Jobs haven’t exactly been easy to hunt for recently, and internships haven’t been any more attainable either. This past fall semester I worked my hardest, and I’m sure many of my fellow students have done the same, to secure an internship for the spring. I re-vamped my resume, wrote several drafts of cover letters, interviewed over the phone and commuted to New York City for an in-person interview. So when I got word that some students have been accepted into internship programs because of their parents’ money I was, to be frank, disturbed.
I can remember being in intermediate school and having my parents tell me that I had to work for my grades, because earning them myself would provide a greater sense of achievement. And so I did. I have studied on my own for my exams, researched for and wrote essays and papers on my own, applied to colleges without help, etc. Isn’t that what we are taught to do, what we are told all the time? If the same parents who have come down hard on their children about doing their homework are also the ones who are now buying internships for their children, then shame on them.
What might be worse is that companies are actually allowing this to happen. Is it because the economy is in a ‘recession’ and companies are striving to make as much money as it possibly can? I can’t be too sure, but it remains a likely possibility. The fact that companies are taking advantage of the pressures placed on students is just wrong.
According to an article from Uwire.com, well-off parents now have the option of buying their child an internship at auctions across the United States, which are usually only held at the most elite, prestigious high schools and universities. In addition to auctions, organizations such as University of Dreams will guarantee an internship … for a price, of course. Those who are able to afford a spot at an internship (ranging from $5,000 to $10,000) are most likely reaping the benefits from being so financially stable already.
The price stamped on an internship position can amount to almost as much as a semester’s tuition. Just because a student cannot afford to pay an outrageous price for a job that is unpaid (and let’s not forget the cost of commuting), they will get beat out for jobs as well by students who might not be as qualified?
All I can hope for is that students who have had their internships bought for them by mommy or daddy don’t feel as though they have earned the job. Yes, the companies are giving students and their parents the option. Personally, I know that I would feel ashamed going to my internship knowing that I was taking a students place who had actually done all of the work to try to get the job.
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