Buy Your Internship! It's Not Like We're In A Recession Or Anything

Maybe you've noticed that the economy kinda sucks. Companies can't afford to hire anyone so more and more they're turning to the old standby: the unpaid internship. And when you think about it, everybody wins -- all you have to do is make copies to get a big name company on your resume, and that big name company doesn't have to pay someone to, well, make copies. Since the job market is so awful more people than usual are fighting for the coveted bitch-boy/girl spots.

But the University of Dreams has a novel idea: PAY FOR YOUR UNPAID INTERNSHIP!

For a cool 8 or 9 grand, you'll get "guaranteed internship placement, housing, meal plan, 6 planned weekend activities to the best tourist attractions in the area, a weekly seminar series, and daily transportation to and from work."

We think the whole thing undermines the spirit of the internship process. Plus we can't afford it.

By having 2,000 internships lined up around the world and guaranteeing you placement in one of them, University of Dreams has essentially made cash flow the only requirement for landing a job by excluding less affluent (but potentially more qualified) candidates.

And while $9,000 for an all-inclusive two month stay in NYC might sound like a steal (you can do it for less, trust us), students that take part in the program are getting majorly short-changed. Yeah, the work experience is great, but the actual real-world experience of an internship takes place outside the office. Finding a place to live, getting around and exploring a new place aren't easy things to do, but the experience of being forced to learn to be independent is the most valuable thing you should take from your internship.

I drove 1,200 miles to a small town in Missouri for my newspaper internship last summer. I didn't know anyone and really had a less than accurate idea of what to expect. It wasn't always pleasant and my cooking still sucks, but now I've had the experience of living on my own and of settling myself in a place far out of my comfort zone. So while the Maryville Daily Forum doesn't look as impressive as a shiny position purchased from UofD, I still think my unpaid internship paid me pretty damn well in the intangibles department.