I just read an article from the Chicago Tribune, Even unpaid internships can pay off, by columnist, Barbara Rose. In it, she tells the story of a copywriter, Thomas Kemeny, who did an upaid internship for a major Florida ad agency in 2005. The difference in Kemeny's case is that he landed this internship after his graduation from Columbia College.

Although Kemeny was given a lot of gofer duties like getting lunches for everyone else in the office, he was motivated. When an opportunity to work on a project presented itself - like when employees faced pulling an all-nighter - Kemeny volunteered to help and they welcomed his efforts.

Brandon McArthur, a senior at the University of Illinois, had an unpaid internship last year, but was able to get a paid one this year. When he worked on his unpaid intenship, he also had a regular job to help pay for expenses like putting gas in his car. The need to get a regular job while working on an unpaid internship is a reality that must be faced by students whose colleges or universities don't pay stipends. Another alternative is to ask family to help, or take out a bank loan to help finance summer expenditures.

As someone who was a nontraditional student, going into college with a full-time job, working on two unpaid internships didn't pose a problem for me. Another plus to my internships is that they were year-round. Internships don't have to be reserved for the summer months. If a company or organization near the college or university offers internships during the fall and spring semesters, it's a good idea to give them a try, especially if they're unpaid, as Rose said many internships with social service or arts organizations are.

Paid internships are certainly better, especially since interns nowadays are earning as much as $16.33 per hour for undergraduate internships. According to Edwin Koc of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, this rate "approaches the national $17.24 average hourly workers who make up four-fifths of the workforce."

Elise Kidd, also a student at the University of Illinois, secured two paid internships, which she did during consecutive summer breaks, She had the privilege of working for big companies, but admits that the twelve-hour days - including travel time - she put in with one employer were stressful. Kidd's hard work and dedication weren't without rewards. The employer compensated her and their other interns with perks like "free tickets to sports events, river cruises, and time off for professional development."

Although McArthur wasn't as fortunate as Kidd with his first internship, he doesn't complain. On the contrary, he felt the experience was valuable because he worked on a real project with an investment advisory firm that was close to his parents' home, he learned marketable skills, and he learned how to dress properly in an office setting. An additional bonus is that he can include the work he did during his internship on his resume and include the company's name. As far as McArthur is concerned, it was a win-win situation.

I agree. Unless an intern is being pointedly denied any opportunity to work on real projects and gain practical, hands-on knowledge, any internship, paid or unpaid, is a plus. Something else to consider when deciding whether or not to do an internship is that, according to Rose, "big companies that hire lots of young workers recruit as man as 75 percent of them through internships."

With the competition in today's job market steadily heating up, it's professional suicide for any student to opt out of doing at least one internship before graduating. Even if, like Kemeny, an internship is done after graduation, it's really a good idea to get some experience before shopping resumes around to desired employers.