Internships are a cornerstone of higher education, providing students with real working experience to prepare for their respective field — but they don’t always keep the lights on.
For many students, each day is a balancing act. Hours devoted to lectures, rehearsals and assignments compete with working shifts to cover rent, food and in some cases other dependents.
Often, students take on jobs within industries of little interest to build a foundation for a better one. The margin for error is so slim that any additional commitment can feel impossible to take on.
This causes many to miss out on career advancement opportunities altogether, because squeezing in 20-plus hours of unpaid labor is simply unrealistic for working students.
Unpaid and unaffordable opportunities cater to students who are more financially stable and can afford working long hours for little or no compensation. It’s an outdated form of labor students are still expected to accept if they have any hope of advancing their careers.
Paul Bokelman, a senior with some internship experience already under his belt, sees the advantage some financially supported students possess.
“There’s a better opportunity for an unpaid internship if your financial situation is good,” Bokelman said. “You have an advantage there, because other students can’t afford to do that.”
Finding an internship in the first place can be a daunting task for students. Applicants must market themselves to employers and often settle for little or no compensation in exchange for professional experience. Students with financial responsibilities and tuition fees require opportunities that compensate them fairly and by only offering unpaid internships, advancement opportunities become out of reach.
Bokelman, a Computer Science major, describes unpaid internships as “pretty common” although he usually avoids them out of “self-respect” and necessity.
“You can get the same value in a paid internship versus an unpaid internship, so I wouldn’t do it because I know that I could find one that would pay me,” he said. “If you’re producing some value for the company, I think they should absolutely pay you.”
Currently, he pays $900 for room and board every month, making a steady job the only option to keep himself enrolled in school. He currently works two internships to keep himself afloat, and while both pay him enough to get by, he admits, “it would be nice to make more, that’s for sure.”
For fellow senior Zoe Sexauer, a double major in Music Performance and Illustration, pay is not the only issue in play — it’s time.
She practices her instrument for about two hours per day — roughly 14 hours a week — while balancing her retail job to cover basic living expenses. Traditional internships are uncommon within her major, but affording to participate in other career development opportunities can be a struggle.
She recalled a peer who had to forgo a major clarinet conference simply because they couldn’t spare the time away from work and class. Events like these offer essential networking and mentorship opportunities for her major, but without proper financial support, they swiftly become out of the question.
“It’s an opportunity to see other musicians, to talk to them about their performance experiences,” Sexauer said. “It’s one of the only ways to be able to advance your career and he couldn’t afford to get to this clarinet conference.”
When access to these experiences depends on a student’s financial security or their availability, it leaves students behind. Yet institutions are starting to rethink what internships can look like.
Debbie Kaylor, director of career services, works with the different colleges on campus to build out the internship programs’ accessibility. She brainstorms new alternatives with faculty, students and employers to fit internships into a modern student’s packed schedule.
“Students can think creatively about internships and not just assume that an internship is three credits,” Kaylor said. “There’s flexibility, so let’s sit down and talk about how we fit this in.”
Career Services works to establish work study partnerships to receive pay or to integrate internships into existing responsibilities. If a perfectly suited opportunity arises, career services works with employers and the student to ensure it does not slip away.
“Let’s think about what type of project or different area of the job you can take on to develop skills and do an internship within the job you’re already working at,” she continued. “We need to grow the internship program with everything around us.”
It’s clear the current internship infrastructure was not crafted for today’s students — but it can evolve if it’s advocated for. To bridge the gap of internship inequity, employers must compensate interns fairly and remain mindful of time constraints that shape their lives. While interns should advocate for their worth and not jeopardize their livelihood for a line on a resume.
Reimagining career development means ensuring every student can keep the lights on to build a future worth stepping into.
