Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Internships - To Pay or Not to Pay ?
Recently, there has been a decent amount of articles regarding the legality and ethical implications of companies providing unpaid internships - typically to college students. I figured, as a college student and an intern, this is a perfect opportunity for me to chime in.
First, I suggest you read this New York Times article about the controversy.
So there's so many different aspects/issues regarding this. I do believe in the concepts of internships. There needs to be some kind of a regulation/balance though. It shouldn't just be seen as free labor. An intern should be just as important and equal as everyone else.
I've had a few internships where I've sat there and done nothing - because they told me they had nothing for me to do. Or, my duties consisted of a lot of grunt work (I liked to call it the 3S syndrome - Staple, Stamp, Send - for all the envelopes I had to send out.) There was no career related work. I know that somebody has to do that grunt work. I'm totally fine with doing it based on the premise that I will be doing something a bit more sophisticated later on.
So when my bosses would tell me they have nothing for me to do, a few days later they would get mad at me for "not going the extra mile" What extra mile? They had nothing for me. And the bosses get mad when you keep badgering them for work, so there's no happy medium.
I actually ended up having a meeting directly with my bosses at this same firm, where I told them how this particular internship wasn't what I expected it to be, and they told me I'm a valuable asset of the firm. I didn't follow. I felt as though they were trying to suck up because they realized how frustrated I was. Following that meeting, NOTHING changed.
It is hard to be inspired in an environment that won't let you learn. And it snowballs very quickly if it happens too often. I'm giving up my free time to come in, contribute, and learn - but that doesn't mean that you can treat me like my time isn't valuable and that I'm incapable of contributing. Comments like "Oh, he's just an intern" really dehumanize the position, and can easily frustrate people. In situations like social media, I probably know just as much as the employees - or maybe more. Why not let me help?
I believe some incentive needs to be offered. And not just "valuable learning experience," because that's the typical, company policy line that isn't really cutting it. It's the same as "every day here is different." I think I've heard that from every place I've interviewed. I guess it comes with the territory. But, it doesn't do any good to lie if you don't actually follow through.
So by incentive - what does that mean? It's not directly cash. Obviously an easy incentive is college credit. At BU, I don't really get college credit outside of my one 4-credit internship that is required to graduate. I can't take another internship for credit, but I wanted to keep learning (pending the firm.)
So college credit is nice, but there's also other options. Obviously, the situation may vary by firm and intern, but something valuable. Some kind of one-on-one mentoring, "classes," maybe help land the intern an interview at another firm. Something more than just "a valuable learning experience." because that's so vague that it doesn't mean anything.
The thing to consider is that many people give up their free time/summer's to participate in these internships. They could be spending this time at a random job - waiter - and make money that they actually might DESPERATELY need, instead of slaving away at a firm that isn't paid and they may not have anything for the intern to do.
I know too many people who have had internships, and, when they aren't paid, they aren't doing anything. It's because the companies have NO reason to give them work - what difference is it to them? That's the attitude that annoys me the most. It generates this tension between the interns and the employees. The interns stay on because they want something on their resume. The company gets mad because the interns "aren't going the extra mile."
That's why I want some kind of incentive to ensure that an intern and the employer have a reason for us to work together. If the company says "he's on the payroll, we need to give him something to do," then that's far better than "who cares, we're not paying him." And that allows for firms to overload on interns because - who cares? It doesn't matter! At one firm, I was one of 14 interns in a 25-man agency. That's too many. Some days, I didn't have a desk or computer, which made my tasks even more "grunty" than ever. That's a situation where internships are unethical. Why have me if you can't facilitate me? Let me go somewhere else.
The reason I enjoy my (unpaid) internship now is because they get it. While they may not always have things to do, they don't mind if I do school work or other things - it's all normal. If I have to leave early for a team meeting, it's not the end of the world (as it was at another internship.) My bosses allow me to tag along to some events and meet people. Obviously one of the other benefits that I enjoy a lot is the ability to go to to some of the local sporting events for free. There's obviously still grunt work, but it's not only grunt work. It's a healthy balance.
To conclude, I believe that unpaid internships are unethical. I'm no lawyer, I couldn't tell you if it is illegal or not. Without some sort of incentive, it's basically companies taking advantage of young, hopeful, inspired college students. It doesn't need to be financial compensation, but something to actually help enhance and launch the career of the aspiring intern.
