<p>That’s crazy! I hate that companies use their leverage to put one over on ordinary folks like that!</p>
<p>I do think that unpaid internships have the effect of inadvertently shutting out the poor from career advancement. If you are in an industry where unpaid internships are mandatory to get into a full time job, you have to be fortunate to come from a family that can support you while you work a full-time job for free. If you are poor, or have to work a full-time job to support yourself or even a family, then squeezing in the time to fit a 9-to-5 might be impossible, even before you take into account the fact that you have to pay the college for credit too!!</p>