Most internships being accessible/important only to students, anyways. Doesn't apply to all of them (but won't fit in the title)<p>A very cynical take I've heard is that it acts as a class filter, just as is higher education. A somewhat less cynical view is that it's favoritism and trust, just like how people from certain top schools tend to hire those from other top schools with less harsh judgment.<p>However, I am really more interested in the apparent paradox that most internships present, in their accessible to students, people already in a better-off position to enter the professional world. But having the majority of them being inaccessible for those not in school, who actually need more help to get in a similar good standing for a career. In this comparison a student is getting a "double serving" of benefits. Is it as simple as risk factors that companies don't want to take into consideration with self-taught people?
In the US, internships have a legal status under employment law.<p>Companies may legally have unpaid interns on staff.<p>But internships must be part of a credentialed academic program.<p>Otherwise, minimum wage laws apply and having unpaid staff is a violation of labor law.<p>For context though, the US has a very accessible system of higher education via community/junior colleges.<p>Also for context, the ability to work unpaid in a professional setting has always had a strong correlation with class. It is also alive and well within creative fields despite its illegality.<p>Yes the world is full of gatekeepers, if you want an internship you've bought into that system.<p>Good luck.