Finding the Value in Unpaid Internships

Almost everyone makes resolutions for the new year, from losing weight to gaining wealth. For myself, a college student, I've resolved to get serious in 2011 about building my financial acumen, and I'll track that process every few weeks for Money College.

I start with my decision to take an unpaid internship. As I finish out my junior year at Loyola University, Chicago, I bid farewell to the paychecks of past semesters and seize the opportunity to get out of the classroom and get involved with an organization that taps my passions. At the same time, I hope to make professional connections, apply the theories I have studied and start building my career.

This decision comes with a financial toll, but I'm seeing it as an opportunity to create value beyond a paycheck.