Stop Starving Interns
As a college kid, scoring an internship is a big deal.
It gets you away from the minimum wage serving job you’d been suffering through for the past three years, providing a source of income that you can take true pride in, because it actively contributes to your professional pathway. You’re not just some young schmuck anymore — you’re an adult, working with adults, doing work for adult clients.
Unless it’s unpaid — in that case, you’re still just a kid with a dream.
I, myself, went into my first unpaid internship with a heavy sense of entitlement. My first marketing internship paid quite well, so going into another position without financial incentive felt like I was regressing. It also rendered life completely void of fun, since I had no money or free time.
I was forced to pick up my past serving job and work some shifts at the local climbing gym just to get by, all while juggling five classes and an internship that seemed hellbent on starving me to death. If you were working while going to school, you’re likely aware of the balancing act I’m referring to.
My biggest frustration was how others would respond to my status as a struggling intern.
“Well, what you’re gaining in experience makes up for the lack of pay!”
“You should just be grateful for the opportunity to work in your chosen field.”
“Stop complaining, we all had it hard in college.”
Whenever someone responded to my irritation in one of these ways, it was obvious they’d never worked an unpaid internship before. Funny how people give input or advice on things they’ve never experienced firsthand.
You can’t survive off of experience. Plenty of interns don’t have the privilege of staying at home with their parents as I did, saving money on food and rent expenses. Even then, it was hard to get by. CEOs and hiring managers, it’s time to reclaim your souls.
Young adults between the ages of 19 and 22 shouldn’t be juggling three different obligations just to attend school, gain relevant experience, and make enough to barely get by. Though they often have shorter shifts, interns work too. Hell, they’re there to work. Shorter shifts mean less pay already, so don’t skimp out completely.
Work ’em, and then pay ’em. Treat them like adults, because that’s what they are. Present financial incentive is more important to interns than experience that will contribute to a salary down the line, trust me. They have years to figure that out. Alleging that your company’s training is invaluable enough to nix pay? Absolute hubris. What they need now is work, experience, and the pay that follows.
So, work ’em, and then pay ’em.