A recent survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers showed college students who had a paid internship have a better chance of getting a job offer than those who have an unpaid internship or none at all.
Between February to the end of April, 9,200 seniors were asked if they received a job offer and what kind of internship they had, if any.
A little more than 63 percent of college graduates with a paid internship said they received a job offer, while 37 percent of graduates with an unpaid internship said they received a job offer. But those with an unpaid internship only did a little better than the graduates with no internship, where 35.2 percent said they received a job offer.
What’s not surprising about the survey is the statistic stating more graduates with a paid internship had a higher chance than those with an unpaid internship.
Employers look at internships not only to see what kind of experience people have, but to see what their value is. A graduate with a paid internship will be valued more than a graduate with an unpaid one simply because they were paid for their work while others weren’t.
A paid internship also might look like a harder-working internship to employers, as the stigma with unpaid internships is they might not be all about gaining hands-on experience and more about getting coffee or making copies.
But what is surprising about the survey is the lack of value of unpaid internships by employers compared to those who never had one.
An internship is an internship, and not all of them are running errands for your superiors. The majority of them actually do give some experience that can be used and replicated in the real world. And what this survey suggests is college graduates shouldn’t waste their time on an internship unless it’s a paid one.
A paid internship always will be a preferable choice so you can at least make some money at what you’re doing. But if somebody can’t get a paid one, but is offered an unpaid one, he or she shouldn’t turn it down and work a summer at McDonald’s because he or she won’t make any money or employers might not value it as much as a paid internship. That summer would be better spent gaining experience in whatever field somebody is working in.
The internship will help build confidence in your abilities and in the workplace, whether it’s paid or not.
A student only can learn so much in a classroom, and that’s where an internship comes in to test what you know and enhance your skills to a whole new level.
Any real-world experience attained from internships will come in handy after leaving college, regardless of whether you were paid to do so.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
