The stigma behind interns being young, uneducated and borderline useless has got to go. 

There are so many instances where interns are mischaracterized as dumb college students on TV. It gets under my skin when it seems like the intern doesn’t want to be there, because that idea is just so far from the actual truth. 

Movies and TV shows throughout my entire life have depicted interns as essentially an awkward idiot who gets all the coffee orders wrong, or even worse, spills the entire order as they run into the building late, clutching the boss’s dry cleaning. They always mess everything up, and it would probably be better without them at all. 

Most interns on TV are horribly mistreated by the boss and made fun of or criticized by the rest of the employees at their place of work, always being looked down upon by older employees. Interns receive zero respect from anyone. 

As far as the intern caring about the job, trust me, we care! People need to realize that students see an internship as an extraordinary opportunity to gain experience in the real world. The issue with that though, is that experience doesn’t help pay my bills or for my tuition next semester. 

“Money comes after you graduate,” everyone says. I want to know who made that rule to begin with! It should make complete sense to pay interns, as they are usually struggling college students anyway. 

There is no reason why someone should not get paid for their time and effort for the job. I confidently say that for any occupation too. Most people have to commute to work, especially in the summer for students, and that gas receipt can skyrocket quickly. 

On top of the internship, oftentimes, students will have to work a job during the summer for a steady stream of income, which can end up detracting from their internship experience. 

For all the work that interns do, there is no doubt that they should be compensated, no matter what. I don’t know who said, “hey, let’s not pay this struggling college student!” But I completely disagree with it. Too often of a time too, these interns will carry the same workload or even much more of a workload as a paid employee. 

Interns in today’s age should be utilized as important additions to the company or organization and should be treated with just as much respect as any other employee. 

Interns should be prepared enough to complete work for their internship that is up to paying standards as well. 

It is just as important for the intern and their sponsor to communicate what is expected of them during their time with the company. 

If all internships cannot be paid, then there should at least be more paid ones available for students. It’s rare to find a well-paid internship that does not require prior experience. 

It shouldn’t even be a question: pay those deserving, overworked interns for their time.