It was during an early morning econ class that I first heard about the College Works Painting program. The air outside was beginning to get nippy and between that and having to commute to campus for my only 8AM class of the week it wasn't the best way to start out a day.

Occasionally my econ class would start out with rare volunteer/internship opportunities & study abroad presentations. The study abroad presentations were exotic, filled with media capturing excitement from around the world, while the volunteer & internship opportunities helped us gain perspective on how our lives might turn out post-graduation.

Before this morning lecture, a young "District Manager" or "DM" gave a short spiel about a prestigious opportunity to intern as a manager over the summer. Summer was a long way off and he gave very little details. I was curious.

I decided to follow up with the first of many interviews. It seemed like the real deal, the DMs were dressed up business casual - which at the time seemed pretty professional to most college freshmen. Everyone treated each other like mature adults, everyone acted like they were mature adults seeping with experience. I thought to myself that these are the people I want to surround myself with to excel in life and reach my fullest potential. By the time I first heard that the program was called "College Works PAINTING", I had already killed two interviews and my momentum towards the program was too great to step back and look at what was really happening. I was hooked.

Showing up to an interview and being asked seemingly easy questions can be a little daunting. You instantly think of the correct answer and then proceed to psychoanalyze what the question really meant and how your answer will be read by the interviewer. Perhaps I was just caught up in the moment and the questions really were simple, but I'd be lying if I said that after passing each round of interviews I didn't feel just a little excited. I was on to something gold!

Throughout the interview process, a little more information about the program began to come together. Here's how it was explained to me - I would be recruiting a small team split into two segments. One would handle marketing, and the other will handle on-site jobs. The marketing team will be in charge of getting together a list of potential clients, returning with me (and at first my DM until I got trained "properly") to give an estimate and to possibly proceed with the job. Once a job is locked down, the painting team (or team 2) will go in and paint. It was encouraged that I return after the job is completed for a followup to make sure everyone is satisfied.

One of my most vivid memories about this time stems from a very formal "business" meeting in a classy, upscale setting. The chosen managers were seated with other chosen ones from different nearby areas for literally 6-7 hours while we discussed the nitty gritty of College Works. This was our "training" seminar. It 'sucked' for lack of a better term, although at the time I was still enthralled by the ecstasy of being a 'select few' and didn't seem to notice. We weren't taught anything that I didn't already know using basic logic and common sense. We were required to play overly-simplified role playing games, demonstrating the tasks that we would later train our teams with. The one thing that stuck out during this very long meeting is how we were told to lie about paint jobs.

The main opening line for the marketing team is to knock on a door and say "College Works is doing a few houses in the area, would you like your house painted?" It was then suggested to have fake names written down on your clipboard or notebook to make the business look more legit. This may not be a serious lie, but in all honesty, I would feel like an idiot if I actually tried that tactic and the homeowner happens to know his neighbors (like most people do!?). All in all, it doesn't seem like something a 'mentor' should be recommending.

Throughout the spring, there were more meetings where I slowly started to come to the realization that the only 'team' I would be managing in this 'internship' was myself. I came into the program with big-business concepts, a business model that would scale with the workload size that my trusty marketing team would drum up, and my DM gradually pulled away from the team recommendations. He started pushing the power of YOU... ...and YOU will only be as successful as the amount of houses YOU visit every day to market the program. That's fine. I went into this program with a business mind, and I can do a little grunt work if it means getting the numbers where I want them. So much for learning management skills, I was in it for the cash now.

Lets fast forward past a few hundred dollars worth of gas driving back and forth to random "meetings" scattered here and there, and focus on the next major milestone in my College Works experience. It was day one of my rigorous summer program that I have dedicated most of my late winter & spring towards in hopes of not only making a little cash for the time put in, but a serious leg up in the workforce - this was after all supposed to be a great resume boost for post-graduation, right?

My first day starts out with a text from my DM. I just got up, it's a Saturday morning, and it's about 6:30AM. It's not that I'm normally a late sleeper, don't get me wrong, but it takes me 5 minutes to get out the door dressed for the best and I can promise you that the people around my target area will literally shoot you, with a GUN, if you bang on their doors before 8 AM on a Saturday morning. You'll probably still get it slammed right back in your face at 10, but I'm a go getter and was planning on hitting the streets at 8 and hoping luck was on my side. The DM's text asked me where I was. I told him I was getting ready to head out. He texts back, "Get out there already."

Something struck me a bit odd about his sharp response, but looking back after a series of conversation in the many weeks to come, I'd say this is the pivotal point in my College Works experience. 6:30 AM, Me (the "Manager") being told irrationally to go out, be my own marketing team, and bang on people's doors at a ridiculous hour. Now if it was 1PM and I'd be jogging or something unrelated it would be a different story, but I'm heading out the door, at 6:30 AM on a Saturday. If that's not commitment, I still don't know what is apparently.

I'm not writing a book, so I'll just summarize my summer by saying that it went average. I didn't make enough money to buy a corvette. To tell you the truth, I didn't make any money. Here's why - College Works tells you that as a minimum they'll give you $2500 if you stick with the program. Even if you do an amazing job and actually get a huge list of jobs, you won't make much more than that because of all the administration fees they skim off the top. Also I had related expenses that the initial numbers they preached never included. My total expenses for the program were well over $3000. This is how much my gas, text messages, voice calls added up between my very first interview and my last trip for the summer. Did they cover this? No.

THE STRUGGLE WITH HOUSE PAINTING:

Here are some things to consider. In our recession, pre-depression, double-dip recession, whatever you choose to call it, people have become more frugal. House painting is achievable by nearly anyone with little to no training. It's hard work, but very minimal skill required. Bottom line, if someone needs painting they can do it themselves, or hire any general laborer through Craigslist or the local classifieds to do it for a great deal less than CW could ever quote a job.

Most modern houses are brick, vinyl/hybrid sided, or stained natural wood. Older wood homes are usually the ones that need painting, and they usually are located in Section 8 areas where people can barely afford to buy bread; much less pay a paint contractor.

If you live in a rare area combining financially stable households with paintable homes, consider starting your own painting business. You will need insurance, but after looking into rates you may be surprised at how affordable it really is. In addition to having a better chance at making bank, you will also have an opportunity to gain valuable business skills and experience.

I feel that I grew wiser with my College Works experience, and I am less naive when it comes to multi-level marketing schemes. My biggest beef with the company is how they prey on innocent Freshman and Sophomores who really just want to gain positive experience and a leg up on their peers. Do I question what I could have been doing during the summer instead of wasting it on CW? Of course. A couple of my friends worked with an actual internship endorsed by our business school. They had more time off, made a ton more money, and now they have a trusted and well known reference to put on their resumes. Do I regret spending my summer with CW? Honestly after getting hooked towards the end of my first interview, I would have had a hard time forgiving myself had I quit early on in the program. I really believed that I found the real deal. If you're in that same position, just ask yourself this - if it's such a good program as they claim, why doesn't your school of business recognize it as a legitimate internship? Talk to your academic advisor and see what they have to say...