when i was in high school i had an internship in metallurgical engineering at a steel mill. i don't think this was exactly a 'real' internship, so i didn't vote.
i guess it was vaguely exploitative? i don't think it was meant to be, but i knew more about supercalc (lol) than my mentors did, so i was somewhat useful. and i didn't mind, because i was a high schooler living at home.
needless to say, my work on the tensile strength of various steel recipes has had no practical use in my adult life.
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 00:38 (1 year ago) Permalink
I think at some point in life taking an internship is also undervaluing yourself. You've had work experiences, you have life experience, you be confident that you're capable of bringing something to a job that is worth paying you money for.
― Scott, bass player for Tenth Avenue North (Hurting 2), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 02:20 (1 year ago) Permalink
True but they can definitely come in handy if you want to make a career change and gain experience in a field you've not previously worked in as was the case with me and the internship I took on at 28. I was also working full time but worked out an arrangement where I could do both.
― wolf kabob (ENBB), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 02:25 (1 year ago) Permalink
i think it v. much depends on the field
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 02:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
21st, unpaid at the NT Daily, college paper at university of north texas. I was at that uni for one year and did this internship for one semester, copy assistant. p sure I got this position bc I "wrote" for stylus magazine for two seconds, bc I was not a journalism major but had some writing samples and had edited my HS paper.
2nd, paid, summer internship at the US census bureau while I was in college. had maybe 15 hours worth of actual work per 40 hours a week which was fine bc i had crazy bad social anxiety bouts during this. unrelated, I nearly met TOMBOT on this trip which wd have bumped my number of ilxors met irl to 1.
― arsenio and old ma$e (m bison), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 02:35 (1 year ago) Permalink
could never have afforded to be an intern, were it even a thing over here
― pet tommy & the barkhaters (darraghmac), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 11:02 (1 year ago) Permalink
Most internships I hear about would have been 1st jobs a few years ago. For those who can afford it (parents) it's just working for free so that you can put something on your CV. Quite a lot seem to 'extend' or string people along for months and months. There seems to be more of a trend of actually paying minimum wage at the moment..
― mmmm, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 11:13 (1 year ago) Permalink
I am anti internship, they are super exploitative
― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Tuesday, May 8, 2012 11:56 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yeah, in short. paid internships are fine obv, at a company i worked for (not in the media) we had a steady procession of (paid) interns of varying degrees of eccentricity and entitlement - it was almost a disappointment when an intern turned out to be normal and hard-working and talented (at least one of those immediately got offered a permanent job with us though).
i had a fortnight's internship at the times at the end of my second year of university. no wages but travel expenses etc paid. a piece of research/writing was the most important bit of the application, it wasn't a "daddy knows someone who knows someone at the paper" deal. wasn't living in london then, stayed at super-cheap b&b (it would've been no more expensive than a student-cheap holiday). anyway when i graduated the following year i managed to ride that into nearly a year of doing various shifts at the times (which i then did v little with at the time but never mind) so i'd say it was pretty crucial.
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 11:32 (1 year ago) Permalink
I think there is probably a divide between what is termed an internship in the US and what I'm familiar with in the UK. In the UK there is an established concept of 'work experience' which was carried out by 16+ and focuses on work ethics, timekeeping etc. In some sectors Internships are basically 'work experience' for university graduates who can be, and are often are, used more productively for the business.
― mmmm, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 11:35 (1 year ago) Permalink
i'm not sure how little it's regulated but UK internships vary so hugely, from basic school-age work experience deals to ethical/paid internships that can actually be a stepping stone to proper work to the unpaid ever-extending ones prevalent in eg the media, fashion etc that only kids w/money can afford to do.
― liberté, égalité, beyoncé (lex pretend), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 11:40 (1 year ago) Permalink
Post-university internships are definitely increasing in the UK. It's one of the biggest challenges to social mobility at the moment. The losers aren't the ones who are working for free, they're the ones whose parents can't afford to support their working for free and therefore have the door to a whole host of desirable industries shut in their faces. There needs to be proper enforcement of the minimum wage - it's routinely flouted, even by huge companies like the one i work for.
― Just like you, except hot (ShariVari), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 11:48 (1 year ago) Permalink
Totally agree with you there.
― mmmm, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 11:53 (1 year ago) Permalink
Internships aren't always full time positions though. None of the three I've had were and I also worked full time and went to school during two of them. Many interns only do the internship a couple days a week and do something else the rest of the time.
― wolf kabob (ENBB), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 12:13 (1 year ago) Permalink
That's true but the cost of living in the UK cities most of these internships are based in is generally so high it's not really viable for people to only get paid three days a week unless they're living with / supported by their parents.
― Just like you, except hot (ShariVari), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 12:18 (1 year ago) Permalink
In the UK there is an established concept of 'work experience' which was carried out by 16+ and focuses on work ethics, timekeeping etc.
I've never heard of this, but it sounds like something we could use in the US.
― Mordy, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 12:21 (1 year ago) Permalink
I had an unpaid internship for my final semester in college, doing prospect research for a non-profit org. I was very, very happy with it as it helped me find an application for my English major that I hadn't previously considered. The people who supervised me were really helpful in giving me assignments that I could put on a resume.
― how's life, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 12:21 (1 year ago) Permalink
Internships that do not provide ~ real ~ experience are shit. Putting an intern in "the environment" and reducing them to photocopy duties and menial crap and symbolic drudgery while telling them they're, say, paying their respects is essentially indentured servitude. Moreso b/c internships are de rigueur in many fields now, and offer now advantage/guarantee of employment.
Educational internships are a different beast, as Abbott said upstairs, but I don't think that it's fair to make teachers teach for free for a year, no matter what.
― et tu, twinkletoes? (remy bean), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 12:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
I can't classify it as an internship but I did do two weeks work experience in the early 90s. It involved working with Sacha Baron Cohen, so that was classic (in one way!)
― mmmm, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 12:46 (1 year ago) Permalink
Voted yes and not-so-good, in that it was boring and unpaid. But I can pretty much credit it for getting me in the door to a paid position in my field, so ultimately for me it was worthwhile.
― franny glass, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 16:35 (1 year ago) Permalink
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Monday, 14 May 2012 00:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Tuesday, 15 May 2012 00:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
http://baseballjobs.teamworkonline.com/teamwork/jobs/jobskey.cfm?s=New+York+Yankees#53909
DESCRIPTION: This is an opportunity for an undergraduate student or a recent graduate to gain first-hand experience in the logistical elements involved in the day-to-day operations of a Major League Baseball club.
- Must be available to work 81 regular season home games, and potential post season games- Are you able to commit to this internship through October, 2013?- Bilingual English and Spanish is preferred but not required
there are also internships available in the video editing, web development and statistical analysis departments! and you know, ppl love their sports and their yanquis and there's probably lots of demand! ffs
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 27 March 2013 23:37 (1 month ago) Permalink