{"product_id":"blame-the-intern-on-not-breaking-into-the-creative-economy-9780691181486","title":"Blame the Intern: On (Not) Breaking Into the Creative Economy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn inside look at the work lives of college interns and their uncertain path to paid employment\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhile generations of young adults used to spend their summers working as lifeguards or camp counselors, college students today are more likely to seek office experience as interns. \u003ci\u003eBlame the Intern\u003c\/i\u003e takes readers into the workspaces of the music industry to show how internships, especially unpaid ones, are problematic introductions to the working world that often provide little valuable training and are unlikely to lead to a job. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSince the 1980s, shifts in labor markets and careers have made employers less prone to invest in training entry-level employees who may quickly change jobs anyway. In recent decades, higher education has filled the gap, fueling an explosive growth of internships to facilitate the transition from college to a career. Drawing on in-depth interviews with interns, record label employees, and college personnel, as well as his own experiences as an unpaid intern at two music industry firms in New York City, Alexandre Frenette sheds light on who benefits from the intern economy, who suffers, and why. He finds that internships are rife with ambiguity because employers are neither trained nor greatly rewarded to mentor and colleges are ill-equipped to provide workplace guidance. As a result, there is little consensus about what interns should be doing or what benefits they should be gaining from their experience, which can often lead to inequality, exploitation, and disappointment. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTimely and provocative, \u003ci\u003eBlame the Intern\u003c\/i\u003e demonstrates how employers and institutions of higher learning are redefining what it means to break in--and reveals what happens when few can.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alexandre Frenette\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/14\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 264\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.60h x 5.60w x 1.40d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691181486\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/09\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexandre Frenette\u003c\/b\u003e is assistant professor of sociology at Vanderbilt University.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Alexandre Frenette \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47858780766365,"sku":"9780691181486","price":71.31,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_bbd79a06-eeca-450e-8270-60ca86c5877e.jpg?v=1776860003","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/blame-the-intern-on-not-breaking-into-the-creative-economy-9780691181486","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}