Paying for Internships?

I recently read an article, I think it was in the New York Times that had mentioned that it is getting harder and harder for students to get internships in this economically challenging time. It had outlined how the demand has gotten so high for these internships and a lot of them actually were unpaid internships. In fact, many of the very coveted internships in Washington go unpaid.

My first question whether it be out of pure ignorance or me just not understanding, but why would these internships in Washington go unpaid? Why would any internship go unpaid? Fundamentally don't students do legitimate work and gain experience and thus need to be compensated for their time that they put into these internships?

The article in the New York Times goes on to say how internships aren't just a line item in a resume anymore. It's a critical thing to get even the smallest foothold into corporate America and our job system. This I can understand because in the many interviews that I have done with companies, they always seem to look at your job experience first and ask about those items. But this article continued on saying that some parents actually pay companies who do not give any compensation for the internship just to get their daughter or son a chance to have the internship.

This leads me to my second question... How right is it to buy an internship spot for your kid? This issue leads to a lot of different questions that I can attempt to address right now but probably will not get the chance to fully explore.

- Wouldn't purchasing an internship spot for a kid make him/her undeserving of that spot?
- Is it right for a person that is underqualified to gain a position because of money?
- What will this do to our already deep divide between the rich and the poor? The poor always strive to raise themselves and one of the most fundamental ways has been through education. If only rich individuals have the ability to get the coveted internships and therefore get the jobs after college, are we effectively driving the poorer kids down and not giving them a fair opportunity?
- How will the kid feel when he learns that his internship was just bought for him? Doesn't that cancel out any hard work and self worth that the kid might have?

Again there probably is more questions on this issue but these are just some things to think about. I found the article to be very interesting and I'm sorry that I don't have the link to it. But it just made me think because it is very relevant to today.

I went to the career fair with Krista and we found that the companies that were represented at this career fair were pretty few and thin. There was at least 30 less companies there. Probably more to be honest. Another trend among these companies is the fact that their decorations and handouts were a lot worse than in previous career fairs. I think it's a big sign that most companies are retracting and not offering internship opportunities and full time positions. It makes me even more blessed that I have a job right now when a lot of other deserving students from Notre Dame and other universities are still struggling to find one.