--- title: "Daily Buzz: The Unpaid Internship Problem" id: "47735" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-the-unpaid-internship-problem" published_at: "2019-08-21T20:27:57+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-17T01:57:40+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/08/21/daily-buzz-the-unpaid-internship-problem/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/08/21/daily-buzz-the-unpaid-internship-problem.md" excerpt: "Unpaid internships can put financial strain on many young professionals—but doing away with these programs won’t solve the issue, either. Also: how to refine content in 2020." taxonomy_category: - "Career Development" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "careers" - "internships" - "NextGen" - "opportunity" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Early Career" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: The Unpaid Internship Problem For many young professionals, internships offer valuable work experience that can help catapult their careers. But when internships are unpaid—as [43 percent of them were in 2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.wsj.com/articles/unpaid-internships-are-going-out-of-style-1530536400) , according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers—they present a financial quandary. “When middle-class or low-income students can’t afford to be cheap labor, those unpaid internships effectively shut them out of their desired career paths—while opening doors for privileged students who already have a leg up,” [says Pavithra Mohan on Fast Company (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcompany.com/90388911/how-the-unpaid-intern-economy-feeds-income-inequality) . Does that mean unpaid internships should be eliminated entirely? Not necessarily. Mohan says balancing the scales is more about distributing opportunity equally. For example, a nonprofit called [Code2040 (opens in a new tab)](http://www.code2040.org/) works to pair black and Latinx fellows with internships at top tech companies to help close the racial wealth gap. Even then, young professionals have to balance financial realities with career goals, often sacrificing some of their dreams to pay the bills. But, as Mohan points out, programs like Code2040 that are working to level the playing field are a step in the right direction. ### Content Tips for 2020 > If hindsight is 20/20, then this article offers both hindsight and foresight. [https://t.co/cb5dctNzK8 (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/cb5dctNzK8) > > — Content Marketing Institute (@CMIContent) [August 21, 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/CMIContent/status/1164086234525945856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Your association has a blog,** it produces content, and it does it well. Come 2020, that might not be enough to keep readers engaged. [Content Marketing Institute asked speakers at Content Marketing World 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2019/07/content-marketing-focus/) where the focus will shift in the coming year. Among the top answers? Understanding the purpose behind your content. “Sharp vision seems to be around the need to create content in various forms for people to respond to and all the various forms that can take,” said [Tamsen Webster (opens in a new tab)](https://schedule.contentmarketingworld.com/speaker/webster-tamsen/49344) , founder and chief message strategist of Find The Red Thread. “What’s still blurry is why you’re creating that content in the first place—what you want it to do.” ### Other Links of Note **Like Facebook before it,** LinkedIn is turning to live video. The Hootsuite blog shares [how to make the most of LinkedIn Live (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-live/?utm_source=twitter_hootsuite&utm_medium=owned_social&utm_term=27881577-ceee-4fd8-8430-be7fe64b33d9&utm_campaign=all-alwayson-none-glo-en----social_hootsuite---) . **Looking for nonprofit-specific tech tools?** The Wild Apricot blog explains [how to cut through the software noise (opens in a new tab)](https://www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/2019/08/20/useful-nonprofit-tech-tools) to find the best solution for your organization. **It’s no secret that social media** is key to event marketing. *Smart Meetings* outlines [what every planner needs to know to track social ROI (opens in a new tab)](https://www.smartmeetings.com/magazine_article/demystify-and-simplify-social-media-marketing) . (Artur/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#careers](https://associationsnow.com/tag/careers/) [#internships](https://associationsnow.com/tag/internships/) [#NextGen](https://associationsnow.com/tag/nextgen/) [#opportunity](https://associationsnow.com/tag/opportunity/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoAllison Isch, PMP Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/allison-isch-pmp-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoASAE’s The ExchangeApril 24, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/24/asaes-the-exchange/) - [VideoIntroducing the ASAE Future Leaders Professional Development ScholarshipJune 14, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/06/14/introducing-the-asae-future-leaders-professional-development-scholarship/) - [VideoLaurie Gussak Shares Her CAE JourneyOctober 26, 2023](https://associationsnow.com/2023/10/26/laurie-gussak-shares-her-cae-journey/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2019%2F08%2F21%2Fdaily-buzz-the-unpaid-internship-problem%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !