Looking at Matt Nield's schedule last summer he was a man on a mission. His mission: selling security systems for Apx.

His days began with a quick snack and a trip to the gym; he always had a big day ahead of him. After the early-morning workout, a big breakfast would follow. There was never much time for lunch. Finally, it was off to work. It would start with a quick training meeting and then eight to nine hours knocking doors and making sales.

When Nield finally got home with his team, they had some free time, but they were exhausted. Sometimes they would shoot some hoops, but more, they would pop in a movie, grab some dinner and crash within a few hours.

Many BYU students spend their summers just like Nield, a BYU student from Dallas majoring in business. Nield spent last summer in Pittsburgh selling security systems for APX Alarm.

Every summer, students leave Provo and go all over the country to sell everything from security systems to pest control.

"The biggest motivator for me was the money," Nield said. "As much as you want to earn, you can."

The potential earnings are there but are in no way guaranteed. Not everyone who spends a summer in sales returns to Provo with experience and money. Others do.

Nield said he enjoyed his summer with Apx enough to spend this summer with them selling in Florida. He said the work load was not something he would like to do for the rest of his life, but it had its perks.

"Sometimes you meet a lot of interesting people," he said. "You're only with them for an hour, but there's a bonding, there's a friendship."

Nield said the work was mentally challenging but he knew he could get through it. He knocked doors during his church mission and was used to it.

Summer sales are not for the faint of heart. They require the commitment of the full summer and not everyone who starts out finishes.

Aric Johnstone, an accounting student at BYU, spent six weeks of the summer selling pest control for Moxie in Riverside, Calif.

Johnstone got sick before the summer ended and had to leave to get the necessary medical treatment.

"Make sure you can stay the entire summer," he said. "Otherwise you're better off working a $5 to $6 an hour job in Provo."

Johnstone said many students might be attracted to the idea of quick money without being aware of the expectations detailed in their contracts.

Even though Johnstone had to cut his summer sales job short, he said he did enjoy the time he spent selling.

"I was doing really well and it was my first year," he said.

If not for his health problems, he said he was on pace to earn $40,000 for the whole summer.

Johnstone said he was able to enjoy his experience because he believed in what he was selling and still does.

"On my [church] mission, I lived with roaches," he said. "I hate bugs."

Johnstone said he felt he offered a service that helped people better their lives and living conditions at a good price. He never felt manipulative and would have finished the summer if he were able to.

Unlike Johnstone, not all summer sales agents are sold on the product they are selling.

Andrew Vance, a BYU student from Arizona, spent one week selling security systems for Firstline Security in Minneapolis.

"I got to the point where I felt I was really manipulative," he said.

Not every sales agent was sold on the fact that everyone needed and would benefit from the security systems sold, Vance said.

One week into the summer, Vance returned to Arizona for summer work. He said he worked half as much and made about half of what he would have made selling for Firstline in Minneapolis.

Vance said a critical point in his decision to walk away came when he was closing a sale with a woman. It was his first week on the job and Vance had not been given all his identifying information from Firstline. The woman was so nervous about giving personal information to him that she was pacing back and forth in her living room hyperventilating.

"I just told her that I would come back when I had more ID," Vance said. "I felt terrible."

For Vance, doing summer sales was not for him, but he knew a lot of people who went out and made a lot of money.

"If it's your cup of tea, go for it. If not, find something else," he said. "There are plenty of ways to make money."

Vance suggests potential summer sales agents understand what they are committing to when they sign up.

"If you're considering it and aren't sure," he said, "go hit the doors with a manager before the season."

Copyright Brigham Young University 4 Mar 2008