Like any prepared interviewee, I arrived at my college internship interviews with a list of questions about the jobs. The one question I was hesitant to ask, however, was one of the most important: Is this position paid?

Too terrified that my interviewers would take offense, I would assume that the position had to be paid. You can imagine my loss for words when I received the offer letter, and a zero next to the “stipend” line.

I realized I had to make a decision about whether I’d take the unpaid internship, continue looking for a paid internship, or rely on my previous summer job as a swim coach to pull an income. I knew this internship, though unpaid, would propel my career further than coaching, so I decided to accept the position. I also checked to make sure the position passed the six criteria for unpaid internships, set by the Department of Labor.

As a veteran of unpaid, paid, full-time, and part-time internships, I’ve put some tips together to help you decide whether or not an unpaid internship is right for you, and how you can offset the financial challenges if you choose an unpaid position.