Publishing Giant Discontinues Internship Program: Blessing or a Curse?
Every young aspiring fashion maven has understood that the runway to success is less like the glamorous marble runway of New York Fashion Week and more like the dimly lit stairs of the Mayan ruins.
Fashion, like most industries, requires exemplary work, tenacious dedication, and, for those that were not lucky enough to have been born with a Tiffany spoon, a long list of experience from universities, internships, and jobs.
The internship experience has been an integral stepping stone for many college students and young adults who aim to take the horrific pile of information they have gained from their classes and translate it into skills. Students then can aspire to take the skills they have acquired from these internships to build their resumes and become stellar candidates for the job market.
This week, publishing giant Condé Nast, announced it would be ending its internship program starting in 2014. The publishing house was sued this past summer by former interns who claimed to have been paid under minimum wage while working at W and The New Yorker (WWD).
What does this mean for aspiring journalists, editors, stylists, and merchandisers who have had their hearts set on an internship with the iconic company?
Eliminating the prestigious internship program, an internship program as competitive as the NBC Page Program, could hinder the pool of applicants. Many students and post-grads will have to seek other, less prestigious, internships in order to successfully pad their resumes to be suitable enough for Condé Nast. This could mean that applicants are not as well equipped with experience or readily prepared for the cutthroat nature of journalism, publishing, and fashion.
Without the internship program, Condé Nast could stray away from taking chances on applicants with limited experience, opting for those with better connections in the industry as opposed to those with potential. This could also mean that those coming directly from schools with strong journalism or publishing programs may have the upper hand.
Despite the impending internship shutdown, all hope is not lost. Though free labor will no longer be acceptable at Condé Nast, this could mean there may be more opportunities for lower-level employees, giving employees the opportunity to move up the ladder without harboring the fear that an internship may never amount to more than fetching coffee without pay.