The concern for many students is finding and landing a job after graduation, and one particularly fantastic way towards getting a job is obtaining an internship opportunity during school. According to Coco’s research, currently, the number of students participating in internship opportunities continues to grow as more and more schools offer structured programs (1). In terms of internship opportunities, there are many different types and varieties such as volunteer, stipend, and paid and unpaid internships. Anya Kamenetz, a columnist for The Village Voice, firmly believes, though, that unpaid internships has several downfalls and disadvantages for students and for the economy as a whole. According to her arguments, students should take paid …show more content…
internships or part-time jobs instead of unpaid internships. She emphasizes and brings up important notions that does require attention, but, overall, unpaid internships actually go beyond Kamenetz’s urgings. In fact, there are numerous issues about the concept and the idea of taking unpaid internships. Even though all of the reasons exist for students to work hard and do a good job, such as money and other benefits, there are also more intrinsic rewards other than the obvious. Contrary to Kamenetz’s stance, I believe truthfully, there are various benefits for students who complete an unpaid internship that they should not be dismayed from obtaining one. In the essay “Take This Internship and Shove it”, Kamenetz started her argument by telling her own story about her sister and herself of getting internships.
While she was an unpaid intern at a newspaper in her senior year, her sister is getting a volunteer and part-time job during the summer (191). By giving two examples of internships, she claims that unpaid internship is not “the best preparation for success” but she doesn’t explain why taking unpaid internship is wrong. She had not have any bad experience with unpaid internship as well. Right after that, she jumps to the issue that the growth of unpaid internships would have a bad influence for the labor market and for some careers. By raising another issue right after one, she is guilty of a slippery slope fallacy because of her assumption that unpaid internships affect the economy …show more content…
badly. Kamenetz points out how the unpaid internships affect living quality and future of students and lead student to “going further into debt”. She gives an example of paying more “money for the privilege of placement overseas or on Capitol Hill” for her warrant that students have to pay a lot for internships (191). However, the concern of extracurricular activities is not a valid reason to discourage unpaid internships. Students do not have to take expensive internships to gain experience which lately build up their debts. It depends on their personal goals and financial condition to decide which internships will benefit them. In fact, there would be easier and more options for them to find unpaid than paid internships because most of students consider paid before unpaid internships. Moreover, working for internships normally doesn’t last for a long time but just a few months before they are graduated, so that working for free over the summer is not an attractive option but it could provide invaluable experience of learning transferable skills. Besides, Kamenetz argues that the unpaid internships are the fake jobs and cannot be prepared for real jobs. She explains that the duties of unpaid internships range “from the menial to quasi-professional” so that they are only “simulations”. I disagree with her idea because practical environment allow individuals gaining experience and confidence before getting into the real world of work. According to Tepper…, internships can improve job-hunting skills in the process of applying and interviewing for internships and is also an achievement in and of itself, distinguishing a student from their peers. Nevertheless unpaid internships are fake jobs, students can gain hands-on experience that helps them develop the knowledge and skills required to gain entry into their fields. Even though Kamenetz stands on the side of benefit for students and she used to be an unpaid intern, she only reviews the down side of internship and expresses her exasperation about duties and environment of work. In the next topic, Kamenetz argues that interns work with “performative passion” and “I make sacrifices to work free, therefore I must love my work” (192) to emphasize the impact of unpaid interns over other workers. Even though unpaid internships do not provide money incentive, doing a good job also gives an intern a sense of pride by providing a product or service that’s meaningful and offers something to help others which comes with its own set of benefits and rewards. You have to love what you do in order to live a healthier lifestyle. Yes, it is also about not setting your mentality in that state but I think it is important to understand the balance. When you become grateful for your work, there is self-worth. Furthermore, Kamenetz stated that “an internship doesn’t teach you everything you need to know about coping in today’s working world”. (Kamenetz 191). In fact, internships help students expose to the practical side of a discipline and provide relevant work experience (cite). Moreover, intern students can gain valuable contacts through networking and have opportunity to work with outstanding individuals. For most students, participating in an internship is an important experience to complement the learning that student is doing in the classroom. In fact, interns who are teamed up with a mentor within the company are most likely the ones who will best learn about the organization’s culture and what it takes to be recognized by the company’s management team and ultimately to become more successful on the job (cite). That is the reason why internships have become an integral part of the college and universities curriculum in which they are optional or required (Tepper 1). Next, the fallacy in her argument is post hoc which is the first even must be the cause of the second.
