This is why its good to have people discuss these topics rather than just get a single opinion. My opinion is that there are better ways to personally grow, however, here we have David supporting them.
In the end, the only person who can really determine whether it is what you want to do is the person who is thinking about doing it. The true value of a working listserv is discussion of even these most basic topics! On Fri, Aug 16, 2013 at 11:06 AM, David M. Lawrence <[email protected]> wrote: > I have to file a dissent with Dr. McCallum's opinion. Whether an unpaid > internship is worth it or not depends entirely on what measurement endpoints > you choose to evaluate them with. If you evaluate their worth solely from a > human resources department angle, his argument may make sense. But if you > evaluate their worth from other measures -- such as personal growth -- you > might come to a very different conclusion. > > I did a lot of what you might call "unpaid internships" when I was an > undergrad (I called it volunteering). I have to say, those nights sitting > in the rain dozing off over a physiology book between runs to check pitfall > traps for salamanders and other creatures were some of the most valuable > fieldwork experiences I have had. (And I have had some great ones over the > years.) > > Later, > > Dave > > > On 8/16/2013 11:08 AM, malcolm McCallum wrote: >> >> Some unpaid internships are worthy of your time. Most will not get >> you any kind of experience of worth. Why? Because quality costs >> money, and if you need quality you will find a way to pay for it. >> That is not to say you cannot learn something valuable in an unpaid >> internship, but hardly any employer considers unpaid experience as >> experience. They typically say otherwise publicly, but in house its >> only experience if someone is willing to pay you to do it. Paid >> experience ALWAYS ranks higher than unpaid. Just like professorial >> experience ranks higher than postdoctoral, and postdoctoral ranks >> higher than graduate student experience. Likewise, you PHD trumps >> your MS, and your MS trumps your BS. Its a rank in file. If you have >> nothing else to do, you might try doing an unpaid intern. If you are >> not getting pay, or a pub on your CV, its probably not worth your time >> or effort. > > > -- > ------------------------------------------------------ > David M. Lawrence | Home: (804) 559-9786 > 6467 Hanna Drive | Cell: (804) 305-5234 > Mechanicsville, VA 23111 | Email: [email protected] > USA | http: http://fuzzo.com > ------------------------------------------------------ > > "All drains lead to the ocean." -- Gill, Finding Nemo > > "We have met the enemy and he is us." -- Pogo > > "No trespassing > 4/17 of a haiku" -- Richard Brautigan -- Malcolm L. McCallum Department of Environmental Studies University of Illinois at Springfield Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology "Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" - Allan Nation 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction MAY help restore populations. 2022: Soylent Green is People! The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi) Wealth w/o work Pleasure w/o conscience Knowledge w/o character Commerce w/o morality Science w/o humanity Worship w/o sacrifice Politics w/o principle Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
