Talk About It
Capitalism...American jobs, let's talk about it. In today’s capitalistic society, non-paid internships are still acceptable within the workforce and many internships are now being labeled as entry-level jobs to save money. They are being slick by underpaying these interns to do the same, if not more work than their counterparts, labeling it as an internship to make the payment seem acceptable. Additionally, many of these entry-level jobs seem to require a certain amount of years of experience which is pretty rare to have coming out of college. It is already hard enough to find paid internships, but to require years of experience within the field is just OD, especially for a paid internship where you are underpaid anyways. Take into account, I can only speak on the public relations/communications industry when it comes to job and internship searching, it is extremely difficult to get your foot through the door. It feels like these degrees are not giving what they are supposed to have gave and it's truly showing post-graduation for many of my peers.
In my opinion, unpaid internships are considered to be another form of slavery. You deserve compensation for the amount of time and work you invest in a company. They hired you to make them better, not the other way around, remember that. Don’t cater to their needs, let them cater to you, you need to have the “I don’t need them, they need me” mentality. PSA: I don’t suggest you say this to your employer ever, this is just a mindset/thought process. I’m also not supporting an egotistical mindset either. What I’m trying to say is you have to know your worth. This goes for anything in life, knowing your worth is extremely important when you are navigating relationships, job searching, internships, networking, etc. People often get caught up thinking about what people want to hear or how to please and impress them. Also, people are afraid to say what they think or feel which can come off as artificial, or worse, ending up at an internship, in a relationship, or in a friend group that isn’t right for you. They say the main thing recruiters look for is authenticity and someone who displays the traits they need on their team, which can be applied to in life and relationships as well, but I won’t get into that right now. The point is, always present yourself as who you are, not who you’re trying to be.
Another issue I’d like to shine some light on is the corporate capitalization of racial injustices. Big-time companies have taken the liberty to profit off the Black Lives Matter movement these past years. Everybody and their mama are now preaching about diversity and inclusion. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for progression and change, but it’s the ingenuity of it all that rubs me the wrong way. There it is again, inauthenticity... seems to be the theme in this blog. Releasing advertisements, donating money, and putting BLM on streets and clothing is cool and all, but what about where it really matters? What is going on behind the scenes? These fortune 5oo corporations are not walking the walk. They say they want diversity and inclusion yet their board is still all white heterosexual Anglo-Saxon protestant males with no sense of urgency to even remotely attempt to change that. They say they want diversity, but if the name on a resume looks too ethnic or “hard to pronounce” it's tossed to the side. I’ve been looking at the interns being selected to some of these companies and seeing only one black person amongst the group…. My fellow black peers are feeling so discouraged and deterred that we are clicking ‘prefer not to say for the race identification section on a job application in fear of how it may sway their chances at getting the interview or job. The systemic racism of this country is so deeply rooted that the occasional advertisements and waves of support on social media, when another black man dies, won't fix what needs fixing. At this point, everyone should be aware of the racial disparities in this country so the “lack of awareness” excuse has run its course. Inauthenticity, capitalism, and systemic racism all go hand and hand, It’s time to enforce real change.
Do you agree or disagree? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section :)
* Disclaimer: UNCONFIND is a safe space. Everything I write is all in the form of my opinion, background knowledge, and my point of view. My writings are less analytical, but I can provide factual information to back up my points if/when needed.*
