A lot has been made of the recently passed regulations of unpaid internships and whether or not such positions undermine minimum wage laws. Proponents of such internships claim that students and young people trying to break into an industry are paid in experience, knowledge and a resume booster, in lieu of cash. Opponents argue that interns are given menial tasks that teach them little about the company they work for and are simply used to do the work no one else wants to do without pay. The Department of Labor recently issued guidelines, essentially trying to do away with the latter fear. However, this, to some degree misses the point.
There are almost no true "entry-level" jobs anymore. Even positions listed as "entry-level" require "experience" and anything, say, at the "associate" level can require up to 3-5 years of experience. Where can one get this experience? Through unpaid internships, of course.
Here's the problem: not every student has the time and ability to work for no money outside of coursework. Some students actually work paid jobs to cover tuition, living expenses, books, etc. In the age of the All-Mighty Student Loan, companies just figure a student can put it on his tab and pay it down the road, but not everyone can (or wants to) go into such tremendous debt. Also, some students take serious course loads and simply don't have the time, outside of studying, to work a job as well.
By requiring experience to get a job and then offering that experience through unpaid internships, something that a huge majority of companies do, they are essentially saying "if you want a job, you're going to have to be willing to work without pay for a time." They have, basically, created an absolute need to work for free if you want employment down the line. The kicker is, of course, that if students all refused to work for free the companies would have to pay them- the "experienced" employees sure don't want to sort that mail!
There are almost no true "entry-level" jobs anymore. Even positions listed as "entry-level" require "experience" and anything, say, at the "associate" level can require up to 3-5 years of experience. Where can one get this experience? Through unpaid internships, of course.
Here's the problem: not every student has the time and ability to work for no money outside of coursework. Some students actually work paid jobs to cover tuition, living expenses, books, etc. In the age of the All-Mighty Student Loan, companies just figure a student can put it on his tab and pay it down the road, but not everyone can (or wants to) go into such tremendous debt. Also, some students take serious course loads and simply don't have the time, outside of studying, to work a job as well.
By requiring experience to get a job and then offering that experience through unpaid internships, something that a huge majority of companies do, they are essentially saying "if you want a job, you're going to have to be willing to work without pay for a time." They have, basically, created an absolute need to work for free if you want employment down the line. The kicker is, of course, that if students all refused to work for free the companies would have to pay them- the "experienced" employees sure don't want to sort that mail!
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