Being a full-time university student is no laughing matter. You juggle headache-inducing 300 and 400-level courses alongside elusive deadlines, uncooperative peers, and a virtually nonexistent social life. Factor in tuition fees, side gigs, and club commitments, and you've got the typical overstressed and undervalued senior student.
While liberation from 8 AM lectures appears within reach, students must overcome one final obstacle before venturing into the corporate world: a full-time internship. Although internships are designed to prepare final-year students for professional life, many companies tend to target students still in the midst of their coursework. This seldom benefits the youth and often exacerbates the challenges of their academic lives.
Participating in internships during one's university tenure is widespread in numerous countries overseas, with most students leveraging these opportunities to accrue experience and income while pursuing their degrees. However, in Bangladesh, most students undertake a single internship at the culmination of their degree program. A significant factor contributing to this trend is the trimester system prevalent in the majority of private universities, which leaves little room for students to engage in internships during their studies without sacrificing their academic progress.
Full-time internships demand the same level of commitment as a regular job, necessitating students to be present at work five days a week. Furthermore, internships typically span 10 to 12 weeks, equivalent to an entire university semester, rendering it unfeasible to maintain a full course load simultaneously. Presenting a trade-off between the internship and academic pursuits, students are confronted with the dilemma of either embarking on the internship and foregoing an entire semester or bypassing such experiential opportunities to continue their studies.
Unfortunately, there is no scenario that guarantees success, and individuals inevitably miss out one way or another.
More often than not, these internships are unpaid, posing a significant predicament as most students lack the financial stability to sustain themselves while working for free for an entire semester. Even in instances where internships are compensated, the remuneration is often inadequate, rendering them exploitative as students invest substantial effort for minimal compensation.
Regrettably, not all internships offer valuable learning experiences. A substantial power differential exists between inexperienced students and the organizations, leading many companies to exploit this dynamic. Numerous internship programs relegate interns to performing menial tasks and grunt work devoid of practical expertise or value. Consequently, the overall experience may feel unfulfilling and demoralizing.
While I do not advocate against full-time internships, the practice of targeting inexperienced second-year students with advertisements and subsequently subjecting them to overwork and underpayment is morally questionable. Organizations should refrain from deceiving inexperienced students with hollow internship programs and assigning them clerical duties.
