WASHINGTON – As college seniors get ready for the “real world,” joblessness remains high and more and more graduates are taking unpaid internships.

In today’s tough market, the graduates hope the internship will lead to a real job.

The phenomenon is familiar to 2011 college graduate and current grad student Heather Brady.

“I had five internships,” Brady says. “Two before before I graduated and three afterward.”

Two of Brady’s five internships were unpaid.

The New York Times reports unpaid post-college internships are spreading.

While it raises questions about employers getting free workers, Brady, recently hired as a digital editor at WTOP, is certain her internships worked to her benefit.

“I do feel like they were rewarding,” says Brady. “I think that without them I would not have my job today.”

WTOP’s Dick Uliano contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)