It's just too bad this issue is coming to light as I'm hoping to get a job in the coming months and will transfer over from the intern to job side of life. I hope for the best for future interns.
First, I suggest you read this New York Times article about the controversy.
So there's so many different aspects/issues regarding this. I do believe in the concepts of internships. There needs to be some kind of a regulation/balance though. It shouldn't just be seen as free labor. An intern should be just as important and equal as everyone else.
I've had a few internships where I've sat there and done nothing - because they told me they had nothing for me to do. Or, my duties consisted of a lot of grunt work (I liked to call it the 3S syndrome - Staple, Stamp, Send - for all the envelopes I had to send out.) There was no career related work. I know that somebody has to do that grunt work. I'm totally fine with doing it based on the premise that I will be doing something a bit more sophisticated later on.
So when my bosses would tell me they have nothing for me to do, a few days later they would get mad at me for "not going the extra mile" What extra mile? They had nothing for me. And the bosses get mad when you keep badgering them for work, so there's no happy medium.
I actually ended up having a meeting directly with my bosses at this same firm, where I told them how this particular internship wasn't what I expected it to be, and they told me I'm a valuable asset of the firm. I didn't follow. I felt as though they were trying to suck up because they realized how frustrated I was. Following that meeting, NOTHING changed.
It is hard to be inspired in an environment that won't let you learn. And it snowballs very quickly if it happens too often. I'm giving up my free time to come in, contribute, and learn - but that doesn't mean that you can treat me like my time isn't valuable and that I'm incapable of contributing. Comments like "Oh, he's just an intern" really dehumanize the position, and can easily frustrate people. In situations like social media, I probably know just as much as the employees - or maybe more. Why not let me help?
I believe some incentive needs to be offered. And not just "valuable learning experience," because that's the typical, company policy line that isn't really cutting it. It's the same as "every day here is different." I think I've heard that from every place I've interviewed. I guess it comes with the territory. But, it doesn't do any good to lie if you don't actually follow through.
So by incentive - what does that mean? It's not directly cash. Obviously an easy incentive is college credit. At BU, I don't really get college credit outside of my one 4-credit internship that is required to graduate. I can't take another internship for credit, but I wanted to keep learning (pending the firm.)
So college credit is nice, but there's also other options. Obviously, the situation may vary by firm and intern, but something valuable. Some kind of one-on-one mentoring, "classes," maybe help land the intern an interview at another firm. Something more than just "a valuable learning experience." because that's so vague that it doesn't mean anything.
The thing to consider is that many people give up their free time/summer's to participate in these internships. They could be spending this time at a random job - waiter - and make money that they actually might DESPERATELY need, instead of slaving away at a firm that isn't paid and they may not have anything for the intern to do.
I know too many people who have had internships, and, when they aren't paid, they aren't doing anything. It's because the companies have NO reason to give them work - what difference is it to them? That's the attitude that annoys me the most. It generates this tension between the interns and the employees. The interns stay on because they want something on their resume. The company gets mad because the interns "aren't going the extra mile."
That's why I want some kind of incentive to ensure that an intern and the employer have a reason for us to work together. If the company says "he's on the payroll, we need to give him something to do," then that's far better than "who cares, we're not paying him." And that allows for firms to overload on interns because - who cares? It doesn't matter! At one firm, I was one of 14 interns in a 25-man agency. That's too many. Some days, I didn't have a desk or computer, which made my tasks even more "grunty" than ever. That's a situation where internships are unethical. Why have me if you can't facilitate me? Let me go somewhere else.
The reason I enjoy my (unpaid) internship now is because they get it. While they may not always have things to do, they don't mind if I do school work or other things - it's all normal. If I have to leave early for a team meeting, it's not the end of the world (as it was at another internship.) My bosses allow me to tag along to some events and meet people. Obviously one of the other benefits that I enjoy a lot is the ability to go to to some of the local sporting events for free. There's obviously still grunt work, but it's not only grunt work. It's a healthy balance.
To conclude, I believe that unpaid internships are unethical. I'm no lawyer, I couldn't tell you if it is illegal or not. Without some sort of incentive, it's basically companies taking advantage of young, hopeful, inspired college students. It doesn't need to be financial compensation, but something to actually help enhance and launch the career of the aspiring intern.
It's just too bad this issue is coming to light as I'm hoping to get a job in the coming months and will transfer over from the intern to job side of life. I hope for the best for future interns.
