Re:Paid Vs Unpaid (Score 1)

I see a lot of posts above that basically state that internships are more about what you can learn than they are about how much you get paid. I agree with this to a certain extent, but I gotta say that getting paid is an absolute must for me. I realize that companies are under no obligation to take on interns (much less paid interns), especially with the way the economy is, but on the other hand interns can be a cheap source of labor, and if companies are willing to pay your interns a decent amount (that is, below what an actual developer makes but well above minimum wage) then everyone involved can benefit, especially if the internship turns into a full-time position.

That kind of thinking will and has gotten many a manager into hot water. Interns are not production engineers for a reason, i.e. they lack experience and the *MUCH* needed "80/20 rule" judgment to keep them from rat-hole-ing and sinking the project. Likewise, it's a bad thing for the intern because then they get roped into production schedules and don't necessarily get to come up to speed or learn the way things work because they're running in the full break neck pace with the developers. Don't get me wrong, On the Job training is good, but when you're trying to also go to school, one or the other will give way.

That said I find the idea of a non-paying internship to be ridiculous. My time is just as valuable as anyone else's and if a company doesn't respect me enough to pay me for the time I spend working for them then I wouldn't have anything to do with them. It is simply condescending to argue that a company is providing hands-on experience so they don't need to provide monetary compensation as well. It is to the company's (and the industry's) benefit that they hire interns and actually pay them a wage as it provides an incentive and a means for new entrants to earn the experience that companies demand entry-level worker to have.

Woah here buddy. To earn anyone's time to even talk to you, you need humility. YES, I understand that you need money to live. But check the attitude at the door. You're in their house, learning from their engineers on time they are PAYING those said engineers to talk to you.
They don't need more monkeys to do monkey work, they can get those any day of the week. Why do they take in interns? Because they're hoping to develop you and have you return the favor when you look for a job, i.e. they've trained and molded you into what they want you to be, at a cheap rate, so that you take a position with them when you graduate. Being an intern sucks ass anywhere, and the sooner you come to terms with it, the better you'll do. I once had the decision put to me about two interns, one was a senior with the experience we were looking for, but had a lackluster attitude about working on our stuff, and the other was a freshman with a "I will learn anything" attitude. Guess who I pushed for? The freshman, mostly because I knew that I can most always overcome the lack of knowledge, but I can never overcome the attitude problem. Money may need to be a consideration, but before you go throwing the baby out with the bathwater, consider that the people you meet are just as important in finding you a better position. In your situation, you could actually meet a few engineers that take pitty on your situation (that of having a new baby, and not being paid much) and they just might be moved enough to let you know of other opportunities. if you take your current attitude, you'd never find those other opportunities.

snip ... considering whether or not to pay their interns.

Again, check the attitude at the door. With that attitude, nobody, and again I say NOBODY will care to give you time of day. A little humility goes a LOOOOOONG way in this industry of egomaniacs. I've been in your situation, and it's hard because you have to pay your bills while getting your chops. But you're going to find that more people will really like to help you if you just approach it with humility. And being humble doesn't mean being a doormat, it means being thankful for opportunities that are open to you. Most opportunities that have springboarded me onto much better things are opportunities that I'd have never been given had I not taken the original opportunity, i.e. the one I didn't like.