Thanks for the feedback, Ben. To be sure, I'm not actually sour on volunteering. It's a great way to help the community even if you're green but will take the time to properly research a problem (and, you can always ask pointed questions on these forums). It also looks good on a resume if you keep a log of services rendered.

I am pretty sour on internships for the reasons stated and the fact that a lot of places use interns as the proverbial "coffee runners". That, not withstanding, there are good internships to be had but they're hard to find. Basically, you have to interview THEM.