(Source: dilbert.com)Want a leg up on the competition for jobs? Get an internship. Problem is, everyone has figured that out, so now internships have become competitive too.



A couple of recent pieces in the New York Times explore this trend. First, a bit from an article:

The struggle for summer internships has never been more intense, according to Mark Oldman, co-founder of Vault Inc., a career counseling company. "In an uneven job market, an internship is, or can be, the deal closer for permanent employment," he said. "Now, if you don't have one, you're at a competitive disadvantage."

About 82 percent of graduating college seniors have completed an internship, either for pay or school credit, according to a Vault survey this year, the figure was 80 percent last year.

"They've moved from r�sum� enhancer to r�sum� necessity, and this is reflected in today's frenetic process," said Mr. Oldman, one of the authors of "The Vault Guide to Internships."In a similar vein is this passage from an opinion column:

Summer, for many, is about looking before you leap. Internships have become as coveted and prestigious as colleges---yet another "must have" on the polished r�sum�. But while most of the talk is about how these internships help start you off into becoming all you want to be, the quieter reality is how they can help you decide all you don't want to be.

And with competition for internships so fierce, is it any wonder many of them don't pay?