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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Economic downturn hinders students on the lookout for summer jobs, internships

    With summer on the horizon, many students are feeling the pressure to secure a summer job or internship. The conflict between students' drive for paid internships and the struggling economy has been a black cloud hovering above the heads of Jumbos on the hunt for employment. But as businesses struggle with the recession, internship prospects — especially paid ones — appear scarce. While some companies consider students to be low-cost alternatives to salaried workers, others are drastically cutting back funds for internship programs.
    "On one hand, unpaid interns would seem beneficial to an employer as a way of ramping up resources, especially when functioning with a leaner workforce," Jean Papalia, director of Career Services, said in an e-mail to the Daily. "That said, a solid internship requires supervision and training, which may not be available in downsized organizations — whether or not compensation is involved."
    Papalia explained that with the U.S. unemployment rate at 7.6 percent in January, there will undoubtedly be implications for hiring. Recent data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) indicates that employers expect to cut college hiring by 22 percent this year. "Of course, this varies by industry and geography; however, it's safe to say that there will be ramifications for internship hiring," Papalia said. "As thousands of workers are being laid off, employers may find it difficult to justify the resources to pay summer interns."
    Given that the biggest recommendation from career advisors is that students try internships in their fields of interest, many have tried, with varying degrees of success, to secure internships that they can afford. But in a wide number of cases, this effort has been an uphill battle. "It's sad because a lot of people would do internships, but it's hard to pay for housing and stuff if the internship isn't paid," sophomore Alyce Currier said.
    And regardless of the edge that internships give in landing jobs after graduation, many are unwilling to give up the possibility of making money over the summer.
    "If I could [do an unpaid internship], I would," sophomore Emma Albright said. "I do think [gaining work] experience could be a better reason [to do an internship] than for monetary reasons. But at this point I'm just not in the position to forfeit my summer. I need money for the next year."
    The availability of unpaid internships and lack of paid ones bring up questions of economic divides. While internship hiring is ideally based on merit, students with connections and those whose parents can afford to pay their room and board while they build their résumés may have a significant advantage over those who must spend the summer earning money instead of spending it.
    "The effects of the downturn have touched families across all demographics. From an anecdotal perspective, we've heard in the past that, for example, a parent might be willing to help with housing to subsidize a student in pursuing a valuable internship experience," Papalia said. "Given the economic recession, we cannot predict whether this is at all feasible in the coming year."
    For sophomore Nadia Ramos, the option is not feasible. "Fortunately, my parents would love to [support me through an unpaid internship], but they are not rich, and because of financial trouble they wouldn't be able to afford it," she said.
    In some cases, however, Ramos feels that it may be worth it to spend the money and gain the experience.
    "Even though some internships are unpaid, the experience you gain and the skills you learn will help you in the future, help you better understand the profession that you choose to go into," she said.
    Papalia expressed a similar opinion, noting that students are still pursuing internships as avidly as ever.
    "Regardless of economy, Tufts students are highly focused on internships, understanding their value in developing career focus and in marketing themselves for full-time positions after graduation," she said. "Thus, we would not report a change in the way students view internships, except that today most understand the need for casting a wider net and for flexibility and adaptability in terms of what might be available."
    She continued that students may be more likely to seek out part-time internships so that they can find paying jobs to fill financial gaps.
    With such weight on their minds, those who can may look to Mom and Dad for support, as some programs have popped up where students can pay for someone else to find an unpaid internship for them.
    According to sophomore Molly Dow, her parents would not hesitate to use such an internship program. "My parents are willing to pay for whatever is an extension of my education," she said.
    On the other hand, sophomore Zoe Schlag sees it differently. "They would definitely encourage me to get an internship, but they wouldn't pay," she said. "It's not really their responsibility."
    Meanwhile, some students find alternative ways to making a little extra cash besides summer jobs or internships. In Dow's case, she has found a means of securing funding for a research project in Latin America through the Institute for Global Leadership.
    And while opportunities for off-campus jobs may be slim pickings, Tufts continues to work to provide student jobs.
    Currier took full advantage of Tufts and encourages others to do the same. "Last summer, I had a job in the [Office of Alumni Relations and Advancement Communications] here at Tufts. It's not an off-campus internship, but it's very similar in terms of what I do," she said. "I feel like I got really lucky, because I know a lot of people who haven't been able to find anything. I'm just happy that I found something that is secure."
    This year, finding internship funding at Tufts may not be as easy as it was in the past. "There is a limited amount of funding available through Tufts for nonpaid summer internships, and we expect these will be in great demand this year," Papalia said.
    But she emphasized that internships are certainly still available. "Tufts students will land internships if they are able to be flexible, creative, and dedicate time and energy to the search process."

    Kerianne Okie contributed reporting to this article.