Internships are the work of the devil
Have you taken a look at the job ads lately? If you’re one of the lucky ones who hasn’t had to, I’ll let you in on what’s been going on. Normal, seemingly respectable companies are turning over more and more real, vital positions to decent, hardworking employees, and then not giving them any paychecks. Surely, you say, there must be some sort of stipend or school credit offered, or at least a Metrocard? I’m afraid to tell you, sometimes they don’t even pay for lunch.
What kind of inhumane country am I talking about here? Why, it’s our good old U.S. of A., a land that once stood for opportunity, social mobility, and a belief that if you worked hard enough, you’d be rewarded with a life full of all the joys and possessions your heart desired.
But times have changed, and with the economy in shambles and another dot-com bubble burst seeming more and more likely, the job market is feeling the pinch. Plus, with the new boom in virtual business, blogging and social networking, everyone’s convinced they have the next best thing, and they therefore come to the conclusion that they should be able to build their whole business on the backs of unpaid workers. How does this make sense? They’ll blow five grand on a swanky new reception desk for their crappy loft space in the Meat Packing district, then decide that since they’re trying to make a magazine, or a lifestyle website, or a celebrity blog, they’d better get around to hiring some writers sooner or later. But there’s certainly no room in the budget for something as piddling as content.
It’s even worse in the TV and film industry. Everyone acts like they’re doing you some grand favor by letting you come in and lick their boots ten hours a day and then go home with pockets as empty as when you started. Then they load all these stressful responsibilities on you like you’re a full-time employee! I say you can’t have it both ways; you get what you pay for.
Well, if you’re looking for an unpaid internship (with school credit!) that doesn’t include work of any kind, but merely drinking with us and, if you choose, writing articles that you get to publish for all the world to see, drop us a line! We don’t pay much, but what we do pay, we pay in the form of beer.
But seriously, internships are messed up, and I’m not the first to say so. There’s actually a legitimate, growing movement to have them banned. I say, awesome! Workers should be paid for their labor. Period. Now where’s that intern? My beer is empty.
