For undergraduates and graduate college and university students, internships provide critical experience and exposure with potential employers. Often, employers provide unpaid internships, giving students valuable on-the-job training and workforce experience that's a powerful addition to their educational experience, and preparation for a job in the “real world.”

Unpaid internships have long provided students access to competitive fields across many of the industries in which they will be launching their careers.

Alas, a group of interns have filed suit against Hearst Corporation claiming that they should have been paid. The case is pending in a New York Court, but the repercussions may be profound, significantly trimming back internship opportunities. It will be very sad if students who would otherwise have had an intern opportunity are relegated to mowing lawns and washing dishes.