Internships are useful.
BOOM! (That was me blowing your mind.)
Well, hopefully not, but I'm going to spend the next 2,000-something characters writing about how an internship I had can be used to generalize why working for free in a recovering economy isn't as backward as it may sound.
This past summer, I was a Consumer Frauds Representative at the Attorney General's office in downtown Buffalo. There, I fielded complaints from Western New Yorkers who were wronged by businesses and sought some form of restitution.
While serving those who: did not have their security deposits returned by their landlords; purchased appliances that were broken before taken out of the box; were harassed by debt collectors night and day for money that they didn't owe; and so on, I ended up serving myself, too.
Although there was no financial incentive to dedicate 20 hours a week to help fellow New Yorkers, I was able to add a few lines to my resume. More than that, however, I learned a lot of valuable lessons that I can now apply to the real world.
Many of the problems I mediated could have been avoided had the consumers had the knowledge I possessed after becoming an intern. Unbeknownst to many, New York State offers free literature on tenant's rights, debt collection, scams, identify theft, and more.
Well, kind of free, but nothing comes without a price. (The information is as "free" as roads, education, sanitation, police and whatever else our tax dollars pay for.)
Still, these consumers were at least savvy enough to call their regional Attorney General's office to complain when they were wronged by a business, something most young adults our age wouldn't think to do. Granted, we often dealt with people we dubbed "crazies" – those who wanted to file complaints against their dogs for eating a full bag of Iams' pet food – but at least they had the right idea.
Well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration (both the dog example and them having the right idea), but I think the point is clear.
I gained valuable information from my internship that I can now apply to different areas of my life, and I feel that's what makes an internship useful. Maybe you'll intern in a field that doesn't interest you; maybe you'll work for a jerk-of-a-boss and be forced to run mindless errands; or maybe you'll quit after a week because what's required of you is too demanding.
But, either way, putting yourself out there and gaining real-world experience can only benefit you in the future and help you prepare to be a better worker at a better job later in life.
If you've taken nothing else away from this column, remember this: Next time you're having trouble with your landlord, are scammed by an international lottery, think someone has committed identity theft against you, or buy a defective product, call the Attorney General's office and file a complaint. They can help.
E-mail: andrew.wiktor@ubspectrum.com
