Are Unpaid Internships Worth Your Time?

I have a Twitter account, as I'm sure millions of other people do. I use it mostly to keep up with current events around the world, and follow NY Times, The Economist, NPR, BBC World News, and many more to keep me up to date.

While browsing my account, I ran across this article, "Unpaid Internships Don't Always Deliver" in The New York Times, for those of you who hate to read, I'll sum it up for you:

It says that unpaid internships are on the rise, and though many argue they are a great way to gain work experience, it is not always the case. Because of the decline in paying jobs, and the increase of unpaid internships,  it has brought up a lot of questions about whether unpaid internships violate the law, since many argue that the positions available include only menial work, such as getting coffee or picking up dry cleaning.  And have nothing to do with learning anything valuable about the industry they're working in.

Recent graduates are now concerned that there aren't any viable alternatives, as "job growth is weak, and the unemployment rate for 20- to 24-year-olds was 13.2% in April" (which, for those of you keeping up at home, is more than 5% higher than the nationwide unemployment rate of 8.1% in April). 

The article goes on the explain that because of the "menial work" done at internships some interns have sued the companies, because they were not properly compensated for their work. Many argued that being and unpaid intern, just didn't give them the experience or tools they had originally thought the internship promised.

There's more, but that's the gist of the article. I do however encourage you to read the comment section of the article. Now, I wholeheartedly believe that when you start working, you begin at the bottom and work yourself up the ladder. This only  happens after you have you put in your time, sweat, blood and tears into a position and a lot of these people feel entitled to earn the same wages as people that have been there for years, and that's just not the case.

Now, I don't want this to ever happen to any of you, so I have compiled some tips to find out if an internship is right for you:

-Is the company reputable? Are they able to work around your school schedule? What is their mission statement? Make sure you know all of these, if they stand for something you don't believe in, why would you want to work for them to begin with?

-Most college departments have lists of companies their students have worked  for, if not, search your university's career resource center, they usually have internship and job postings.

-Find out whether or not there is a possibility to be hired on for a position after your time as an intern. Check to see what positions you'd be interested in working for that company, if that is a possibility.

-Make sure that the company you're thinking about working for is in a field you'd like to work for in the long run. You wouldn't want to waste 3 months in a field you absolutely hate.

-If it is unpaid, are there other benefits that come with the position, such as meeting people who could potentially hire you, or do they host networking events for their company, that you could attend.

-Use social media to find out more about a company. Sites such as LinkedIn, which are sites that connect people to their professional networks, are a great way to find people who are currently working at a particular company. You could ask them questions about their time at the company, what to expect or what you could do to potentially be hired. Twitter and Facebook are other such sites.

-Use your own family/friend network, to see if there are any positions available at a company. Family is (for the most part) always willing to help you out in your journey after graduation, don't feel ashamed or burdensome if you ask them for help. They probably did the same thing to find a job.

-Finally, always keep a positive attitude when you're looking for an internship, have faith (or hope or an open mind) that the internship or job that is right for you will eventually come along, but until then you just have to keep looking. 

I'd love to hear some of your experiences at an internship, or if you have any tips for those looking for an internship.

N

Recent Grads and Job Searches

My name is Nelda, I recently graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in International Development and a minor in Economics. Fancy, huh?

So what IS international development? 

Great question! International development is the social aspect of international business. It addresses issues, such as poverty alleviation, politics and governance, economics, human rights, education, healthcare and environmental issues, that plague developing countries.

This wonderful degree, is not however technical by any means. Most of the courses you take are theoretical, and although you take some of the same classes as your BBA counterparts, its is (I repeat) NOT TECHNICAL.

So you're asking why does this even matter?

Another great question! Well, this is the reason for this blog: As a recent graduate from a prestigious university, I have yet to find a job that encompasses the qualifications of my development degree. Most jobs now-a-days (you know after the whole economy almost collapsing thing) are technical, business oriented, you know making money, which for the most part, are NOT in the business of making the world a better place. So far I have a $100,000 degree with nothing to show for it. I'm either over qualified for a position, or not qualified enough. And at times, I feel like a complete and total failure.

I wanted to write this blog to vent my frustrations in trying to find a job after working so hard to finally receive my degree. I wanted to do this to help those who are in the thralls of the job search, in the hopes that they can be reassured that they are not alone in this struggle. There are so many recent graduates in the same place, still looking for a job, feeling like a burden on their parents, or working at a menial job, because nothing better has come along.

I am fighting that same fight.

I hope that you continue to follow my blog, as I tell the blog world of my trials and tribulations in finding that perfect job, my daily struggles and about my life in general.

See you soon,
N