Internships are important for many college students: they can give students a taste of their desired career path while adding to the all-too-important “job experience” section of their resumés.
To an employer, interns — especially unpaid ones — can take some grunt work that their full-time employees don’t have time to complete. However, internships may not have as many advantages as students are led to believe. Students need to be selective about their internships, making sure that they will, in reality, reap the potential benefits.
The primary issue that students have is related to unpaid internships. Many students receive internship positions in their industry only to end up cleaning bathrooms or fetching coffee. There are government regulations to ensure that students are receiving legal compensation for their work, but they have yet to meet the growing interest in unpaid internships. An increasing amount of employers are realizing the potential for free labor, and students are eager to gain job experience in an economy that is still struggling to open jobs for recent graduates.
Although the potential for “free labor” is a prominent issue regarding internships, there are still many students who are willing to take unpaid internships in exchange for experience and college credit. However, it is unclear how much an internship will affect future employment. A survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) revealed that just 37 percent of graduates with an unpaid internship got at least one job offer, compared to 35.2 percent of graduates without any internship. Clearly, unpaid internships do not give graduates a distinct employment advantage.
Unpaid internships are oftentimes not worth the effort. Instead, consider investing that valuable time on classwork, extracurricular activities, or even a “regular” job while in college. Having a paid job may help you stay afloat post-graduation to find jobs successfully. Leadership positions in extracurricular activities may also help employment, especially if you have passion in the activity. An unpaid internship, on the other hand, may or may not help you find a job.
The best alternative to an unpaid internship is a paid internship. In the same survey from NACE, 63.1 percent of graduates who had a paid internship got at least one job offer. This could be because employers end up hiring interns after their paid internship, but it is also due to the nature of the positions. Paid interns are not seen as volunteers. As a result, paid interns can oftentimes cite work truly related to their desired industry in their resumé.
Students need to consider all options when applying to internships. Unpaid internships are risky and may not help students’ employability. Take a paid internship if possible: not only will you get paid for your work, but you will also more likely increase your employability post-graduation.
Trying to figure out where to find those coveted internships? DU Career Services offers many methods for searching for internships on their website. You can also visit the Career Services in Driscoll Student Center South for more information.
Students also often overlook professors, who are great resources for finding internships or jobs. If you talk to professors in your major, they will most likely have great connections in your field. You can also talk to professors even if you haven’t had a class with them — just don’t forget to send them an email ahead of time to see if they’re willing to chat with you.
