Internships Are Work, Not Charity. Stop the Free Labor!

TL;DR:  Unpaid internships exploit young talent, favor the privileged, and perpetuate inequality. If you're benefiting from someone's work, pay them.

In Goodfellas, Henry Hill lays out the mob's ruthless philosophy: payment isn't up for debate. Business is slow? Fuck you, pay me. There was a fire? Fuck you, pay me. The same rule should apply to internships, apprenticeships, and every other corporate euphemism for unpaid labor. If you do the job, you deserve the pay.

This topic is personal to me. I've seen the impact of unpaid internships through the stories of friends and colleagues, and the harsh realities I've witnessed firsthand drive me to speak up. Unpaid internships are not just an issue for college students; they perpetuate inequality and deny many the opportunity to succeed.

I started my career in radio, taking internships in high school and college. They couldn't pay me in beer since I was under 21, so I settled for concert tickets while racking up debt that followed me for years. Today, businesses in many industries expect interns to work on the day-to-day tasks for free. Enough. College students grinding away at unpaid internships need to say it loud and clear: Fuck you, pay me.

The Scam of Unpaid Internships

Unpaid internships aren't just unethical; they're economic gatekeeping. They lock out students who can't afford to work for free, forcing talented young professionals to undervalue their labor before starting their careers. Companies promise experience, connections, and a shot at a real job. But experience doesn't pay rent. Connections don't erase student debt. Exposure doesn't cover groceries.

If your company can't afford to pay for the help, you can't afford the help.

A Broken System, Exposed

In 2017, DeSoto & State designed a three-month paid summer internship. We found an excellent candidate, a junior at a respected Chicago university. Everything was set. Then, the university threw a wrench in it. They told the student they had to choose: either cash or credit. (The instructor actually had the nerve to say, "Cash or credit, pick one" to the student.) If they wanted college credit (which they needed to graduate), they had to work for free. That's not an education policy. That's extortion.

Rather than let a good opportunity disappear, we restructured the internship as an eight-week unpaid "intensive" to satisfy the university's exploitative rules. In the end, we gave the students a one-month paid contract. They got their credit. They got their check.

First lesson in Fuck you, pay me.

Who Gets Left Behind?

When employers refuse to pay interns, they send a clear message: your time isn't valuable, and your work isn't worth compensation. But let's be honest: this isn't about "opportunities" but privilege. Who can afford to work for free? Not students from low-income backgrounds, not those balancing jobs just to stay in school, and not those without a financial safety net. So, the best opportunities go to those who can afford to take them, not necessarily to those who deserve them. Unpaid internships widen the divide between the privileged and everyone else. They don't reward talent; they reward financial security.

The Numbers Don't Lie

The statistics are staggering. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 41% of internships are unpaid. A study from the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions found that unpaid interns are disproportionately women (75.5%) and people of color (45.1%).

On average, an intern works 1,038 hours over 18.3 weeks, according to the National Survey of College Internships 2021 Report from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The data looks at both unpaid and compensated internships across a diverse range of industries, including arts and humanities, biological sciences, business, communications, engineering, health professions, and social services, among others. While it's unlikely that a typical college junior would take on a 50-hour-per-week unpaid internship, a graduate student in a specialized field might. 

Hypothetically, if an intern were paid $16.56 an hour, which is an average based on minimum wage rates across various U.S. cities, they would earn more than $17,000. This rate reflects wages in cities with higher minimum wages, such as Seattle and Sacramento, as well as in cities like Houston and Dallas, where wages are at or near mandated minimums. But unpaid interns earn zero dollars. That's theft disguised as "opportunity."

The Responsibility of Employers

Companies that justify unpaid internships often argue they are "helping students gain experience." This is misleading. Businesses benefiting from someone's work must provide compensation. No exceptions.

A paid internship represents a rightful exchange, affirming the value of the intern's contributions and enabling participation from diverse backgrounds. It cultivates loyalty, creating a workforce that appreciates and values the company.

The Call to Action

Unpaid internships will only end when students refuse to accept them. The power to dismantle this exploitative system lies with those who are told their labor is worth nothing. To every student struggling with the impossible choice between gaining experience and paying their bills: know your worth. If an employer refuses to compensate you, they do not deserve your talent, effort, or time.

Universities must also take responsibility. For too long, they have forced students to choose between academic credit and financial survival, treating unpaid labor as a rite of passage rather than the barrier it truly is. No institution that claims to support its students should endorse a system that rewards privilege and punishes those who cannot afford to work for free.

And to employers: the excuses have run out. If your company benefits from an intern's work, you owe them a paycheck. Anything less is exploitation. The middle class is shrinking, and unpaid internships accelerate that decline by ensuring only the wealthy can afford career opportunities. Businesses that rely on young, ambitious workers cannot afford to alienate the very people who bring fresh ideas and innovation. The industries of tomorrow will not be built on the backs of unpaid labor.

The era of unpaid internships must end now. If you want talent, ambition, and results, there's only one answer: Fuck you, pay me.