Paid internships are highly coveted, especially in the down economy. Lots of companies have eliminated paid internships in favor of unpaid. The New York Times’ article The Unpaid Intern, Legal or Not, exposed the challenges of working as an unpaid intern. Yes—it’s challenging to juggle class, an internship and a paid job—but the first goal of any internship is experience, not a paycheck. The Times forgot this.
When I started interning I assumed that a paid internship meant the company wanted to provide students with a reality check of what a job in their field would really entail. I was wrong. My first paid internship was neither stimulating nor a good learning experience. I was a paper-pusher. It was more like a job, not an internship. My next three internships were unpaid but they all provided more opportunities for learning and professional growth than the paid one did.
The unpaid internships provided genuine, but unprofitable, work experience. However, an engineering intern I know landed his first internship this summer; it’s been a wonderful learning experience and pays double minimum wage.
I have yet to see a correlation between the pay grade at an internship and the quality of the program. Before starting your next internship, ask students who have worked for the company previously. Word of mouth is the best source to find out which internships pay in money and which in experience. 

Amy Fleishans, of “Fleishans Fridays,” writes a bi-monthly feature about getting and succeeding in multiple internships before graduation. Fleishans runs a blog about nutritious college cooking here.
Amy is studying at Arizona State University and will soon graduate with a BA in public relations from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, a minor in music and a passion for classic British literature.
Follow Amy’s adventures at her 5th internship this summer! @amyfleishans

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