A stigma has always been placed on college students seeking and receiving internships mainly by older adults who have worked in the field saying that, "internships are a waste of time, all you do is get people coffee" or "it's pointless to have an internship because you don't get paid any money" and also "internships don't teach you anything, your schooling does that."

Well I am here to tell you that all of these statements are false. I've been working at a company for a little over a year now as an intern in the field of architecture, one of the professions most known for not paying their interns. I would like to say that I definitely receive a paycheck every two weeks and it is the best paying job I've ever had in my life up to this point. I have never been asked to go get someone's coffee either.

In fact, I have learned more in my one year as an intern about architecture than I have in 3+ years of college. Now, of course school has taught me some of the basics, but school is limited to a broad overview of most topics. Actually going out in the field and working is where you gain true knowledge and experience.

Now, regarding compensation, I personally do not know of anyone who has had an unpaid internship. I know in the past that most interns were unpaid but that is a practice that is mostly forgotten about in this day and age because, let's be honest, who wants to work for no pay? Exactly, no one. So for that reason companies have learned that if they want to hire interns, they will need to give them some form of compensation.

Of course, since you are an intern, you are pretty much at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to seniority so you will still be given some menial tasks but do not let that deter you from your end goal. Everyone has to start out somewhere and interning is a great way to get your foot in the door for your future career. So if you are a college student looking to get into your respective field, take my advice and do not let any bad rumors about internships deter you from seeking out your goals.