I have had it up to here with talk about unpaid and for-credit-only internships. While I consider myself one of the most active supporters of young professionals, I’m here to say: stop playing the victim!
If you “can’t afford” an unpaid internship, don’t take it. If you don’t receive any benefit from a for-credit internship (other than the experience), don’t take it. No one is forcing these options on you! There are millions of internship opportunities in the U.S. alone. A lot of them pay and don’t require you to fork over money upfront for the opportunity.
Why the rant? I read a post on CampusSplash.com called, “The For-Credit Summer Internship— and Why it Sucks.” If you are still reading this post instead of writing me a seething comment, you’re about to get a valuable financial lesson.
Just because you are given an opportunity doesn’t mean you should take it. Don’t believe me? Ask all the people who now have to mortgage their homes (a horrible situation in which everyone involved is at fault, including those who accepted the too-good-to-be-true loans).
Not all internships are created for all individuals. The full-time unpaid internship (which should be illegal no matter what, IMHO)? Not meant for the student paying her own way through college. The for-credit-only internship? Not meant for students who either aren’t required to take an internship for credit through their school or need the credits (as electives) to graduate. If you’re not in either of those situations, why would you pay for the privilege of interning somewhere? That’s just not common sense.
Pay doesn’t always equate to the experience you will receive. In fact, I would argue that it doesn’t correlate most of the time. Let’s take a leap into the “real world” of full-time jobs. Do you think the highest paid ones are the best and the lowest paid ones are the worst? As a long-time nonprofit worker, I would beg to differ. The same goes for internships. Stop thinking of them only in a financial sense. There are way many more factors for you to consider before accepting the position.
You’re not a victim, so stop acting like one. There’s always a choice. Yes, internships are pretty much required in every field these days, but there’s an internship out there that’s a perfect fit for your situation. Don’t accept anything less. And if you want help evaluating your options, you know how to reach me.
