some interesting points you raise above.
i agree that creativity has become a somewhat nebulous and overly generalised concept for which there is no easily defined value. however i think it's dangerous for young people to under-value their creative work as a result. the notion that you must grind away at the bottom of the socioeconomic order in order to 'prove' your worth to a job market is a dangerous one - regardless of the field in which it takes place. the whole discourse around 'Do What You Love' suggests that it's doing yourself a disservice to do anything less than a job you adore, even if it's for free - however there is an oft-ignored middle ground, which is jobs that are humanistic, fulfilling and creative, but ones that still are stable and which compensate their employees justly.
i think the scenario varies pretty widely depending on the companies which are hiring interns. internships used to operate pretty exclusively (in the UK, anyway) in large, multinational corporations that also had ties in america (hence the adoption of the 'internship' term). those internships were usually paid (though at a lower salary than other entry-level positions in the companies) and had a high retention rate for interns that went on to be salaried employees. the idea has now dissipated into a range of fields and companies of all shapes and sizes. nowadays in london it seems that many internships on offer are at small start-ups, many of which stand little chance of making a solid profit in the long-term. the positions they describe are usually in tandem with a handful of paid employees, and are tools to build a small team without having to pay everyone involved. often times the responsibilities differ little from paid employee to unpaid intern. this, to me, defeats the point and becomes largely exploitative. young people are more and more desperate to get a foot in the door in the already overcrowded industry, and i believe many internships advertised play with that desperation.
good to get your perspective from outside the creative industries, too. as i mentioned in previous posts the homogenisation of the creative industries is looking to be one of the biggest consequences of the hard work/no pay expected throughout internship culture and it's a real shame. arguably the homogenisation of psychology workers would have even more damaging consequences. thanks for your input.
the case you make for DIY work in the creative industries is, of course, a veritable option but unfortunately no more stable than internships for many aspiring creatives. of course you can draw the conclusion that those who don't make it in their own right simply don't have 'it' - the talent, the networking skills, whatever. but there are very little protections or stability measures in place for freelance/independent creative workers, and this too is a tricky ground to tread. (not to mention that some creative workers may genuinely WANT to establish themselves at a particular company/record label/agency/whatever!)
if this stuff is interesting to anyone i just finished a book by andrew ross called 'nice work if you can get it' and i highly recommend it for further reading
