General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 'This is a disgrace': Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams her future colleagues in Congress... [View all]TheBlackAdder
(28,261 posts).
I am in an better than average household and we could not find the funding to send my daughter to DC for the two unpaid internships she was offered. She was also offered a $30K paid staff position, after she received her Masters, and while that would be good, it doesn't pay anywhere near the $80K her classmates are getting in the private sector. She took a paid staff job in-state for around $40K while she lives at home and saves up for a house, but the realities of working at half-worth is starting to take its effect.
Kudos for your friend , who was either able to scrounge for the cash or live deprived, but why suffer through that?
There is a lot of pressure to network outside of the office, and that is not cheap to do, especially in DC.
Again, most of the unpaid interns come from upper-income households.
The DNC is starting to pay internships to expand its pool of candidates.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/363818-dnc-to-begin-paying-interns
.