It appears that in some industries internship is nearing extinction. Prestigious colleges like Yale, Harvard and Columbia are no longer giving credits for students who are enrolled in internships. Why it is that internship, which was viewed as a way to “get your foot in the door” to a real career, is getting such a bad rap? Those who are on the side of it being abolish, laments that students are being exploited by companies raking in billions in profits, at the expense of interns-while holding the line on employing a person full time to do the job. One of the more famous cases involved an intern whose demise was heard around the world after working an insane amount of hours.

 For many baby boomers who have either done internship themselves or know someone who have gone through it successfully, have said that it’s hard to understand the reason why so many think it’s unfair to the younger generation. In fact, those who have launched successful careers after going through internship believe it’s only a few bad apples that are ruining it for the majority. More recently, the Ontario labour ministry launched a blitz and reported that there were some inconsistencies with the intent of the internship program and how it was being administered by some companies.

In the meantime, as the debate carries on and it will be interesting to see if internship as we know it today stays the same, 5 years from now.  So, should interns be paid, at the very least minimum wage? Should the government in various provinces and states revamp the laws that governs internship or just keep things they way they are?