I was fortunate enough to have a paid internship (significantly abover minimum wage at the time), and the employer treated me well. Even better, I received school credits toward my degree, and I eventually worked with a senior systems' analyst that taught me a lot about software requirements and design. The icing on the cake was that I got to work with a very cutting-edge development tool, and I learned how to become very creative with it, which made me even more attractive to that employer.
I didn't just jump into the internship and get that from day 1, however. I had some, more menial tasks--perhaps to show them my mettle, or to show them my perserverance. So I can't help but wonder if these non-paid interns, with a little fortitude and a positive attitude, couldn't work into getting more responsibilities, and larger, more complex projects?
Sure, there are a lot of companies looking to save a buck, I get that. But good people with good skills are hard to come by, and if someone has proved themself, why wouldn't a company consider giving them more challenges? It could be win-win for both.
But, how long could you afford to commute, bringing your lunch, paying for gas, insurance, car payments, clothing, utilities, rent and everything else when your pay is ZERO?
Now, if the pay was Minimum Wage; I agree.
But, when a person is “forced” to work for nothing, then we have legalized slavery. I see this as a very bad thing.
The way you had your internship, is the way that internships were designed to be. Menial tasks to judge your mettle, prove yourself worthy of the investment of time and effort for advanced training - then the opportunties opened up.
Even back in the day of Apprentenceships, the apprentice was paid something. Even board and room is better than ZERO.