The “unpaid internship” debate is getting a lot of media attention lately. And, since I am currently in an “unpaid internship” situation, I thought I would weigh into the growing argument.

It’s undeniably hard to be a full-time graduate student. Bills pile up, expenses grow and then there’s that pesky thing called tuition. And while the bills grow, the time you have to work a part-time job shrinks along with your savings account. If you’re lucky, you might get a scholarship or beg a loan out of your parents. But these are hard to come by. So most of us resign to seeing the big, flashing “DEBT” sign every time we swipe our credit and debit cards.

And then, around April, it hits you. You have to work for free all summer. Really? It seems like a one-way trip to the poor house. You can’t help but think all is lost and hyperventilation becomes a regular occurrence.

Okay, so I’m exaggerating. Sometimes, though, it can feel like all is lost.

Why didn’t I know this before?

When I started journalism school, I naively thought all internships were paid. I was wrong. But herein lies an important lesson and one that applies to selecting an internship too. Always do your research.

Investigating the media organizations you want to work for is important. Sometimes this involves abandoning your utopian view of the newspaper, magazine or channel you love. Remember, being a consumer is not the same as being an intern.

Diana Wang and her experience at Harper’s Bazaar is the most publicized example of the unpaid internship gone wrong. In an interview with the CBC’s Anna Maria Tremonti, Wang describes her disappointment and heartbreak as she watched the internship of her dreams spiral into an abuse of power. She has launched a lawsuit against the owner of Harper’s Bazaar.

But does the unpaid internship always have to end in turmoil? From my experience the answer to this question is no.

Working hard to work for free

I applied for at least ten internships and started my applications during the second week of school. Competition for unpaid internships in Canada is fierce. Competition for paid internships is even worse.

News organizations are busy. You will spend hours writing cover letters and preparing applications. You will even pay to express ship your clippings. And, most times, you will never hear back.

You will be angry. You will cry. You will ask, “why will no one hire me to work for free?”

I shared this experience with a lot of fellow students. An under-covered issue in the internship debate is just how competitive it is to secure an unpaid position in a news organization.

Newsrooms are shrinking. We know this. Getting a foot in the door is essential and harder than ever in the world of journalism. As Valerie Casselton, executive editor of the Vancouver Sun, told our class at the UBC School of Journalism, you have to have everything because, if you don’t, another candidate will and that candidate will get the position.

But having “everything” is hard when “everything” includes experience. So the one way to get experience is to fight the masses for an unpaid internship. You might not get your first choice, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for being “the random task go-to person.”

An unpaid internship can be very fulfilling if you choose wisely. Always know exactly what you are signing up for. You can ask the company, but your best bet is to search out past interns. They won’t hesitate to give you an earful of the reality behind the job description.

You did what?

I postponed a paid internship in Cambodia to work for free this summer. Like Wang, my utopian/childhood dream internship came knocking and I just couldn’t resist. Only, in my case, it turned out better.

I grew up watching shows like Daily Planet and have always been very curious. I knew I could be happy for the rest of my life if I found a job that let me learn something new every day.

I am now one month into my internship at Discovery Channel Canada and don’t regret my decision at all. In case you are wondering, I don’t have a scholarship, student loan or a donation from generous relatives. The claim that some students can’t afford to work for free all summer is, in my opinion, debatable. I took two years off between undergrad and grad school to save money. I also have a job during school and am working right now in the hours I have outside my unpaid internship.

Discovery has taught me a lot and I am excited to go to work every day. I feel privileged to see how the magic happens behind the scenes and my experience has helped me focus my career goals.

My intention is not to create a generalized view of the unpaid internship. I’m not even sure how I feel about it from a moral or legal standpoint. I just look at my internship like a course that gives me an accurate glimpse into the industry – one that can’t be recreated in a classroom setting.

I have never enjoyed going to work as much as I do at Discovery Channel. In one month, I found my passion. And maybe that’s worth more than a paycheque.