Joslyn James, Go Away
On Monday, Tiger Woods held a press conference. Immediately following, Joslyn James held a similar press conference. One was broadcast on national television. The other was shown live on TMZ.com. Guess which one was which.
Joslyn James is seriously stretching this way too far. There's at least 12 people that have come forward to having an affair with Tiger - why do you have to be the loudest one? What good does it do to release Tiger's texts, show images of hotel room keys, flight confirmations, etc. ? We believe you. We believe everyone. We didn't want to - but now we do.
Today's second press conference was actually absurd. First of all, we criticized Woods for not speaking previously without a pre-mediated speech/interview, but then James can barely speak for herself. Instead, her attorney, Gloria Allred spoke, claiming Tiger owes Joslyn (and all the other people hurt) an apology - all because Tiger said text messages with content like "we'll have this forever." or "i love you."
Think about the texts for a few seconds.
How many times do you think people say that to each other, only to not say that a few months later? I believe the term for it is called a break-up. In situations where they are married, it's called divorce. I'm also almost entirely positive that it happens to just about everyone. And by "that" I don't mean cheating - I mean saying something (like 'I will always love you') and then probably a few days/weeks/months later not acting through on that - for whatever reason. It happens. It's common. People change. Emotions change. Situations change. Nothing is forever.
So instead, James and Allred are holding onto something that isn't - and probably wasn't - really there, and trying to get everyone else to care about their situation.
I think it's all a gimmick. I believe James may of had feelings for Tiger, but she's too mentally unstable to realize the situation and how it could really never work out. Tiger's got a wife and kids. He's got millions of dollars. He most likely didn't really care for her, he was just feeding her what he thought she wanted to hear so that he could get what he wanted. Sounds like most guys out there - right?
Let's be serious - James is an adult film star. There's nothing wrong with that, but I bet it's hard to "make it" in that field given the explosion of internet porn. She needs something to give her a boost. I don't know if this is it, but if that's what's going to take her to the top, she's made a name for herself. I don't know if being "the porn star that had an affair with Tiger Woods" is the label she'll want to carry the rest of her life, but she didn't ask me. Too late now.
Ultimately, she'll go back to porn. She says she's "considering" not doing it. She has to. That's all she's ever done. At the end of her "press conference" she stated that she would be "performing" at the local strip club during the week of the Masters. Way to promote yourself.
Either way, she had her time. It's over. Thanks for coming Joslyn, now go away. You aren't going to get an apology. Get back in reality, and get over it.
Joslyn James is seriously stretching this way too far. There's at least 12 people that have come forward to having an affair with Tiger - why do you have to be the loudest one? What good does it do to release Tiger's texts, show images of hotel room keys, flight confirmations, etc. ? We believe you. We believe everyone. We didn't want to - but now we do.
Today's second press conference was actually absurd. First of all, we criticized Woods for not speaking previously without a pre-mediated speech/interview, but then James can barely speak for herself. Instead, her attorney, Gloria Allred spoke, claiming Tiger owes Joslyn (and all the other people hurt) an apology - all because Tiger said text messages with content like "we'll have this forever." or "i love you."
Think about the texts for a few seconds.
How many times do you think people say that to each other, only to not say that a few months later? I believe the term for it is called a break-up. In situations where they are married, it's called divorce. I'm also almost entirely positive that it happens to just about everyone. And by "that" I don't mean cheating - I mean saying something (like 'I will always love you') and then probably a few days/weeks/months later not acting through on that - for whatever reason. It happens. It's common. People change. Emotions change. Situations change. Nothing is forever.
So instead, James and Allred are holding onto something that isn't - and probably wasn't - really there, and trying to get everyone else to care about their situation.
I think it's all a gimmick. I believe James may of had feelings for Tiger, but she's too mentally unstable to realize the situation and how it could really never work out. Tiger's got a wife and kids. He's got millions of dollars. He most likely didn't really care for her, he was just feeding her what he thought she wanted to hear so that he could get what he wanted. Sounds like most guys out there - right?
Let's be serious - James is an adult film star. There's nothing wrong with that, but I bet it's hard to "make it" in that field given the explosion of internet porn. She needs something to give her a boost. I don't know if this is it, but if that's what's going to take her to the top, she's made a name for herself. I don't know if being "the porn star that had an affair with Tiger Woods" is the label she'll want to carry the rest of her life, but she didn't ask me. Too late now.
Ultimately, she'll go back to porn. She says she's "considering" not doing it. She has to. That's all she's ever done. At the end of her "press conference" she stated that she would be "performing" at the local strip club during the week of the Masters. Way to promote yourself.
