All Work And No Pay : The Ethical, Economic And Social Debate On Unpaid Internships

desired jobs. Internships provide valuable experience necessary for jobs and are an important part of the academic career. However, when it comes to internships, the issue of unpaid internships may be raised with opinions differing on the question of the benefits of such unpaid internships. Many people believe that since a salary does not cover the emerging costs, like living expenses and transportation, unpaid internships turn into a pricy experience that lay an even

Many young people think that obtaining a college degree is the best way—perhaps the only way—to get a good job anymore. So is it still possible to get a good job without one? According to Professor Blanche D. Blank, attaining a college degree doesn’t always guarantee success. In his published article “Degrees: Who Needs Them?”, he argues that American college is not teaching young adults the actual skills they need for the workforce, instead the education system is becoming a jumble of generalized credits that amount to a degree. College is becoming a mold for one to fit in the technological culture, rather than to release one to actively engage in the pursuit of knowledge. Blank begins building his credibility with personal experiences and

Internships are extraordinary opportunities to learn and grow. Internships are mostly designed to expand the depth and the breadth of the academic learning in the particular areas of the study. Internship is an opportunity to receive experience in applying all formulas, methods, theories in the classroom to specific experiences in the real world and to see how it actually works.

Being a first year college student who always figured college crucial, Nemko’s article, “We Send Too Many Students to College” strikes interesting. He directly addresses young adults investigating a college career. Nemko argues against the idea of higher education as a requirement to employ in an empowering career. He insists a multitude of people will find themselves more “[successful in taking] that noncollege road less traveled” and offers alternative options without degrading the college experience all together (Nemko 32). In doing so, he combines stylistic elements such as exemplum, hyperbole and simile, constructing a compelling argument. Nemko’s stylistic choices persuade this young adult audience of the options they have ensuring that not going to college is OK.

Schlosser illuminates how companies use the inexperience of a youthful workforce for financial gains and control through an appeal to ethos. The industry’s priorities revolve around the idea of personal gain, “[t]eenagers have been the perfect candidates for these jobs, not only because they are less expensive to hire than adults, but also because their youthful inexperience makes them easier to control” (Schlosser 68). With inexperience comes lack of knowledge, therefore, teens do not necessarily know what they should be paid, making it easier for companies to pay them whatever they like. In doing this, companies are able to keep more money for themselves without worrying about giving raises to employees, giving them

A student named Andrew Braaksma wrote an article in a newspaper called, “Lessons from the Assembly Line”, explaining his story about his summer occupancy while being on vacation away from college. The author writes about the lessons, experiences, and knowledge he had gained from his summer job away from his college campus. Andrew Braaksma explains both roles as a student and as an employee sharing these lessons he learned about the value of an education. Andrew shows his audience the benefits of working and why valuing an education is so vital to an individual’s future. The author’s goal is to inspire young college students to value their education, explore the workforce, and appreciate how employment can benefit them by sharing his own experiences. Being employed or working while attending school is very valuable because it teaches you the concept of financial obligation, gives you a strong worth ethic, and teaches you many lessons about the real world, and how important an education is.

Because having a degree has become so common, employers now use it as a way to eliminate people who would not make good candidates for employment—even if a degree isn’t a totally accurate determinant of one’s talent or work skills. The mass availability of college education may actually “debase its intrinsic value” (Bankston, p. 338).

Young people who agree to college in favor of an internship. In the article “ Actually, college is very much worth it” by Andrew S. Rotheram, on page 86 paragraph 1, states that college is in need for everyone to go to get a better job after you graduate college and get a lot of money because

Many recent college graduates have faced record levels of unemployment. This situation has lead people to question what they value about higher education. Some high school students and their parents are wondering if a college education is worth the cost. Others, however, believe that a college prepares students for more than just a job or career. Many people then present the counter argument that people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg did not have a college degree, but unlike them most people are not geniuses and do not have the same entrepreneurial opportunities available to them, let alone the innovative ideas and proper timing. A college education is worth the cost because it is a requirement for many jobs, college graduates make substantially more than high school graduates, and college provides more opportunities for personal growth and networking.

Cofounder and executive chairman of LinkedIn Reid Hoffman calls for the broadened acceptance of alternative routes to higher education. He states, “there are an expanding number of ways to acquire specific skills and knowledge faster and less expensively than one can manage through a traditional four-year degree program” (Hoffman 1). Siemens and similar manufacturers have kickstarted programs that use real life experience in factories and other entry level jobs to build advanced skills in recent high school graduates. The employees are given the opportunity to earn their way up within the company, eliminating the need for a diploma. Although these programs exist, the underlying issue is most employers’ outlook; to employers, a four year bachelor’s degree signals a multitude of positive attributes: commitment, proficiency in at least one subject area, and self-sufficiency. However, the completion of a training program demonstrates these same qualities and is a more fiscally responsible route to preparedness for a job. Furthermore, expendable courses taken to fulfill the mandatory amount of credit hours for graduation waste time and money. School administrations impose such standards to ensure a sizeable profit, and students in turn are being forced to hand over the majority of their savings for knowledge not relevant to their

Academic obligations are not the only responsibilities for American high school students. One of the responsibilities that many students have is a job. The unemployment rate for teenagers is a mere 9.1 percent. The reasons why students work wildly vary. For some, it’s to earn

It is not fair to expect students to work for free, students have many expenses, while they have to pay their life expenses (rent, food, transportation) they also have to pay their tuition fees and expenses related to their study. Being ok with students living in debt or unable to complete their study because they can not afford to work for free and study.

In the competitive world today, having a college degree might not benefit a student as much as before, thus opening up numerous questions concerning its necessity. Not only is the number of students desperately trying to enroll in college increasing, but the tuition shoots up as well. However, will college enrollment necessarily be enough to increase your chances of attaining job security? The answer is hotly debated amongst adults and students alike, which opens up the second option for students, that is, joining the work force. Although this option is generally shunned by the new generation, the tough economy and slow restoration makes it quite a desirable choice at the moment. Joining the work force is a hard decision to make as it

Business internships are helping students gain real world experience while they are not actually out in the real world yet. Internships are becoming more and more popular with college students in today’s world. An internship is basically when a student in college goes to a company or business and works while they are still enrolled in school and still getting academic credit. The main purpose of the internship is for the student to gain valuable on the job work experience. But there are also other things that a student can get from internships. Internships help the student decide whether or not this line of work is correct for them. Since the student works in an occupation in which they are highly interested in it really helps

In Robert E. Sullivan, Jr.’s “Greatly Reduced Expectations”, Sullivan discusses the lack of employment available to college graduates. Throughout the essay, testimonials are given by four college graduates who expected more opportunity when they graduated with a four year degree. I sympathize with these men and women who are working in jobs that do promote their ability.