer an excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience applying class concepts using REAL programs and software. Oh, and Iowa State isn’t so bad after all.
Like Kyle? Network with him on LinkedIN