Either way, she had her time. It's over. Thanks for coming Joslyn, now go away. You aren't going to get an apology. Get back in reality, and get over it.
Monday, April 5, 2010
The iPad is AWESOME
On Saturday, the Wi-Fi version of Apple's latest gadget, the iPad, was released. As always with Apple products, the hype and coverage of this event mirrors a serious election campaign or sporting event. People were lined up outside of local Apple store's for day's on end, willing to buy the new product without knowing much about it beyond that hour long Steve Jobs announcement and a few more months of speculation.
I stopped by the Apple store on Saturday to give the machine a test drive, and wow, it's real cool. I know I posted earlier that I liked the idea but was somewhat skeptical of the device, and I still have a few gripes, but I think it's great. Think of it like ripping the screen off your laptop and using only that. A short skinny object that can do all the basic items that MOST people use computers for anyway - web browsing and general "entertainment" purposes, like music/movies/photos etc.
The iBook option is great and is going to absolutely KILL the Kindle/Nook. Why would anyone buy the Kindle (which only does books) when you can get an iPad, which can read books, AND browse the web/watch video and so on. Amazon is smart for adjusting it's Kindle program to be iPhone/iPad capable because right now - because it's library is much bigger than Apple's current library.
That's going to become the next big battle - book territory. Amazon's got the early lead, but here comes Apple, who has the ability and brand name to raise some hell. I almost think that after a year they could literally blow Amazon out of the water and it will be a joke. Interesting to watch. Also interesting is the development of periodicals and newspapers. Can they adapt & survive on this new electronic platform? I think they HAVE to if they want to survive.
The iPad is also being praised for it's great battery life - able to last well beyond the suggested 10 hours. That's awesome - a huge win for Apple. Supposedly it's all because of the new home-made chip that Apple produced, and I can't wait for them to install it on iPod/iPhone in the coming models and see their battery life increase even more.
INTERESTING SIDE NOTE - Is the iPod going to become obsolete? The iPhone is replacing it, and the iPad is another situation where the iPod may not really be the iPod anymore. I know it's a stretch, but I think that it COULD happen. At least for the "classic" model. The Nano's are cool.
I found typing to be a little difficult on the device, but I think that's because it was the first time I was using it, I was standing, and I had 20 people looking over my shoulder to try to get involved. I'm sure it's just like the other devices - takes time to adjust, but then it's as simple as ABC.
My personal favorite app was the MLB At-Bat app. Obviously as a huge baseball fan this speaks to me directly, but it feels as though it was made for the iPad. You can watch a game and pull up stats instantly, and following that, be able to watch highlights of the game or plays that just happened. Amazing.
Only two real problems problems with the iPad, and two stupid ones (one is not even its fault):
Stupid problem is memory - the biggest size is 64 gigs. Let's face it - we're becoming increasingly over-saturated with memory. 64 GB is a large amount, but we've just been so used to accommodating to more. My computer holds 250, my iPod holds 160, I have a 1 TERABYTE external hard drive. 64 just doesn't cut it in my mind. My music alone is 76.77 gigs (I'm still trying to cut it down, but I'm having separation anxiety.) If I were to add videos into the mix, that's less room to fool around with. Apps take up space etc. I'm just being selfish and I try to horde as much crap as possible.
Second stupid problem is how people anticipate using this. It won't and cannot replace the computer. It isn't the next thing in gaming (I played a few games on it - the thing is brutal. It can never replace Xbox/PS3 etc. The graphics can't compete and not having a controller is awful.) It's not going to change everything - however it will certainly change simple browsing and entertainment. You will still need a computer to do more complicated things (using programs like Adobe comes to mind specifically) and I think it would be hard to write a full out paper (or blog like this) without a real keyboard. Tablet technology is truly in it's infancy, and in a few years it will be MUCH different than now.
Now for real problems that I know will be fixed soon/in the next version. Multi-tasking. Seems like a no brainer. I don't know if this comes from a new OS update, but this would be alot easier to maneuver and operate. I'd still personally like to see a new OS all together (or more of a OS X based-OS that allows for more computer-like functionality.)
Other problem is Flash. Apple and Adobe are sticking to their guns, and I don't know who will come out on top. In the meantime we're left to deal with it, and sites that run in Flash just aren't compatible on the iPad.
