Maribeth Sarnecki heard the stories in her senior year at St. Mary's College, in South Bend.

The ones about classmates sorting through princely offers from big accounting firms. And the one about the $10,000 signing bonus GE smacked on another.

When Sarnecki wasn't studying for her sociology courses, she toiled away for a pittance in college's career office, sorting files and answering the phone.

She interviewed with U.S. Steel and Nestle. There was no call back.

It wasn't until a month before graduation that she caught her big break.

Three days after graduation, she was working the ticket window and doing anything the boss wanted done at the Steel Yard Stadium, home of the Gary Southshore Railcats -- for $400 a month.

Gameday for the minor league Railcats translated into 12 hours at the ballpark for Sarnecki.

"But it was great just having a job that's a little different, that's in something you have a passion for like baseball, something that you've always followed," Sarnecki said on a recent morning at the ballpark.

"I never thought I'd have a chance to work for a baseball team," she added.

Sometimes, 12-hour days still are a fact-of-life for the 23-year-old Munster native with a ready smile.

But she now holds the title of Railcats director of community relations. She has her own office, which she has decorated with posters of Notre Dame football past and present.

And the job is year-round, full time, and pays more than the internship, Sarnecki said.

About 60 percent of college students will do one or more internships or co-op work programs in their four years of college, according to a 2007 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

No one keeps data on how many students do internships after graduation, but the number is increasing, according to college career center directors.

"I don't discourage people from doing a post-grad internship," said Stacie Jeffirs, director of the Center for Career Opportunities at St. Mary's College. "For some students, they can be wonderful."

There will be people who think it's a waste to time to do a low-paid internship after college. But for a grad who wants to work in a field where he or she have no experience, or even little course work, an internship can pay off, Jeffirs said.

Recent surveys on those who do internships while still in college show they pay off.

Employers reported offering full-time jobs to 70 percent of their interns, in one survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Internships even can work for those in grad school or looking for a career change.

Railcats Assistant General Manager Becky Kremer worked as a computer programmer for a couple of years after graduating from St. Mary's College with a degree in computational math.

Two years of plugging away at programming code was enough for the former college varsity tennis player, who decided she'd rather do something she was passionate about.

While working on a masters degree, Kremer went to a Chicago Wolves job fair in 2004. From there, she landed an internship with the Railcats. She's now second-in-command at the 6,000-seat stadium.

"I've always loved sports," she said. "I played in high school and college and I loved it. Then I found out I could make a living in sports."