Internship - Paid And Unpaid, Should You Agree To The Unpaid One

When it comes to going for an internship, students often face a prevalent dilemma. Whether to go for paid internships or unpaid ones, it may seem ridiculous on the surface because everyone would choose the paid ones.

 But this may not be the case for everyone.

 Just because an internship is paying you well doesn't make it the right one. It can leave a harmful impact on your career. So, if you are just judging the nature of an internship and ready to go for an unpaid one, then there are a few things you need to know beforehand.

 Let's consider the plus sides and downsides of an internship.

 The Good And Bad Side Of Unpaid Internships

See, when you are working and still not getting paid, well, nobody likes this feeling. This is why most people would go for paid ones.

But sometimes, even the unpaid ones can come with great benefits. Let's look at the plus sides first.

Valuable Experience:

Any good unpaid internship can help you with a lot of experience. There, you can share the work with passionate people, and you can be in a field you love. In the case of a paid internship, the pressure will not be there on you to perform. 

The unpaid ones will surely help you to build your character as a professional. We are not trying to glorify being unpaid, but the kind of experiences that you will go through as a professional will surely make you much more robust in the future. 

Testing the waters

Most of the students are forced to do an internship. Most of them have zero interest in doing what they are asked to do. They often go for these things out of societal or peer pressure. That's why most of them end up feeling dissatisfied.

But when it comes to unpaid ones, you will have no obligation. You will be free to find out if your current industry is to your liking or not. Plus, unpaid internship opportunities can be easily found. You can easily follow the path that you like and not what others are deciding for you.

Training Opportunities

Paid internships will have a much strict program, and you will have to follow schedules. They are often considered entry-level employees. But unpaid internships will have fewer constraints, and you will be free to explore a bit more.

This freedom and comparatively less responsibility can work wonders for you. You can just observe the work most of the time, and you can job shadow other people, and even go for company training courses. This will help you get professional qualifications.

The Down Sides:

 Stress and financial constraints

Working for free is not for everyone. Only a handful of people can do this and that, even for a brief period. Sometimes they go for an unpaid internship and even have a part-time job just to manage a living. This can cause a lot of stress.

In an ideal situation, students should be allowed to focus on learning and work. Working two jobs can simultaneously make your life quite hectic.  

Self-esteem challenge

Being paid is quite beneficial for your self-esteem. Working for free, on the other hand, can make you question your self-esteem. This can come into the picture when other paid employees might look down on them. 

It may be quite a challenge, but if you can hold your fort and not give in, you can learn something quite useful for your future. You just have to tell yourself that one day you will get that high-paying job. 

May affect future employment

In all honesty, if you mention an unpaid resume on your CV, it may not always go well with the employers. The employer can get impressed by your work experience, but they will not be pleased to see that you were not paid.

But if you can't secure an internship, it is always better to do something even if it's not paying you well. You will always get the chance to improve your soft skills required in the workplace, such as communication and teamwork capability. These are all very important for your job experience and overall experience as a fresher.

So, there you have it, pluses and minuses of going for an unpaid internship. Should you have any further queries, feel free to mention them in the comments section.