Digital humanists have a labor problem, but it’s not what you might think. In this chapter, I describe the problem of student labor in digital humanities as I see it, and examine some of the structural issues that drive the use of student labor. I place the labor economy of digital humanities projects within the broader context of the innovation economy writ large to demonstrate how labor within the academy cannot operate under the same system of consensual participation which informs movements like crowdsourcing and crowdfunding. And in conclusion, I offer suggestions for how ethically managed student labor in the classroom can empower students to demonstrate both CV-ready skills and humanistic knowledge in durable products for which they receive full credit.