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I'm an engineer and had summer internships every summer while in college. The last one ended up turning into a full-time position that I'm still in now and am very happy with. Aside from getting me the job, the internships really helped give me perspective on my classes when I went back to school. I had a lot more appreciation for a lot of the coursework when I had that real-life example to relate it to in my mind. And yes, an employer will always value a prospective recent grad with internship experience versus one who only worked PT jobs. Aside from maybe having a few more technical skills, the employer can also be reasonably sure that the prospect with a few internships under his/her belt has actually worked in the kind of environment their degree was intended for and is OK with it. You'd be amazed how many grads get into the workplace only to realize they spent 4 years getting a degree in something they actually have no desire to work in for the rest of their life.
Internships are great, if they're done properly. The problem is too many companies don't know the difference between an internship and a 'summer hire'. My bosses were great about making sure I was getting actual learning experiences during my internships. Yes, I also had to do the '***** work' from time to time, but it was always relevant to my learning experience.
But, in the same company, I saw other bosses use their 'interns' much in the same way you're being used. For some of the interns, they didn't care because it was a paying job over the summer. That's fine, but I wished they would drop the label 'intern' because it created an atmosphere where using an intern as a 'lowest rung' employee versus teaching them valuable career lessons was OK. And for those that actually DID want to learn, it made for a very frustrating situation.
In some ways, this is where unpaid internships may have a slight advantage (although I would NEVER have worked unpaid). If you're not being paid, you probably wouldn't feel as guilty about confronting your employer about not being satisfied with the type of work you're being asked to do. But paid or no, my advice would be the same. Talk to your boss. Being able to confront your employer in situations like these is a good life lesson in and of itself. If it's done correctly and your boss is a decent manager, they should be able to do something about it. If not, well, it just goes to show what kind of place you're working for and should be food for thought if/when they make an offer.
Mike
This is the experience I was looking for, I wanted to do the internship to have "real" world experience in doing payroll, Journal entries, general ledger, etc. Because I know it's very different from what we are taught in school, and most of the time you are just trying to pass tests and finish your hw and I feel that you don't learn as much.
It's good to know that not all internships are like this one, I don't know if I should confront my boss though... she did mention that there would be some clerical stuff. I just didn't think that I would be doing clerical stuff everyday, much less a whole day of filing and shredding papers.
I also don't think that I'm getting an offer since I still have like 2 yrs left or a 1 1/2 if I keep doing summer classes and they don't have an accountant in the office, they send all their stuff to a CPA firm. So I'm just gonna finish it and get a letter of recommendation.
It sounds like the problem is more with the specific internship you are doing and not ALL internships. If you were doing an accounting internship with a Big 4 Firm like Ernst and Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, or KPMG you would likely be getting paid $15-25 per hour for your work and would be contributing to the company. They assign you to a team and expect you to perform and learn along the way doing the work of full time employees.
My current internship is in the finance department for a company and I get $18 per hour. I do business planning, work on budgeting, price orders to get our target gross margin and IRR, etc... I'm learning, but also doing important work and hopefully if they like me I will get hired next summer for full time.
Why do they do this: Companies that want fresh talent can use an internship as a try out. Say you do a great job and they like you after the 3 months of summer internship work you did. They can then hire you in the next summer once you graduate college. However if you do poorly and they don't like you, they just say, ok thanks bye, and don't have to hire you full time. Its a great try out for the company to figure out who they want to invest in as full time employees that get higher salaries, benefits, more training, etc...
I am thinking of applying to the big 4 firms for an internship, hopefully I can keep my GPA high right now it's 3.7 and I know that's very important for them. But I was thinking of applying during my last year because if they like how I work then I can have a job waiting for me when I graduate.
Unpaid internships are only legal if you are receiving college credit or receiving vocational training, it is a violation of the tax code for them not to pay you. You could report them to the IRS, but a more expedient way might be to simply quit and go get a paid job. Even if it's not directly related to your degree, work experience is still good. Certainly better than making photocopies for free.
All those people who said that an internship is essential are simply repeating something someone told them. Find your own way in life. Plenty did without an internship.
Well since I've been there for almost a month I think I should just finish it, but I'm gonna start to applying to other jobs and internships and if I'm hired I'm just gonna cut my hours in this one. They are pretty flexible, the other interns show up when they feel like it.
I think you are right, internships are overrated... If I open my own business someday, I won't pass up an applicant just because they had a part-time job instead of a summer internship.
Nobody seems to get the value of networking and exposure anymore. Nobody wants to do something for nothing even to their own detriment. Pity. I don't advocate working for free long term but being an unpaid intern in a field you want to persue is never going to be bad for you.
If you are lucky, you'll do work in your field which is directly applicable.
If you are not so lucky, you'll at least gain experience working with others in a professional environment, which does count for something.
I worked for an environmental engineering firm for 3 summers but I was an electrical/computer engineer. For my first job, I think it helped to show that not only did I work in a professional environment for that long, but that I was brought back 3 times since apparently they felt I added something to the company.
Stick it out. You may earn some cash (or if not, then some experience) and it will give you a leg up on others.
Nobody seems to get the value of networking and exposure anymore. Nobody wants to do something for nothing even to their own detriment. Pity. I don't advocate working for free long term but being an unpaid intern in a field you want to persue is never going to be bad for you.
Quite the opposite, in fact. The key to successful networking is recognizing who has networking potential and fostering those relationships, and passing up those relationships which will be fruitless. It's not just about getting more LinkedIn connections than anyone else. The entire point is to develop connections that will benefit you in the long run. An employer who exploits college students for free photocopies is not a beneficial part of anyone's network. OP would be well-served to redirect their networking energies elsewhere.
A friend's son went to an "internship fair" at the U of CO for engineering students and found that most companies wanted the students to be in their junior year. There is not much "professional" engineering that one can do with only 1 year of college, and not much more after two years.
There are many other ways to get experience in a professional working environment.
A friend's son went to an "internship fair" at the U of CO for engineering students and found that most companies wanted the students to be in their junior year. There is not much "professional" engineering that one can do with only 1 year of college, and not much more after two years.
I wouldn't say that's categorically true. I've known PLENTY of folks with internships as early as their first year into school. Heck, I've even known a few folks who interned the summer before they started college.
But I will say this: getting that first internship can be a pain. It was when I did mine, and I'm sure it's only worse in that economy. I got my first one through my mom (not ashamed of it; networking any way you can is a MUST), but the next one I got from having the experience of the first, etc, etc etc. I would advise folks to network like crazy. Ask parents, friends, friends of friends, parents of friends, etc, to see what someone may be able to scrounge up.
You are builiding a network of contacts for jobs, and references for later on down the road. Stick with it, it may pay off later on. Or, this could be a total waste of time...there is no real answer for you. What else would you be doing this summer anyway?
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