Internships: Why Being An Office B*tch For A Summer Won't Further Your Career
Let’s be honest for a moment -- who actually likes their internship? I don’t mean tolerate or bear with, I mean who wholeheartedly enjoys waking up every single day, looking forward to work?
When you’re an intern, life isn’t all you think it's cracked up to be. You think that you’re an “adult” because you are living in a city away from your parents experiencing your first taste of the real world. Well, you are in for a rude awakening if you think you're about to have the BEST summer ever.
“With more companies taking on interns every year, the rise of the less-than-positive internship experiences is seemingly inevitable. Many students take on internships to immerse themselves in their future career field and gain hands-on experience outside of their college curriculum, only to find they’re undervalued, mismanaged, and uncompensated. The long-term effects of poor internship programs don’t bode well for employers or students.” –Business Insider
In the world of an intern, you are essentially broke. They pay you the bare minimum (if at all) because companies have realized you need this internship more than they need you. They recognize the fact that they can get away with this sh*t since you need their references as well as the credentials on your resume. The fact is that interns are willing to put up with this because they need to reiterate what it is they learned from previous experiences during job interviews.
The worst part is that companies don’t appreciate you. You can be the greatest and most hardworking employee, but the fact remains you’re disposable. Once your three months are up, they don’t owe you anything. You came, you saw and you served your purpose.
“It’s a fact of life that your college internship is probably going to suck. You have to wake up early, put on real people clothes and actually commute to a place where you’ll spend too many hours a week doing menial tasks for one credit and a possible job offer if your slave labor was deemed satisfactory. If you want to make things work in the long run you’re going to have to make some sacrifices. But where do you draw the line?”- Barstool Sports
Regardless of how hard you work, at the end of the day, you are someone’s bitch. They need coffee? You better bet you’re running to Starbucks. Someone to pick up laundry? That would be you. It doesn’t matter if it is within the job description or not -- you’re an intern and whatever your boss says goes if you want that end of the summer recommendation.
You are in for a harsh reality check when you look around at the upper level management and realize this is the bleak future you have to look forward to. Nothing kills your vibe more than realizing your 39-year-old manager already has a grey, receding hairline and three children to go home to after slaving away in the office for 10 hours daily. Sounds like a great life, doesn’t it? No, I think not. Get rid of the false idea that you are going to have a glamorous life ahead of you. The truth is you are going to be stuck in an office confined by 4 walls you can’t escape. Welcome to corporate America.
“Sure, they all say it is good experience, which I do not disagree with, but I am a college student and that entails a paid job. The reason many students do not take internships is for this sole reason. They know it is a great experience and realize it will benefit them, but they also realize it is not logical to work an entire summer for free, especially with being a college student in today’s society. Students cannot afford to put time into an unpaid internship.”
You’re lucky if these people even know you by name, typically it’s INTERN THIS and INTERN THAT. They don’t give a sh*t what your name is as they act as if you are just lucky to be in their presence. When it comes down to it, you typically aren’t even contributing to anything worthwhile. You refill the printer, do menial office tasks and pick up your boss' lunch. You basically do nothing and you can’t even pass the time on Facebook or other social media sites since the server typically blocks them. Good look trying to dick around on your computer all day.
Perhaps the worst part of being an intern is the fact that you can’t even blow off steam after work or on the weekend by going out because you are underage. Long gone are the days that bouncers fall for the ol’ fake ID trick. They have seen everything that’s out there, so don’t think you’re being original. They know that 40-year-old woman from Missouri isn’t really you and they aren’t duped by fake IDs that have misplaced holographics on them either.
You think summer is a time to relax because your internship doesn’t actually mean sh*t? While that may be true, you are still forced to wake up at the crack of dawn, put on business clothes and drag yourself to a job you're going to get bitched at for. Since you essentially have no responsibilities and you are basically just f*cking around, you probably aren’t going to learn anything worthwhile. Sure your Microsoft Office skills may approve, but seriously who the hell doesn’t know how to use these programs by now?
Honestly, are internships worth it or would your time be better spent making cash babysitting? You have to weigh the pros and cons and make your own decision. Don’t fall into the trap of feeling obligated to accept an internship during your college years.
