Unpaid Internships

I read this article a week or so ago and I've kept coming back to it in my mind. At first I was nearly in agreeance(or agreement depending upon the perceived evolution of the word agreeance) with it.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/01/16/why-your-unpaid-internship-makes-you-less-employable/

Then came counter arguments which lead to where I am today as I write this. Internships, both unpaid and paid, are a way of life for college students and young professionals. It's a market trend that has reached great new heights on the back of the Great Recession at a time when young professionals search desperately for some crack, some weakness to break through the formidable barriers that exist.

I do not aim to debate internships on a macro scale; rather, whether an unpaid internship truly makes you less appealing in the current job market. I would argue that that may be the case; however, it is certainly not always the case. Something I can attest for myself.

Like so many of my peers around the country, I examined the marginal costs and benefits of an unpaid internship during my time at the University of Oregon and found an internship that I believed tipped the proverbial seesaw towards benefits. Note: Although I am grateful to have worked and sorted financial aid in order to pay my way, many others are not in a position to do so and are thus unfairly discriminated. There is some awful market failure that occurs when a lower income student is excluded from these opportunities which inherently excludes them from entry level jobs that require such experiences.

My internship experience was unforgettable, both personally and professionally. I secured it through the International Affairs office and the Political Science Department here at the U of O. I worked for four months as a research assistant for a member of the Scottish parliament. Specifically for one that belonged to the majority party and the party seeking independence from the United Kingdom, the SNP. It was an exciting time to be a part of and after learning the ins and outs the first week or two, I was gradually given more work and more responsibility.

Primarily, I researched a multitude of subjects pertaining to upcoming parliamentary debates and wrote a great deal of research briefings for my MSP. However, I did not research and write briefings all day; on the contrary, each day was so different from the others I would find myself constantly learning new skills. I spent a great deal of time working on constituency casework, reading, answering emails and mail from constituents, following up with constituents and seeking information and correspondence from third parties. I would be in contact via phone and email primarily with local government departments, private businesses, individuals, etc.

I authored press releases and, on my own accord, dramatically increased the quantity of parliamentary motions our office produced. Often I would shift my work to our neighboring office and MSP when I was needed. I enjoyed giving tours of the Parliament and assisting visitors coming to our office. The tours started a bit dry, given I hadn't been told any information or how to conduct them; however, I got the hang of it after a while. Often they were for visiting classes from our district, they would get a kick out of my accent.

I would stay late to assist with events our office or neighboring office were holding, attend committee meetings on behalf of my MSP to dictate notes. It was all very exciting and extremely beneficial in my development and betterment of my job market skills. For me, taking an unpaid internship was of great benefit to me on a professional level as well as the experience of living and working abroad. I'm confident I'll use the same skills garnered in Edinburgh in my future jobs, and ultimately, my career.

Best,

Aaron Robert Matney