I'd say the way you described unpaid internships, it is pretty much exploitation. The intern is doing essential and valuable work, and is producing value for th

I'd say the way you described unpaid internships, it is pretty much exploitation. The intern is doing essential and valuable work, and is producing value for the company. They should be compensated for it. The fact that the system is set up to encourage people working for free is simply a setup for exploitation. A mild form of blackmail, if you will; "You'll never get ahead if you don't work for me for free". While an intern might not get paid very much, I think they should at least be able to cover living costs from their earnings. Most internships I've seen tend to cover a good deal more than that, with pay starting in the ballpark of $20/hour.