Is College Still Worth It If You’re Not Getting Paid Internships and Real Work Experience?

如果大学不能提供带薪实习和真实工作经验，那它还值得上吗？

www.forbes.com

Northeastern’s 5.6% acceptance rate is now on par with Ivy League schools — but its real power move isn’t prestige, it’s its 115-year-old co-op program.

东北大学5.6%的录取率如今已与常春藤盟校持平——但它真正的杀手锏不是名气，而是已有115年历史的校企合作项目。

As AI eats entry-level jobs and grads struggle to find roles, schools like Drexel and Kettering—where students graduate with 2+ years of full-time experience—are suddenly the new elite.

随着人工智能蚕食初级岗位、毕业生找工作越来越难，像德雷塞尔和凯特林这类学生毕业时已拥有两年以上全职经验的学校，突然成了新的精英阶层。

Forget studying abroad — students now want ROI, job offers, and proof their degree won’t leave them underemployed. Welcome to the post-2025 job market reality.

别提留学了——现在的学生只关心投资回报率、工作邀约，以及学位能否避免他们毕业后‘大材小用’。欢迎来到2025年后的就业市场现实。

Career Coach with 20 Years of Regret (干了20年、满心悔恨的职业顾问)

The sad truth? Most colleges still treat internships as an ‘extra’ rather than a core part of the curriculum. Meanwhile, students rack up debt and graduate with zero real-world skills. It’s educational malpractice.

残酷的事实是？大多数大学仍将实习视为‘附加项’，而非课程核心。而学生却背负债务，毕业时毫无现实技能。这简直是教育失职。

Former Handshake Recruiter (前Handshake招聘官)

At big tech firms, we get 500+ applications per entry-level AI role. The ones that get interviews? Almost always from schools with mandatory co-ops. Relevant work beats GPA every time.

在大型科技公司，我们每个初级AI岗位会收到500多份申请。能进面试的？几乎都来自强制实习的学校。相关工作经验永远比GPA更有用。

Sarcastic Philosophy Major (阴阳怪气的哲学专业生)

Ah yes, nothing says ‘liberal arts education’ like being told your degree is only valid if you’ve done six months at a bank. Truly, the dialectic has evolved.

啊，没错，还有什么比被告知‘你的学位只有在银行实习半年后才算数’更体现‘通识教育’精神呢？辩证法果然与时俱进。

Optimistic Community College Transfer (乐观的社区大学转学生)

I transferred from a CC with no co-op to ASU – and within a year I had two internships and a job offer. It’s not too late to pivot. Just hustle harder.

我从一所没有实习项目的社区大学转学到亚利桑那州立大学，一年内就拿到了两次实习和一份工作邀约。转型永远不晚，只要你更拼命。

AI Ethics PhD Candidate (研究AI伦理的博士生)

Funny how AI is replacing entry-level jobs… while universities that rely on low-paid adjuncts refuse to treat teaching like ‘real work experience.’ Hypocrisy is the curriculum.

有趣的是，AI正在取代初级岗位，而依赖低薪兼职讲师的大学却拒绝将教学视为‘真实工作经验’。虚伪才是真正的课程内容。

Former Handshake Recruiter (前Handshake招聘官)

And don’t even get me started on ‘unpaid internships’ – they’re just free labor for rich companies, and they lock out first-gen and low-income students.

更别提‘无薪实习’了——它们不过是大公司免费用工的手段，把第一代大学生和低收入学生彻底拒之门外。

Career Coach with 20 Years of Regret (干了20年、满心悔恨的职业顾问)

Exactly. We’ve built a system where access to opportunity depends on who can afford to work for free. That’s not meritocracy. That’s inheritance.

没错。我们建立了一个‘谁能免费干活谁才有机会’的体系。这哪是什么优绩主义，分明是世袭制。

Recent RIT Graduate (刚毕业的RIT学生)

Graduated with 18 months of co-op at Raytheon. Landed a six-figure job. All those all-nighters? Worth it. Colleges that don’t offer this are selling dreams.

我在雷神公司完成了18个月的校企合作，毕业后拿到了六位数工作。所有的通宵熬夜？值了。不开设这类项目的大学，卖的都是梦。

Is College Still Worth It If You’re Not Getting Paid Internships and Real Work Experience?

如果大学不能提供带薪实习和真实工作经验，那它还值得上吗？

这所小型学院激进的降本模式，是高等教育的未来，还是即将爆发的灾难？

AI正在抢走初级岗位——每个毕业生现在都得配个‘副业式学位’吗？