My son needs some advice...

[max08e90]

My son has approached me with this dilemma, and I'm not sure how to answer him. I'm just looking for some advice, please no flaming. He's currently a third year in college, and has been doing an internship with a company called College Works Painting for 5 months. Basically they train students to sell exterior paint jobs to people, and give them a 10-15% commission after they paint. Here is the catch. He's been doing it for 5 months building up sales (currently at 31k) and is about to enter summer time. They don't make any profit until they produce 25k worth of work. He have earned only $200 dollars for the six months of work, from what they refer to as a stipend. Realistically he has spent more on gas money. Here is his dilemma. He have been offered another job that will pay better and will be easier but won't look as good on his resume as this internship. SO, would you stick out this internship working your *** off for another 3 months and make roughly 2-4 thousand while having it on your resume, or take on an easier work load making around 7k for the summer? He can't decide, and keep's thinking about his resume. So what do you guys think and what would you do if you were in his shoes???I appreciate any input...

[Dan in PA]

If the difference is only 3k, I'd go with what will look better on my resume. However, I'm still in college as well so my opinion may not be as valid as that of others.

[88Brimble]

Depends how bad he needs the money...basically (assuming, without all the details...) depends how much you're willing to/already helping him out, and I guess how he much he's willing to let you help him out.

[Kensta335]

I say go for the one that looks better on the resume. If he's low on funds then you should help him out.

[ska///235i]

i wouldn't worry too much on the resume as he's still a student, when a company hires/target a students that just graduated...they'll care more on gpa and what school graduated from than experience.
now oh the otherhand if someone's been out working for many years, companys will focus on his/her work experience.

[mpimping]

Its up to him. let him make his own decision. if money is an issue than an internship is a bad idea.

[towski1]

I may have missed something in the post, but it sounds like he's already in the internship that will look best on the resume. Why couldn't he leave now for the better pay and put both on the resume?

[Alexander]

How is he financially? If he is hurting then he needs to think short term and take the other job. If he can wing it financially then the lower paying, but higher respected job is the way to go.

[mpimping]

Thats the problem these days, parents get too involved. they visit every wekend to do their laundry ect. i wish my parents were more involved but come on man. if he hates it he will take the job of course. how stable is the otherjob? does he know his prospective boss? is it possible that his new boss could like fire him in a week because h is wacked?

[DougLikesBMW]

Holy crap. Lol, I was about to start that internship with CWP in March, but I dropped it because I wanted to pursue my own ventures.

[Alexander]

Originally Posted by mpimping

Thats the problem these days, parents get too involved. they visit every wekend to do their laundry ect. i wish my parents were more involved but come on man. if he hates it he will take the job of course. how stable is the otherjob? does he know his prospective boss? is it possible that his new boss could like fire him in a week because h is wacked?

Job security is a must.

Parents are super involved these days. I am in grad school and my parents have paid 0.00% of all of my college. I joined the Marines to kick some Hajii ass and to pay for college. Even though my dad could easily easily afford it; I choose to take life by the balls. He put my brother through Princeton... That shit aint cheap.

[mpimping]

Involved is good but doing their homework ect thats not good for them. internships sucks if you are broke but dont even know how much this would help.

[nightkhan]

Originally Posted by max08e90

My son has approached me with this dilemma, and I'm not sure how to answer him. I'm just looking for some advice, please no flaming. He's currently a third year in college, and has been doing an internship with a company called College Works Painting for 5 months. Basically they train students to sell exterior paint jobs to people, and give them a 10-15% commission after they paint. Here is the catch. He's been doing it for 5 months building up sales (currently at 31k) and is about to enter summer time. They don't make any profit until they produce 25k worth of work. He have earned only $200 dollars for the six months of work, from what they refer to as a stipend. Realistically he has spent more on gas money. Here is his dilemma. He have been offered another job that will pay better and will be easier but won't look as good on his resume as this internship. SO, would you stick out this internship working your *** off for another 3 months and make roughly 2-4 thousand while having it on your resume, or take on an easier work load making around 7k for the summer? He can't decide, and keep's thinking about his resume. So what do you guys think and what would you do if you were in his shoes???I appreciate any input...

CWP from what I've heard from friends and students in the past is that it's a pyramid scheme, like that vector knives shit from high school days. I did my research in the past too when I was in college, and didn't pull the trigger because after asking the interviewers tons of questions, i basically made them indirectly confirm that all the money ends up with the guys on top, not you. Just took a long time to get around all their tricks and attractive sound bites. They make it sound lucrative, receiving commission off the sales, but at the end of the day, all the money flows to top managements and you get a shitty payout, if any. Having CWP on your resume is okay, but most real career companies post college won't care about it.

my 2 cents

[ben14142001]

^haha, just saw the post above, yes, definitely pyramid schemes.

