I've had a couple of careers in my life. I've been both a business plan writer/developer and a journalist. Both vocations were made possible because I cut my teeth as an unpaid intern of sorts.
Apparently - as I've recently learned - a lot of unpaid internships contravene the B.C. Employment Standards Act. Under the act, working for free outside the auspices of a formal academic program is a no-no.
I think those regulations are a huge disservice to young people and to individuals looking to change careers.
The debate about unpaid internships and whether or not they're kosher has been reignited in recent weeks due to high profile disputes in both Canada and the United States.
I understand my colleague opposite's uneasiness about them: You don't want companies consistently staffing their front lines with a cadre of free labour. But there has to be some flexibility.
Again, I go back to my work history as a prime example of why unpaid internships are necessary and can be fruitful.
Coming out of university, I had trouble finding a job in the field of my choice. The youth unemployment rate was a lot like it is now at around 13%.
After months of looking, a Vancouver-based venture capital company - probably tired of my incessant phone calls - offered me an opportunity to edit business plans, for free, for several of their clients. I jumped at it and it turned out to be a win-win situation.
I had zero experience and they needed to see what I could do before giving me more projects. As it turns out, I did well and my business plan writing career took off.
I had a similar experience with regard to journalism - a small ethnic newspaper gave me a chance to write sans a paycheque. I can confidently say that without those unpaid internships I would have not even gotten my foot in the door.
That's the way business works. Sometimes the only way to get a job in a particular field is to have experience and sometimes the only way to garner experience is to work for free for a short period. Not everybody's going to like it, but that's the reality. That's real life.
