Coming from a home where there was always a shortage of money, I can understand how frustrating it can be when it comes time to find internships. It often times boils down to choosing between an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity and an okay, run-of-the-mill internship that most college kids are forced to take.
The large companies have a hold on college students because, well, they are large and every college student who wants a fair chance at a great job after college wants that internship stamped on their resume. Although any internship is appreciated, why should students have to choose that run-of-the-mill internship when it won’t add much weight to their resume?
I can safely assume that these large companies have a budget large enough to spare a few dollars for a motivated college student, but they consistently offer “experience” without the pay. Financially, I, myself, cannot afford to choose an unpaid internship because I am paying my entire school bill without the help of family support.
As if that is not challenging enough, getting a decent internship to help increase experience in my field, and one that offers a little bit of monetary reward is nearly impossible. A student who is financially independent needs an opportunity to receive both the well-deserved experience as well as the salary to keep them afloat.
Getting an internship for credit may seem positive, but if you think about how much money you are spending on these credits and how much time you are spending interning somewhere that may not be paying you anything, then you can see that this internship for credit is really digging a bigger hole for you.
How can students spend thousands of dollars for a credited internship, and spend the time interning for no money while letting the bills pile up? It shouldn’t have to be this difficult for college students to find a place to gain a real, work-setting, experience while being paid for expenses or relief with student loans.
Time and time again I am forced to remember that I come from a home where money was always a little short, and the playing field is never flat. Often times my legs get tired from fighting this uphill battle, and I guarantee I am not in this alone.
It is a slap in the face for companies to be handing out unpaid internships especially when unemployment is so very low. They receive free service while the student struggles to make ends meet just hoping that when they graduate this internship will allow them to receive a job worthy of a college degree.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released information on the percentages of unemployment in January of this year, which still stands at over 8 percent. Finding a job is a struggle for thousands of college students, and the struggle points its finger at universities all over the country.
Internships, if they were all to be paid, would be a great asset to providing college kids with a little extra support in financing their educations. I know it is not cheap to attend a high level academic school, but paid internships would absolutely start students off on the right foot upon graduating giving them less debt, and an incredible work experience.
Matthew Davis is a sophomore writing major from Philadelphia, Penn.
