For college kids, internships are a great way to get their foot in the door toward their chosen career field. These positions are often part-time and vastly underpaid. Being underpaid often means needing grants, help from their families, or living at home to make it through the experience.
Sophia Celentano of South Carolina thought she lucked into her dream internship as a corporate marketing intern. Given that the position requires one day in person, she sat down and expensed it all out. Explained via her LinkedIn she said, “$3,400+ a month for rent, I book a $100 round-trip flight on the one day a week I work in-person…Plus, my untraditional commute provides me with more lifestyle freedom, and I genuinely look forward to my weekly adventures.”
Given that these kinds of internships often pay $15-20 per hour, there is little ability to afford living even in NJ on a full-time salary. When you’re part-time like Celentano, that window of affordability gets even smaller. With her 10-week internship coming to an end, she’s been shocked by how many are surprised by her lifestyle. Given that her parents both hold similar style work schedules, this just seemed normal for her.
As things stand right now, an apartment in Manhattan averages out to be $4,241 a month in April. Meanwhile, for the full 10 weeks, Celentano will only spend an estimated $2,250 on her 10-week adventure. While she admits that her adventure can have issues due to weather and cancelations as she flies with Spirit, her employer is aware of the situation and has been supportive.
