Unpaid or underpaid internships can also be dead ends, depending on just how exploitative a company is.

In 1992 I did an academic internship in college for Teltech Resources in Minnesota, a company developing a cutting-edge database of technical concepts to help facilitate their business of renting out experts to corporations. The internship paid $10 bucks an hour.

They were pleased with my work, and at the end of the 10-month internship, they offered to hire me full time...at $10 bucks an hour. This, to help them develop a product that made millions of dollars for their company. I walked away, and haven't worked as a "knowledge engineer" since.

It doesn't matter to me if that "opportunity" might have led to some career in their corporate structure. Fact is, they were abusing workers by paying them non-living wages. For that, they can go to hell. Paying workers a living wage is an act of simple human decency, and by that measure, many American corporations fall short. That's nothing to be proud of, and I would hesitate to praise a system that makes it so easy to foist these scams on students or other workers.

Work deserves money. Pay up, America.

"Death before being dishonored any more." - Col. Ted Westhusing

is a very good idea. Many students can’t afford the higher tuitions that Universities demand and attend community colleges instead. Two and three year co-op programmes are often offered. The work part of these programmes is part of these teaching experiences.

I do not believe they are valuable once the student has graduated nor should a student contemplate them in place a paying summer job. Many students can’t afford the higher tuitions that Universities demand and attend community colleges instead. Two and three year programmes are often offered. The work part of these programmes is part of these teaching experiences.

I do not believe they are valuable once the student has graduated, nor should a student contemplate them in place of a paying summer job. Co-op programmes in ivy-league universities are controversial.