Are unpaid internships really worth it?
Everyone should read this article about unpaid internships. This describes what the majority of college grads are facing and how I feel about working for free. The free labor has expanded from the creative industry to fashion houses, law firms, and even the government. Internships are so common nowadays that it's pretty much required to get ANY job.
While I am just as frustrated as the next person about working for free, especially after college, I will argue why I decided to take an unpaid internship in NYC after graduating. I don't come from money or status, I went to a high school where the majority of students are on free or reduced lunch because of low income and I'm one of the very few who left Portland for college, and my dad is not friends with an editor who will hook me up with a job. The requirement of internships separates the rich from the poor. Those who can afford to work for free will get the experience and connections needed to become successful while those who have to work hard are stuck in between a college degree and a job at the local grocery store. This only furthers the distance between classes and only hurts the economics in this country.
I refuse to let a little thing like money get in the way of my future. I may be from Portland and may be the nicest girl you know, but I will knock those Jersey girls out the door because it is my turn. It's not about money, it's about your mindset and how hard you are willing to work for what you want.
Here's my lesson to my readers: never let a risk scare you. Never let money stop you. Don't let others talk you out of something you want to do. Because in the end you'll regret never taking that risk and that's the worst kind of regret. So if you have to sleep on a couch and waitress nights to become the senior editor and respected journalist you've always wanted to be, then by god forget those Jersey girls with the money and show them who's boss.
While I am just as frustrated as the next person about working for free, especially after college, I will argue why I decided to take an unpaid internship in NYC after graduating. I don't come from money or status, I went to a high school where the majority of students are on free or reduced lunch because of low income and I'm one of the very few who left Portland for college, and my dad is not friends with an editor who will hook me up with a job. The requirement of internships separates the rich from the poor. Those who can afford to work for free will get the experience and connections needed to become successful while those who have to work hard are stuck in between a college degree and a job at the local grocery store. This only furthers the distance between classes and only hurts the economics in this country.
I refuse to let a little thing like money get in the way of my future. I may be from Portland and may be the nicest girl you know, but I will knock those Jersey girls out the door because it is my turn. It's not about money, it's about your mindset and how hard you are willing to work for what you want.
Here's my lesson to my readers: never let a risk scare you. Never let money stop you. Don't let others talk you out of something you want to do. Because in the end you'll regret never taking that risk and that's the worst kind of regret. So if you have to sleep on a couch and waitress nights to become the senior editor and respected journalist you've always wanted to be, then by god forget those Jersey girls with the money and show them who's boss.
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