A college internship could either be a college student’s best opportunity or a complete waste of time.
Although internships provide an exclusive look into a student’s career choice, many of the internships are unpaid even if they are required for graduation, which is a problem for students like Kyland Evans.
“An unpaid internship can take away time you could be using to make money or study for an assignment,” Evans said. “You may feel as though you’re doing productive work, but some people may not respect that you’re not getting paid for what you do.”
Evans began his unpaid internship working in politics. He was able to gain hands-on experience and knowledge for the field of work that interests him.
“It was a good learning experience for me,” Evans said. “I believe that unpaid internships can be beneficial depending on how early into a field you are. They’re great for learning the basics of what’s expected of you when you finally get a job related to that line of work, but after you reach a level of expertise and have specific duties, you should be paid.”
Unpaid internships make some students question whether the experience is worth it. Some see it as a way for companies to acquire free labor.
“I believe unpaid internships can be exploitation and opportunity,” Evans said. “It does give the intern a chance to grow and hone their skills, but it would be silly to say that companies don’t save money by hiring someone to work for free.”
Other students, such as Gabrielle Williams, managed to find work as a paid intern using previous, unpaid internships as a starting point.
“As people’s life responsibilities grow, it becomes hard to spend time producing content without receiving payment in return,” Williams said. “I would recommend an unpaid internship to anyone who is trying to get experience, so they can get a paid one.”
To Williams, one of the biggest benefits students gain from any internship, paid or otherwise, is real-world experience.
“Experiences are vital,” Williams said. “But most paid internships do not hire anyone who doesn’t have experience. Luckily, the biggest advantage to unpaid internships is that they give students a chance to get that experience.”
Yolanda Dillard, the University of Memphis assistant director of employer relations and experiential learning, recommends internships to every student, whether they are paid or unpaid.
“First, I recommend that every student have at least one internship experience, paid or unpaid,” Dillard said. “However, if the choice is between no internship and an unpaid internship, I would highly encourage students to think carefully about the impact and benefit of gaining real-world work experience.”
Other than experience, unpaid internships also give students different, beneficial perks.
“Obviously the biggest disadvantage is that students are not compensated financially,” Dillard said. “However, some employers may provide other perks such as free meals or discounts on products or services. An additional challenge is when students are seeking to earn academic credit for the internship experience.”
Dillard said although there are many pros and cons to having an unpaid internship, a college student in pursuit of job experience of any kind can benefit from having either type of internship.
“I always encourage students to evaluate their personal situation and carefully weigh the pros and cons against their current commitments,” Dillard said “Students should also decide rationally and consider what the experience may provide in the long-term versus short-term. Students should also know if their academic program requires an internship, as that often motivates them to consider unpaid internships. In the end, real-world experience cannot be overlooked.”