She assumes that half of internships will be unpaid and thus affect the economy and will have an impact on the welfare of corporate America. Additionally, Kamenetz compares unpaid interns to illegal immigrants in terms of “over-supply of people willing to work…for nothing”. Therefore it is reason to lower the wages of labor market and is harmful for the U.S economy (192). She is also guilty of a false analogy fallacy because it is not a valid comparison. The analogy is merely descriptive and offer no proof between the unpaid internships and illegal immigrants being compared. Firstly, unpaid interns are legal while illegal immigrants are not. Secondly, unpaid interns are prospective employees who invest their time and exertion to gain experience and knowledge and then they will work, dedicate their knowledge and pay back to the U.S economy, whereas illegal immigrants just work for money and often being paid illegally under the table. In numerous studies, it against the labor laws and has undeniably negative economic effects in comparison with interns who have respectable impacts on the economy in the
future. Finally, she claims that if you “must do an internship”, find a paid one. Although most interns would prefer to get paid, the fact that an internship is paid does not always qualify it as a good internship because a great internship is the one provides the knowledge and skills required to become successful in a specific career field. There are many startling unpaid internships in the nonprofit world that provide excessive experience and exposure to the field (cite). Although the Department of Labor's Internship Guidelines are becoming stricter in requiring for profit companies to pay their interns, the fact that your internship is paid does not make it better than other internships where pay is not an option. (cite) Even though paid internships are better than unpaid internships in some aspects, unpaid internship is also a great idea for students having excellent opportunity to be hired in a professional environment in their field. To provide equal access to internship opportunities, unpaid internships should be announced broadly while schools and employer continue to create and administer successful internships programs. When this is the case, students must decide how valuable the experience will be to them and how much it will ultimately help them to achieve their future career goals.
Instead of a one day counseling seminar, the establishment of a one-stop-shop “resources center” with computers, provided a means to establish student connections, similar to the summer internship afforded to Bennet’s mentee. While not all students availed themselves of these academic assets, student change agents, such as Julissa, became easily identifiable, and evolved into strategic advantages to institutionalize the reform message. These advantages exposed the increased need for specialized course curriculum to accommodate students in limited socioeconomic circumstances; such as those working full time and teen-age mothers. How these individuals perceive themselves directly affects their decisions, such as if or where they go to school, any policy that deviations from their perception will, more often than not, have adverse
A majority of people believe that graduating from college will result in a well-paying job. Unfortunately, a degree will not secure a job for many graduates. In the U.S., the jobless rate for college graduates in 2012 was 7.7 percent, and has further increased in the past five years(Robinson). With such a large pool of unemployed citizens for employers to choose from, recent graduates are facing fewer opportunities for work due to little or no previous work experience(Robinson). Although many graduates are faced with unemployment, the majority do receive the opportunity to work. Sadly, many must work jobs they do not enjoy for salaries that make it difficult to make ends meet(Debate). Students are faced with mortgage-sized debts upon graduation, making it difficult for them to start businesses, buy cars or houses, or make other investments that would better the
In this article Nemko is illuminating the issues that our modern society is facing involving higher education. Students are starting off college with bare minimum requirements for next level learning and feeling disappointed when they are not succeeding in their courses. The author acknowledges that the courses being taken by students are sometimes not beneficial to life after college. Nemko states, “A 2006 study supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that 50 percent of college seniors scored below ‘proficient’ levels on a test that required them to do such basic tasks…”(525). Students are specializing in areas of learning to in turn be denied to working in that field and stuck with unnecessary skills. “Many college graduates are forced to take some very nonprofessional positions, such as driving a truck or tending bar”( ...
Kamenetz claims many things in her article. There are the claims of fact such as “84 percent of college students in April planned to complete at least one internship before graduating.” Other claims of fact are “internships promote over-identification with employers” and “…an influx of unpaid graduates kept wages down and patched up the gaps left by job cuts” (Kamenetz). With young workers being used to fill jobs that were previously cut only benefits the employer and ultimately harms the job market and the individual. Most of this article ...
Imagine telling a student who just graduated from college that you have wasted four years of hard, stressful and even worse, expensive work. Unfortunately, in this cynical society today, the world isn’t just full of competitors, but it’s full of greedy money-grabbing businesses. The worst businesses aren’t manufacturing or electric companies, but colleges and universities. In Caroline Bird’s essay “College is a Waste of Time and Money,” she examines how college has been viewed for so long as the best place to send high school grads no matter whether they actually want to go or not. She adds that students don’t realize how much college costs and are wasting their parents time and money, which is especially a horrible thing to waste. Now that the economy is better since September 11th and states have been stabilizing their budget debts, it doesn’t make sense that tuition prices higher than ever for college students.
In Caroline Bird’s “College is A Waste of Time and Money”, it’s argued that there are many college students who would be better off if they were to begin working after high school graduation. Colleges and universities can no longer ensure that one will go on to get a better job, getting paid more than they would have without a higher education. However, high school seniors still stress about where they will be attending college, how they’re going to pay for it and what they’re going to study for the next four years. Bird points out how college has changed over the past few decades and how, in turn, it has set many young adults up for disappointment, if nothing else.
