<p>While it would be nice to get paid for the work you do, I view (legit) unpaid internships as an investment in human capital. At a good unpaid internship, you can really boost your resume while learning how to function in a professional environment. </p>
<p>My internship this summer was unpaid, however I was doing professional, published work that I ended up adding to my portfolio. Also, my boss was more than kind and I never once did any coffee runs. </p>
<p>You should really use interviews to sort out a respectable unpaid internship from an illegal one. For example, I was offered an unpaid internship at a hedge fund this summer and immediately turned it down when I found out that most of the work I’d be doing was essentially that of a receptionist. For that matter, I also turned down a paid internship at a marketing firm for the same reason. The point of an internship is to learn, so that should absolutely be top priority, imo.</p>