By Christopher Salute

For decades, unpaid internships were perceived as stepping stones to future employment, offering college students valuable experience and exposure to their chosen fields. However, a paradigm shift is underway as society reevaluates the exploitation of labor, the lack of skill acquisition, and the diminishing returns on the once-golden ticket that internships have created. 

I love my experience as the Director of Great Basin College’s Pahrump Valley Center. It’s been a fun mixture of academics, career development, community involvement, etc. I wouldn’t give it up for anything. I get to interact with so many great people, including business owners. And, one thing that they always ask me is “Hey… I have this thing I need help with. Do you have any students who want to gain experience? We could use a free intern!” 

Believe me when I tell you – I love the idea of providing internships to students. I think there is a lot of value. I believe I had taken advantage of four or five internships by the time I graduated college. They were all unpaid. And, I love the idea of giving some folks the experience they need. 

Also, I can see why the higher education system is moving away from the unpaid internship system. 

One of the primary reasons for reconsidering the use of unpaid interns is the ethical dilemma surrounding the exploitation of labor. In many cases, interns are expected to perform tasks that contribute significantly to the organization, yet they receive no compensation for their efforts. This raises questions about the fairness and sustainability of a system that relies on the unpaid contributions of eager, inexperienced students.

Now, this was never a big deal before let’s say…. 2010? 2014? But, you have to follow the slow degradation of work experience for college students to understand that unpaid internships may not be helpful. 

In the 1980s… college education was really hard to acquire. So, just having a degree meant you could find a pretty great job. As accessibility became more prevalent (and we love that it did, through scholarships, grants, and other foundational support), students needed to find ways to differentiate themselves. Running or starting a campus organization, creating an art portfolio, volunteering, or having an internship really set students apart. Until… it didn’t. The extra-curricular activities and internship economies boomed with nonprofit organizations looking for more volunteers and for profit organizations looking for more interns. And, new crops of students really enjoyed being busy – we call those students… Generation X and Millennials, today! (I believe the phrase is… LOL) Everyone was collecting trophies and stacking their resumes. 

So, at the end of the day, was an internship going to make a difference? It wasn’t. Skill acquisition is what we needed. 

Contrary to the initial promise of internships as valuable learning experiences, a growing number of unpaid positions fail to provide interns with the skills necessary for their future careers. Instead of meaningful tasks and mentorship, interns often find themselves relegated to menial work that adds little to their skill set- making copies, getting coffee, etc. This was great on paper… but no longer so. Students might make better use of their time getting a certificate or, getting paid – especially our Community College students, who want to maximize their time and money. 

The assumption that internships and volunteer work automatically translate into increased employability is fading. Many students find themselves in a competitive pool where having internships on their resumes is no longer a distinguishing factor. This oversaturation of internships and volunteer experiences reduces their efficacy in helping students stand out in a crowded job market.

Society is reevaluating the traditional understanding of internships as a rite of passage. Advocates for fair labor practices argue that internships should be a mutually beneficial arrangement where students gain valuable skills in exchange for their contributions. In order for that to happen, there needs to be significant mentorship or skill building. And, interns cannot replace current employees. Meaning, we cannot simply terminate our employees and hire unpaid interns. 

Unpaid internships, in their current form, are being scrutinized for perpetuating inequality and limiting access to opportunities for students who cannot afford to work without compensation. 

In response to the drawbacks of traditional unpaid internships, alternative models are gaining traction. This includes paid internship programs, providing stipends to ensure that interns are fairly compensated for their work and my personal favorite: experiential learning opportunities. I’ve been preaching about experiential education since I got into education. I don’t believe reading a book will help you understand how to do something. Nowadays, AI can bring us all of the knowledge we need. We need to train our youth for jobs that cannot be replaced. Those jobs require hands. 

There are great non-profit organizations around the country who can help sponsor interns by paying them, or provide your organization with skilled and unskilled workers, very inexpensively or free. We have a wonderful Nye Communities Coalition here in Nye, where I tap into our youth mentees and students. It requires a lot of my time and energy, but not my money. Let’s consider avenues like that!