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Why is one company paying an intern to wrestle an alligator and live with the Amish?

Answer: to encourage creative thinking

As part of communications firm Golin’s uninternship program, interns are allowed an opportunity to travel anywhere in the U.S. and undertake unique experiences outside the office.

"The young generation coming out of college have student loans and pressure from their parents to get a job, but what they don’t have is life experiences," CEO Fred Cook said. "They’re under the impression that if they follow a strict path one step at a time, they’ll get the perfect job on the day that they graduate. But when you follow the straight and narrow, you miss out on opportunities you’d have if you took a more interesting route."

The program’s effectiveness is yet to be proved, but the foundational concept is simple: A mind’s output is determined by what goes into it.