Is Discovery Internships any good?

Mike1234
Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:56:26 +0000

Programs like these seem to be a ripoff, and the price that they charge seems hard to justify for what you are getting.

The tuition is $6700 for the LA program that you are considering, and the program is only four weeks. First off, that is $1675 per week, just for the privilege of being there and doing a job that people would normally be getting paid to do (or at least be able to do for free). You may say that this is covering your room, board, and activities. But think about it… room and board for an entire year of college is $10,000, and that’s for two 15-week semesters, not four short weeks.

Second, the program is so short that by the time you begin to get even semi-independent in your position, it will be time to leave. Because of this, the people where you are working will either not waste their time to train you very much because they’ll never get any benefit from you being able to use the skills they taught you, or spend the entire time teaching you without you ever getting the opportunity to do any work for yourself.

To me, this program seems to be for pampered kids from families that have money to burn, and I guess if money or realistic work experience are not major concerns, I’m sure the program is enjoyable. But you should first really try to look in your area or try and find opportunities that will at least allow you to work for free (maybe even pay you). I do understand that since you are living abroad, an opportunity like this program may be your best option, and in that case, I would say go for it.