Unpaid pays more than you know

Written by: Bronwyn Huddleson 

Internships are seen as a key component of landing the job you really wish to have, a sort of bridge from college to career. A lot of internships can be completed through your college or university, many others in surrounding areas of your college or where you live, but one thing that seems to shy students away from internship opportunities is the pay. Most internships for college students, and for a lot of liberal arts majors, are unpaid. I, personally, in the past have skipped over many chances to apply for internships because they were unpaid. Who wants to go work for three months over the summer, or during the school year, and not be making money? Well, most people don’t, but more people are starting to realize that they should. The money is not what we should be concerned about yet, as students, because the experience is what is going to land us jobs, not money. 

I have learned that making connections and networking with people in many different fields and many different cities, has broadened my horizon for career options. Earning a career is a lot about what you know, but do not doubt it when people say you can get a job because of who you know. I had a 16 hour internship, just a couple weeks ago, and although it was short, it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had that I can relate to my major and what I want to do after graduation. It was not paid in money, but in people and connections, I am building the ladder to success and adding more and more people to it. After this 16 hour internship I was told that I should apply for the full three month summer internship, (that would also be unpaid). Based on the people I met in just that short frame of time, I knew that it would be wise to apply for the three month long experience because I would meet a hundred more people, and it would be even more rewarding than the first time. Long term internships are a lot of work and it seems like something you should be paid for, but you are paid, just not with money. 

Since being an intern here for the College of Liberal Arts Career Development, I have met many more people to add to my network, and learned so much that I would not have otherwise learned on my own. Not only am I enduring many experiences, but I am developing a skill set for a wide variety of things, many outside of my major’s skills. I am learning things that are benefitting me in ways that a regular paid job would not. Although money is tight, it is worth it. I cannot work at my regular part time job very much, but the amount of time I spend working for my internship has paid me with much more than the money from my job would. I also know that when I put these two unpaid internships on my resume, they are going to be looked at far more closely than the regular job that may be paid but not in experience for the career I want to have. Even in person at an interview or when you are just making connections and telling people about your experiences, people are going to want to hear much more about the internships you had than the small part time job you had. They won’t even be concerned about whether or not you were paid in money. These are the things you have to think about when looking for internships, and deciding between the full-time paid job for the summer or school year, or the unpaid internship. The experiences you have, the connections you make, and the skill-set you build and portray are all important factors that come from those unpaid internships. These factors are not worth missing out on because you want to make money in the short term, because the long term career you earn from experiences like internships is much more rewarding and lasting.