Students spend four years of their lives attending high school. Going through high school is mandatory as it prepares them for college and strength to face “the real world.” Having part-time jobs has become the phenomenon among high school students and many students follow this trend as well. Moreover, there are some pros and cons attached with it. Though it may seem like working throughout high school is a bad idea, it could better prepare students for “the real world.” Although some people believe that the primary duty of a student is studying, I am of the opposite position. I strongly support the idea that high school students should work throughout high school. This is because they can earn money, become responsible and get experience.
Some people believe that the illegal immigrants are needed to fill in job positions were minimum skill is required, however there is no labor shortage, in fact the “unemployment among unskilled workers is high—about 30 percent”, demonstrating the overflow of unskilled workers (Malanga). If companies restrained themselves from accepting illegal workers, the chances for unskilled citizens to obtain jobs will increase and illegal immigrants might turn back home. However, most businessmen “want cheap labor that actually shows up and works”, so they stick to hiring illegal immigrants, only encouraging more to come pouring in (Reed 35). Once word of jobs accepting undocumented immigrants reaches families or friends of the hired illegal immigrant, it becomes a tempting deal that convinces further immigrants to come illegally despite the risks. This problem arises from the “employers who are ignoring the rules against hiring illegal immigrants” for their own benefit (Berlatsky). Since illegal immigrants have to remain cautious in the U.S. it becomes simple for employers to take advantage and hire them for cheap labor. Employers know illegal immigrants will not go “to the government to report that they were paid less than the minimum”, because of the fear of deportation back to Mexico (Henderson). One writer described this as being the “illegal "black market" for
Recently, the U.S. government has been cracking down on illegal aliens and employers are in danger of raids and lawsuits for hiring illegal immigrants. Many employers either do not require any documentation or accept copies of documents (Rousmaniere 24-25), regarding legalization. Immigrants are desired employees and companies continue to hire them even with the risks. By working for lower wages, they keep the costs of goods and services down; the illegal alien work force helps improve the U.S. economy (Nadadur 1037-1052). However, illegal immigrants can have a negative effect when they encroach on American job opportunities (Carter 8). Some economists argue that illegal aliens actually help the host-country’s economy by adding to the labor force. However, other economists state that too many illegal...
Those who support immigrants being protected by the law believe that immigrants help the economy by creating lower wages which enables companies to make better profits. According to Becky Akers and Donald J. Boudreaux, immigrants “should be allowed to contribute to the United States economy in the Constitutional and legal precepts that guarantee all immigrants the opportunity to pursue life, liberty, and happiness in the United States” (22). If immigrants were not here in the United States, the jobs they do might not even get done by anyone else (Isidore 103). Immigrants fill up the jobs that many Americans do not want. “Specialization deepens. Workers’ productivity soars, forcing employers to compete for their time by offering higher pay” (Akers and Boudreaux 25). As researcher Ethan Lewis said, “Economics professor, Patricia Cortes, studied the way immigrants impact prices in 25 large United States metropolitan areas. She discovered that a 10-percent increase in immigration lowered the price...
Sowell argues that, “… in the United States, unemployment rates for younger workers are often 20 percent or higher, even when there is no recession.” These jobs pay low wages for a reason. So that teenagers have a base to start their life as an employee. If this continues than teenagers will never have the opportunity to gain experience to eventually get hired at a higher level job. It will be nearly impossible for future generations to find a job. Unemployed will lose many opportunities to earn a higher rate of pay in the
Internships play an important role in the career development and recruitment process of young professionals and soon-to-be college graduates. Internships come in two forms: paid and unpaid. Paid internships are most commonly procured in the private sector or in organizations that have financial stability to pay students to gain experience and learn while they work. Unpaid internships are becoming increasingly common in the current workplace where some businesses are cutting costs and downsizing due to economic struggles. The following paper will show the negative effects of unpaid internships and how unpaid internships challenge ethical business practices.
It is very common that many high school students hold part time jobs while going to school. When these teens work, they are able to learn and experience life lessons from ethical and moral work. Knowing that school is aways and should be a priority, students should work while in high school because working helps students be more responsible with their lives, help them practice time managment, and also helps students see and experience the real world.
The quarter has finally come to an end, and with that, I close out my internship and this class that went along with it. It was a great experience and I leave equipped with a new set of skills that are preparing me for the world ahead. As I write this reflection paper, I think back to the very first week when I set up two goals for myself to focus on and hope to achieve throughout the following weeks. My first goal was to develop a better understanding of myself within the work place, and my second was to develop a strong network to jumpstart my career. Both of my goals were achieved, however, I don’t feel that either of my goals will ever be complete. I believe that you can always formulate a better understanding of yourself, and you can always network to develop a stronger tree of connections. I know for a fact, however, that I reached satisfaction with both of my goals at this internship at MKI and know whole-heartedly that I did everything in my power to exhaust my resources in
This is a matter of pleasure for me to acknowledge my deep sense of gratitude to University Sains of Malaysia for giving me an opportunity to explore my abilities via this internship programme. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my academic supervisor, Dr. Amirul Shah for their valuable guidance and advice in completing this internship.