<p>I think internships can be a huge opportunity or a waste of the students time. I think it depends on the opportunity. </p>
<p>An article in The Atlantic last year details some of the NACE data quite nicely. According to the survey if you can get a paid internship then your odds of landing a job is 63%. If you do an unpaid internship then your odds of landing a job are the same as if you never did an internship at all.</p>
<p>I leisurely Google search will reveal the many internship horror stories. Gruelingly long hours, menial tasks, horrible working conditions and some who have even died from being overworked. </p>
<p>I don’t want to paint this issue with a single brushstroke. I think some internships can be excellent opportunities. The intern can see if they might actually like the line of work they aspire to and the employer can see if an intern would make a good future hire upon graduation. </p>
<p>However I think unpaid internships should be against the law. Too often they’ve amounted to slave labor. After all, if you’re not paying someone, why should you respect their time? This has led to abuse.</p>
<p>Being in a hiring position I’ve interviewed too many college graduates to count over the years. I’ve noticed that the vast majority of explanations of internships completed by graduates have left me unimpressed. I’ve tended to be more impressed with the person who worked while in school. Now there’s a person who has proven they can manage their time.</p>