When Carrie Maloney graduates in May, she hopes to get a job as a paralegal or go to graduate or law school — but job searching is not easy for Maloney, who has yet to have an internship in her field.

To see what her post-graduation options were despite her lack of experience, Maloney (senior-administration of justice) stopped by Penn State's Career Services on the fourth floor of Boucke recently.

Maloney said as a bachelor of arts candidate, she was not required to complete an internship. She said she did not do an internship because most were unpaid. Instead of taking the risk of being broke for a semester, she chose to take classes and work part-time.

"If I could've found one that was paid, I would've done it," she said.

While unpaid internships have the benefits of job experience, possible future employment opportunities and college credit, working 10 to 40 hours a week without pay is impossible for some students.

According to a study by Vernon Stone, professor emeritus at the Missouri School of Journalism, the number of paid internships has decreased considerably in the last two decades. Stone found that in 1976, 57 percent of television stations and 81 percent of radio stations paid some interns. In 1991, 21 percent of television stations and 32 percent of radio stations had paid interns.

Despite the possible difficulty in finding paid internships, Penn State Career Services counselor Maritza Ledee-Rivera said internships are important. She suggested students come to Career Services during their freshman year to explore internship opportunities.

Depending on students' majors and what they wish to pursue, Ledee suggests students go to the intake office, where students' career plans are discussed.

Ledee-Rivera said although unpaid internships might not seem lucrative to students, they can be great assets in finding a job in a chosen field after graduation.

Jack Rayman, director of Career Services, emphasized the importance of an internship. He said it often gives students a taste of the "real world" and helps them discover where their career interests lie.

"Students owe it to themselves to do an internship," he said.

Paid or unpaid, college credit or not, Rayman feels students value the relevance of internships in their fields.

"Whether an internship is paid or not, the experience is more rewarding," he said.