If you want to make yourself better, surround yourself with the best... As I see it, "good stage managers are hard to find" will decide what you do next. I haven't met a person that can define what a good stage manager is without cloning someone they know or explaining the perfect personality, and people that work consistently for years (somehow) aren't always the best of mentors. If you want to be the best you can be, make sure you work for the best stage manager you have ever met, however you need to (internship, fellowship, STUDENT) as long as they are willing to guide you in the right direction. I have met quite a few staff SMs that started as interns, and it happened because their personality had the traits the PSM saw as ideal for the position (every SM I know has a different standard for this!) and they got along well. The key is getting in with a company that will eventually pay you more than $250 a week.. if you want to have one job, instead of two (or three, etc.) Something else to consider, do you and the SMs you work with know the full capacity of the job? Not to offend, but there is a significant difference between working in a 99-seater and a large lort/opera house. I learned the most about this job when I was put in a complete union environment and I wasn't allowed to touch a thing, respectfully. Blabbering, please forgive me, but I would be half in the dark if it weren't for my education - I started with a BFA in order to learn the construction of the other skills while practicing my instincts on what SMing was about. Then I got an MFA to hone in my SM skills with professionals, and, quite frankly, the best SMs I have ever seen. It will do you no good to get advice from someone that isn't good, and you won't know what is really good vs. really bad until you see the best at work (and in the office after). I am all for education. Working with the best professionals, as well as your counterparts (some would say competition, rightfully so) will teach you a GREAT deal about the politics, as well as the practices. I guess the bottom line is, either way will get you somewhere, or nowhere - it's all about who you surround yourself with, learn from, and learn with. Cheers to you, and best of luck!