The Evolution of Internships:

What hope is there for young graduates if internships now require 1 - 3 years of experience? Should we even still call them internships? My argument is that employers are becoming short-sighted, and posterity may suffer for the decisions being made by a few.

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I am huge on etymology - the study of the history of words. So please permit me to take you through a bit of it. The word intern/ internship has roots in French and Latin. The English word intern is equivalent to the French word?interne?or the Latin word?internus,?which means internal, inside, or within.??

From around the 1860s - 1960s, the term would mean a young medical trainee taken inside the circle of experts to learn the practice hands-on. But the history of the practice itself comes from the medieval practice called an apprenticeship. In those days, apprenticeship meant experts taking in young people to train them in a particular skill and assisting them in earning access to a guild (association or union).

After the success of the internships in the medical field, other fields like business, engineering and social sciences began adopting internships. So by the 1970s, we see internships being popularized. It is key to note that internships were intended to benefit the students in all these stages of the system's evolution. So they were also being integrated into the school curriculum in the US and Europe.

My focus today is on something other than whether interns should be paid or not. My focus is on the attack we see on the whole system of internships. But to satisfy your curiosity, it will amaze you to note that several legal fights have been had on whether interns should be paid on not. One conclusion was that if the internship benefits the student, then the employer cannot pay. I will not discuss what loopholes this created for modern employers to exploit young talent. But this?article?is interesting.??

By definition, an internship is a period of?work experience offered by an employer to give students and graduates exposure to the working environment, often within a specific industry related to their field of study.?

The underlying principle is that the industry will absorb novices and give them relevant experience to build their careers while they find easy access to a pool of talent. Internships are intended to get someone without experience and give them experience.?

When internships were good, resumes with internships were 14% more likely to lead to an interview request or callback than resumes that didn't list such experience. As such, college internships helped students secure employment or enter graduate school within six months of graduation.

In those days and times, internships were meant to benefit students. They were the bridge students would use to cross over to their dream careers. But the times have changed. Internships are designed to benefit employers entirely.?

If not, then please tell me where the idea of demanding work experience comes from before taking in college graduates/ students as interns. Should we even still call them internships??

Dear young scientist, I fear we have entered difficult phases of the world's history. Routine tasks are no longer demanded at the rate that they were. These are being replaced by automation. So employers are looking for people with problem-solving skills.?

Here is my challenge for you. As you go through school, please focus on attaining skills relevant to the times we are living in. The world is not getting any kinder, so you should prioritize upskilling and making yourself relevant/ valuable. A strong value proposition is the only way you will navigate the rough terrain.?