Another thing I just thought of - are we sipping too much of Apple's Kool-Aid? By using their devices, we're encouraged to use something like iTunes to get our music/movies, but obviously not required. I personally don't use their "stores" at all - mainly out of copyright policy. I get frustrated when I switch computers and have to authorize it or am told I can't access it because I can't remember my password from 5 years ago. I posted earlier how I'm annoyed with the varying methods of buying video. I like watching things on DVD, but in order for me to watch it on my iTouch/iPad, I have to buy it again? That sucks. I need some more consistency (like the concept of Digital Copy that some DVDs are coming with now.) so that all my devices can work seamlessly. I understand the legal problems involved, but I refuse to pay $40 twice so I can watch Lost on DVD and on my iPad. Stop stealing my money. Get a USB port on the iPad so I can connect to a printer, don't make it so I have to send it through iTunes. Apple's starting to monopolize our technology, and I don't know how I feel about it.
Overall though, I'm excited about the iPad and the potential that it holds. It's definitely a look into the future (probably into the year 2000 with Conan.) I won't buy one quite yet - mainly because I'm looking for the 3G version, and also hoping that iPad 2.0 will be much more enhanced than 1.0 - remember the original iPod vs where we are now. I know they're already working on setting up the next one.
iDone.
Goodbye Donovan
Last night marked two great occasions. The beginning of the 2010 Season (Go Red Sox!) and the end of the Donovan McNabb era in Philadelphia.
The first isn't as big of a deal as the second. After 12 years in the city of brotherly love, we finally ran out the scape goat for all of our losses.
We've seen this coming now for over a year, since the game in 2008 where McNabb was benched at half-time in favor of the no-name (and now future starter) Kevin Kolb.
While I was never totally in love with McNabb, he was great for the city. He had many many highs and many many lows. The lows seem to outnumber the highs, because you always remember the lows more than the highs.
My personal opinion of the McNabb era: He was a bit more overrated than we understand. He is statistically the best player in Eagles history, but any time you play for 12 years, you're bound to break records that were previously set. He did more with less in terms of receivers like:
Terrance Small
Charles Johnson
Todd Pinkston
James Thrash
Freddie "Fred-Ex" Mitchell
Reggie Brown
Terrell Owens
That's just a few of the names. McNabb did do a lot with them, because outside of Terrell Owens (and this year with DeSean Jackson) he never had a really good receiver. They were always sub-par. That was Andy Reid's fault. He set up his convoluted version of the West Coast Offense where anyone that can catch the ball can play, because they would rather make 3 yard completions than 40 yard attempts or 3 yard runs.
What people I think fail to realize about Donovan was he had an excellent defense behind him. Brian Dawkins and Jeremiah Trotter were always making huge goal line stands or interceptions, and that's what helped the team the most. Donovan would get hurt and Garcia or Kolb or even Doug Pedersen could get the job done. The offense that Reid set up allows for every position player to be replaced easily - making fan loyalty towards a player a tough ritual. They could have gotten away with a random like a Matt Schaub that they could legitimately replace their QB every few years and as long as he is familiar with the system, it would yield very similar results.
The problem with Donovan is that he never stood a chance. From 1999 when fans wanted Ricky Williams (yes, the pot smoker) instead of McNabb, to the Rush Limbaugh comments, to puking during the final drive of the Super Bowl, he was constantly criticized. I believe that most of it wasn't his fault. He can't help being drafted where he was. Limbaugh will say whatever he wants. His receivers are to blame for not being where they are supposed to be. McNabb did make too many bad throws at the wrong time - too high, too low, 3rd down misses, 2 minute drills, etc, but was able to be one of the pieces of a Philadelphia team that went to many NFC title games and one Super Bowl. They were the Atlanta Braves of the NFC for quite a few years.
I hope Donovan the best in Washington (except for the two weeks we play him - which also strikes me as like a Brett Favre scenario) but I don't see it. At 33, he is definitely on the downswing of his career, and the Redskins have too many problems to really take advantage of his abilities. He's not the runner he once was. He's had a few injuries over the years, and Washington doesn't have a good enough system set up for him to win now. I'm glad he didn't end up in Oakland (also known as where careers die) but I think his career is over. He'll be remembered in 20 years as another great Eagle QB like Randall and Jaws, but for now, he's seen as the plague that's held us back, and moving on is the best thing we all can do in order to succeed for the next 12 years.
So, thanks Donovan for a great 12 years, but it's time. RIP.
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