An Endless Supply of Expendable Interns (and Labor)



  •  A while back I was applying for internships for some work over the summer because we all know hope and faith doesn't pay your rent and cell phone bill. I got turned down for lots of internships, mainly because I wasn't a junior at the time of applying (another story with some other WTFs along the way). One internship I applied for stood out from all the rest.

     Foodtech, as I shall call them, had a great sounding internship at the time. It was unpaid, but with housing and food covered for the summer I tried my luck anyways. I had to sign an NDA (go figure), but that isn't a WTF in of itself. The WTF came a little later.

     The test interview was a WTF IMHO: build a demo of the app they were going to be selling. IIRC you didn't have to do anything fancy with the data though, but still.

     Also:

    1. It was in Pennsylvania, a long ways from my home.
    2. Despite having venture capital and an IPO, you couldn't pay your interns a little?
    3. Finals were about the time they wanted the demo to be finished.
     Anyhow, I managed to land a great (read: actually paid money at a decent rate) internship in Lincoln and thankfully didn't have to move. As for Foodtech, haven't heard from them since, and I'm glad for that.

     

     



  • So in order to work an unpaid job at a company, you have to write the program they sell, also for free?

    That's it. I'm never getting a job.



  • Just don't get a job at Foodtech. Besides, unemployment sucks. You get too bored all cooped up and no money to party.

    Ok, that last part may just be me.



  • @HuskerFan90 said:

    I got turned down for lots of internships, mainly because I wasn't a junior at the time of applying

    That's because many internship programs are setup with the intent to extend a full-time offer for the following year after graduation (assuming you work out well).



  • @dynedain said:

    @HuskerFan90 said:
    I got turned down for lots of internships, mainly because I wasn't a junior at the time of applying

    That's because many internship programs are setup with the intent to extend a full-time offer for the following year after graduation (assuming you work out well).

     

    I wasn't too disappointed overall. One required you to wear a suit every day all day and the other was kind of a social media PR startup. Like I said, I found a great place to work (they gave me access to a MSDN subscription while I work there) and I don't have to wear a damn suit all day, or do social media PR.

     



  • TRWTF is your name. I know many Nebraska fans, and most of them can't be bothered to quit watching football long enough to do basic things like bathe or eat, much less sign up for a tech-humor website and post there.

    And I'll soon be moving back into that state...shudder. At least I'll have the world to myself on game days.


  • Trolleybus Mechanic

    @HuskerFan90 said:

    and the other was kind of a social media PR startup.
     

    We're being politically correct about spammers these days? Go figure. I thought PC terms were only reserved for human beings.



  • @Lorne Kates said:

    @HuskerFan90 said:

    and the other was kind of a social media PR startup.
     

    We're being politically correct about spammers these days? Go figure. I thought PC terms were only reserved for human beings.

    It wasn't a spamming outfit. They would manage a celebrity's Facebook page (or something in that fashion) and do other things related to marketing and social media.



  • @mott555 said:

    TRWTF is your name. I know many Nebraska fans, and most of them can't be bothered to quit watching football long enough to do basic things like bathe or eat, much less sign up for a tech-humor website and post there.

    And I'll soon be moving back into that state...shudder. At least I'll have the world to myself on game days.

    We're not all that bad. Most of us just worry about the Husker football team and our favorite pro team and that is it. We may watch some of the other games but they aren't more important than other tasks such as bathing and eating.


  • Trolleybus Mechanic

    @HuskerFan90 said:

    It wasn't a spamming outfit. They would manage a celebrity's Facebook page (or something in that fashion) and do other things related to marketing and social media.
     

    Exactly. A spammer. Just because they're being paid by Richard Gere doesn't mean they aren't spammers.



  • @Lorne Kates said:

    @HuskerFan90 said:

    It wasn't a spamming outfit. They would manage a celebrity's Facebook page (or something in that fashion) and do other things related to marketing and social media.
     

    Exactly. A spammer. Just because they're being paid by Richard Gere doesn't mean they aren't spammers.

    Doesn't matter whether they're spammers or not. I didn't really want to work there. Also, one of the questions in that interview was "Do you drink?" which I took as a trick question and gave an answer that satisfied the question and didn't kill my chances of working there.

    They do drink a lot from what they told me in the interview. It also kind of turned me off on working there because that is one question that I think shouldn't ever be brought up for an interview. Unless you happen to be applying to work as an AA counselor. Then it's ok.

     


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