The conversation around paid and unpaid internships during college and beyond is one that is discussed quite often. Many believe that it is a great way for the intern to gain experience and knowledge about a certain industry, while others believe that their time is wasted, and it is an unfair way to distribute work.

However, as a student who has worked both as a paid intern and an unpaid intern – I am here to give you my thoughts:

I believe that working as a paid intern is obviously great, but it is basically the same as someone who has a normal job. As expected, most who are working through their paid internship (or job) love what they do, they just get paid for it – sounds pretty perfect, right?

On the other hand, those who work as unpaid interns show true dedication, passion, and interest to their craft. They show that they will spend countless hours working on something they are not getting paid for because they truly want a spot in that industry. And when applying for actual jobs down the road, it will be an admirable feature to employers.

Ultimately, it shows patience. Being an unpaid intern shows that working in the industry you are interested in, means that you have the opportunity to network with others in the field and various companies within for your actual career in the future.

For example, I am currently an unpaid intern at a comedy record label in Frankfort, Kentucky. I run errands, do audio and video production, manage social media accounts, and much more. I do it because I LOVE it and I want to work in the entertainment industry.

With this in mind, it is often very difficult to find your way in the entertainment industry. Comedians spend years working for little to no pay doing their stand-up routines across the world, actors/actresses will do any gig possible for little to no pay, musicians and dancers will perform for little to no pay – for two reasons: to gain EXPOSURE in the field and because it is their DREAM.

Although I understand that we are all broke young adults and money is scarce, I recommend working with your employer about flexible hours so you can have a side job that pays (your employers are nicer than you think).

All in all, if one has enough drive and dedication to their aspirations for their dream job, then an unpaid internship that could help them in their future will be a hopeful and easy yes.