God, those college painting companies are such pyramid schemes. I worked for one a couple years back, and it sucked. I basically made jack shit for busting my ass all summer. My boss and his boss made bank for all my hard work. I would tell him to go for the other job and ditch out on CWP asap.

[mpimping]

Yeah report them. something didn't sound right about it and what is the new job? details.

[blender]

If the internship is in his field or really lights his fire, do that. Painting might line his pockets for a summer but it will not further his career.

[BTM]

Originally Posted by nightkhan

CWP from what I've heard from friends and students in the past is that it's a pyramid scheme, like that vector knives shit from high school days. I did my research in the past too when I was in college, and didn't pull the trigger because after asking the interviewers tons of questions, i basically made them indirectly confirm that all the money ends up with the guys on top, not you. Just took a long time to get around all their tricks and attractive sound bites. They make it sound lucrative, receiving commission off the sales, but at the end of the day, all the money flows to top managements and you get a shitty payout, if any. Having CWP on your resume is okay, but most real career companies post college won't care about it.

my 2 cents

There was a similar "scam" going around Arizona with selling alarm systems door to door...my friend got suckered into it and after an entire summer was under 1k net...working 12hr days 6 a week, he really tried to make it work. The pay/commission structure is fucked, it's just an easy way to take advantage of college students who don't know yet that by taking such a position that they aren't being "entrepreneurial" nor "taking life in their own hands" which is how these companies market themselves, to wanna be alpha dogs.

They've been dropping off CWP flyers at my parents house for years and they told me about it when I was in school looking for a summer job, checked it out and it was practically the same bullshit as the alarm selling thing. All of these that sound so good really aren't, I even followed up on a "meat delivery" position which was basically those guys who go around selling Omaha or whatever steaks and meat from their truck. The owner was charging out the ass for the product and the guys would keep anything left over from the sale, definitely not how the guy "sold" the job to me. After 3 days of evidence I never stopped showing up. My dad was glad I could recognize a bad deal when I saw one and gave me a job in his company.

It's been said before and will be said again, if it's too good to be true...(you know the rest)

There are "real" internships out there to be had, honest, paid, and with relevant firms. I'd seek out one of those if I were your soon. Even an unpaid with a reputable firm with a good internship program is better than being had for the better part of a year by a scam

[antongk]

Originally Posted by nightkhan

CWP from what I've heard from friends and students in the past is that it's a pyramid scheme, like that vector knives shit from high school days....

couldn't agree with you more. this past year in college i went through the interview process with student painters which is pretty much the same thing as CWP. thankfully my dad gave me some solid advice that made me realize how the work was simply not worth the reward. Long story short, i quit before i even started working to concentrate on school.

IMO, my advice would be to not have him bust his ass for nothin. maybe if he has more time on his hands with this easier job try and see if he could take some spring courses.. other then that i would just stay away from CWP. i feel like they brain wash college kids into thinking it will be awesome on their resume.

[DougLikesBMW]

Damn, thank god I called my manager the night before actual training and dropped out.

Did not expect to hear all this bad stuff, especially after I had talked to people previously in the CWP program who had nothing but good things to say. The kids I talked to made from 14-30k! I couldn't believe that, that's why I was so stoked for it.

Looks like I dodged a bullet.

[BTM]

Originally Posted by DougLikesBMW

The kids I talked to made from 14-30k! I couldn't believe that, that's why I was so stoked for it.

These are their "exemplars"

This doesn't mean they aren't recruiters as well. They have something to gain from you, but unlike a "real" (for lack of better terminology) it is not an even trade/reimbursement, you are getting less and they are getting more.

It's like the Mary Kay sellers with their stupid pink Caddies, you know how long they've been working towards that? I'm a believer in the product sells itself, if it doesn't, then it isn't a normal good. There is always uncertainty but I am always wary of "overtly aggressive recruiting" practices...it's essentially a "reverse" salesman, the recruiter is selling you a job b/c he has something to gain from it

[lib]

Originally Posted by ska325xi

i wouldn't worry too much on the resume as he's still a student, when a company hires/target a students that just graduated...they'll care more on gpa and what school graduated from than experience.
now oh the otherhand if someone's been out working for many years, companys will focus on his/her work experience.

As someone who recently took part in the hiring of a few new college grads, I would be careful with that advice.

Everything matters. There is a sea of people out there who will end up graduating from the same school or better and have the same GPA or higher. The GPA only helps you make it to the final resume stack. The experience is what helps you get hired.

That being said, unless his target career path is in sales, there are probably more impressive internships he could pursue.

[nightkhan]

Originally Posted by lib

That being said, unless his target career path is in sales, there are probably more impressive internships he could pursue.

Even if his target career path is in sales, all other internships would be more impressive than CWP, except for vector knives, and selling home alarms apparently.