Internships: Valuable Experiences or Perpetuators of Inequality?

Internships can be a valuable stepping stone for an individual looking to get their foot in the door or try out a certain professional environment. Companies can use internships as a trial period to see the goodness of fit for a potential future employee. That many internships are low-paid or unpaid means access is restricted to those who are able to work for low wages. With surprising and loosely enforced laws about what constitutes an "intern," do we need to rethink internships before they simply become another way to disenfranchise lower-income students?