<p>I was a print journalism major and my intership was paid - $4 an hour! This was in 1983, when minimum wage was $3.35 and I thought I was rich, at least until I had to make one box of store-brand mac and cheese last three days. 
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<p>scmom and bestfriendsgirl - how did it turn out for you? Did you stay with journalism? Did you eventually start making some decent money to be self supporting?</p>
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Yikes! Is DD helping to pay any of the rent in Atlanta? </p>
<p>DS just finished sophomore year in electrical engineering. Landed internship with midsized (1300 employees) aerospace and defense electronics company paying $15 per hour. </p>
<p>D is civil engineering major. Internship with an energy utility. $20 per hour plus a housing allowance.</p>
<p>Oldfort - my internship did lead to a job that I stayed in for 3 years before returning to get my MBA. Fun job - I produced local commercials - but pay at a TV station if youāre not on-air talent is about on par with school teachers and not a glamour job. At the time I left in 1985, Iād had several raises and managed to be making around $5.70/hour (min wage 3.35). I was self supporting but my younger brother got an engineering job two years later for 3-4 times that as a starting salary. The thing I liked least about broadcast was that you have to willing to move from market to market to advance and that just doesnāt fit my personality.</p>
<p>I do believe that communication skills are vital to all professions, but not a high paying field.</p>
<p>My daughter will be working full time this summer, making a whopping $25 per WEEK! It comes out to about 60 cents an hour. But the experience will be incredible. Now she is searching for something else to do after hours to bring in some money.</p>
<p>There are some experiences worth doing for little to no pay. My youngest son was a camp counselor for a YMCA camp in high school and college freshman summer. First three years was as a volunteer, over 1,000 hours, next two years was for miniscule amounts of money. I think his experience may have been more worthwhile than older sonās internships at places like Microsoft, though obviously not as lucrative. And it has paid off so far, with him getting into a college far higher than his Naviance score would indicate, and getting a job teaching comp sci this summer. He did it for the love of the work, not the money.</p>
<p>Where else do you get the opportunity to have so much responsibility at such a young age? He has utilized his first aide, has practiced his leadership skills, has worked with kids who have had so many problems, has realized that he can be the defining adult influence in a childās life, and provided the happiest summer for many kids who have had very little joy in their lives. He has helped kids who start out shy and terrified become outgoing and part of a happy group of kids. Heās gotten to clean up crap (literally, that didnāt make it to the toilet), cook and cleanā¦though heās from a rather pampered background and hasnāt had to do near the work heās had to do at camp. Heās helped make memories for many kids that they will remember as the best times of their childhoods, and all the comp sci jobs and internships he has from now will probably pale in comparison, though they will pay far more. I think heās learned more about being a good dad and a great leader than we ever could have taught him.</p>
<p>For parents concerned over also paying summer rent on campus apartment, try not to fret too much. In college towns, it seems that the annual total is not so different 10 months vs 12 months. And usually itās still far less expensive than living/eating in dorms. </p>
<p>I know of a girl who interned no pay at a firm in LA, a PR firm I think. She got to go to parties and got swag out of it. The ārewardā was to be placed at one of the top talent agencies upon graduation, CAA, iirc. For meager pay, like $12, just like any of the thousands trying to land such position in order to make industry connections, move to assistant and maybe agent etc. She got to get her friends jobs, thatās one of your perks, then they owe you, I guess. After a year or so she was able to land a better job with a production company. Thatās how that industry operates.</p>
<p>CCTC - We will be paying rent but she will be paying for other expenses that we normally pay. The Atlanta rent is quite reasonable (as is her college rent) and the location is very close to her internship. My complaint about paying for two houses was parental eye rolling more than anything else. </p>
<p>Left Winger, I work for a large defense contractor and work with many of our smaller suppliers. Your son may end up doing more interesting work at the smaller company than he will at the larger one. We hire a lot of interns each summer and end up giving them a lot of busy work and low level tasks. Of course, it depends on their boss. At some of the smaller companies I work with the interns are usually given interesting tasks and projects to work on because that extra body is truly needed. </p>