They've been spotted.

People talk about them, but few have seen them... until now.

They're almost legendary.

Who are they? Sasquatches?

No. The 40-year old interns.

No longer are they those wide-eyed, enthusiastic, barely-legal college students. These are older students with a lot of life experience. And they are growing in number. Believe it or not, spotting the older intern is a positive sign. Many may be starting over, but they are pursuing their dream jobs. The best part is that companies are recognizing their value and giving them a chance.

So stop thinking you're too old. It's never too late to make a career change (especially if no one is hiring in your old profession). And you have nothing to be embarrassed about. If anything, it's inspiring as it becomes more common. It should give you hope, if you find yourself in the circumstances of starting over.

I met Mya, a 40-something intern, at a college job fair last year. After high school, she went to work on the assembly line for one of the Big Three automakers. Two years ago, she took a buyout over risking a lay-off and enrolled in school to study business. Instead of building cars, she now wants to market them. Last fall, she landed an internship with a Detroit ad agency. I recently got an email from her saying the company doesn't have the funds to hire her full time, but they did extend her internship to the summer.

I like a good Bigfoot sighting in the tabloids as much as anyone, but the older intern sightings are great breaking news.

Check out:
"Never Too Old to Intern." Good story about a woman who learns to write for the web.
"Hiring older interns." A survey of a growing trend.
"A Sprinkling of Maturity in '09 Intern Crop."

And if you want Bigfoot, here are the best Bigfoot sightings of all time. GOONIE GOO GOO.