Internships are Weird

It quite surprised me to learn how much of the process of finding a career is dependent on internship and volunteer work. I’ve done quite a bit of volunteer work back when I was in high school in fighting Autism, and still do when I get the chance. That said though, now I’m heavily considering seeking employment from elsewhere. Truth be told, I’m still not entirely certain what I want to do, but having this extra bit of credentials couldn’t hurt.

That said, the idea of unpaid interns seems like a very scummy practice. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I was under the impression that unpaid intern work was technically illegal. But even more to the point, their reasoning behind trying to convince people to take them is completely backwards. “If you love doing something enough, you’ll do it for free.” Even if that is true for someone, and in most cases it wouldn’t be, people also enjoy being able to do things like pay for food, pay their electric and water bill, and pay their rent. However, there is a common theme that is needed to do any of the following: YOU NEED MONEY. How exactly do companies expect college graduates, most of whom are up to their eyeballs in debt, expect them to work for free and possibly support themselves doing so?

Companies may also claim that it “Builds character” or that they’ll “Give them a good reference when they seek later employment”, both of which is completely ludicrous. “Building Character” is just what someone says when they are trying to get someone to do something unpleasant. And as for holding a good reference over your head, couldn’t they also just as easily give you a good review while also paying AT LEAST minimum wage?

Overall, the concept of internships is a strange one to me, but I guess it’s just the way things work. Hopefully, an opportunity will present itself, but for now I look forward to the speakers to show what’s out there.