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In the Software Engineering Industry, I believe unpaid internships should not be allowed; it's not a high-barrier market! I personally like to work for people w

In the Software Engineering Industry, I believe unpaid internships should not be allowed; it's not a high-barrier market! I personally like to work for people who value my time above $0/h. I have to pay rent, tuition, food, etc; why should I work for your company for free when I can work somewhere else? For example, being a CS undergrad at UWaterloo, internships usually pay between $16-$40, depending on the experience and year in school. In fact, unpaid internships are not allowed to be posted. In the worst case scenario, I would rather create and contribute to open-source projects than work for someone for $0/h. I am sure people would be more impressed in projects.

nugget 13y ago
Shouldn't people be allowed to choose? As a student, maybe you would demand $40/hour from a web dev chop shop, but offer to intern for Andy Rubin for free? I understand the need to weed out scam artists and prevent exploitation, but don't kill the entire concept at the same time. Most students and newly minted developers I know should be way more focused on experience, mentors, and quality of environment, than the absolute amount they are paid in the short-term.
- jackmaney 13y ago
  Why should we have regulations against dumping nuclear waste into the public water supply? Shouldn't people be allowed to choose?
- rgawdzik 13y ago
  Sure, if you really are a fan of a company and are willing to sacrifice pay to learn and do what you love, then do it. But you must realize that companies make a lot of money; the software engineering industry has some of the highest profit margins. If they have money, I would expect them to pay interns. If it was an early stage startup, I wouldn't.
mathattack 13y ago
Are there really that many unpaid interns in the software industry? I can see if someone wants to get into media or an ad agency, but those seem like the exception. I honestly can't think of a single CS major who went unpaid. I can think of just one example of a liberal arts major trying to reinvent themselves as a data scientist who spent a few months as an unpaid intern. I understand the law, and I understand not abusing interns, but the market seems to work here. Companies with any kind of financial strength want to pay interns because otherwise they won't get the best. The exception is real skill building internships. I won't speak for other industries. (And the government is just as bad)

nugget 13y ago

Shouldn't people be allowed to choose? As a student, maybe you would demand $40/hour from a web dev chop shop, but offer to intern for Andy Rubin for free? I understand the need to weed out scam artists and prevent exploitation, but don't kill the entire concept at the same time. Most students and newly minted developers I know should be way more focused on experience, mentors, and quality of environment, than the absolute amount they are paid in the short-term.

jackmaney 13y ago
Why should we have regulations against dumping nuclear waste into the public water supply? Shouldn't people be allowed to choose?
rgawdzik 13y ago
Sure, if you really are a fan of a company and are willing to sacrifice pay to learn and do what you love, then do it. But you must realize that companies make a lot of money; the software engineering industry has some of the highest profit margins. If they have money, I would expect them to pay interns. If it was an early stage startup, I wouldn't.

mathattack 13y ago

Are there really that many unpaid interns in the software industry? I can see if someone wants to get into media or an ad agency, but those seem like the exception. I honestly can't think of a single CS major who went unpaid. I can think of just one example of a liberal arts major trying to reinvent themselves as a data scientist who spent a few months as an unpaid intern. I understand the law, and I understand not abusing interns, but the market seems to work here. Companies with any kind of financial strength want to pay interns because otherwise they won't get the best. The exception is real skill building internships. I won't speak for other industries. (And the government is just as bad)