<p>If this is one of those for-profit career colleges I hope she wins. The “councilors” at those schools are just glorified used-car salesmen whose sole purpose is to get your butt in a seat at any cost. They absolutely do lie to students to make their quotas. They inflate their placement rates, show prospective students false or misleading data about salaries and job prospects, and spring hidden fees on students, among other things. This kind of place does say they help with placement and when you call they send a list of job search websites and offer to review your resume. </p>
<p>These schools also have ridiculously high student loan default rates that put the whole student loan system at jeopardy. They should not even be allowed to receive federal financial aid.</p>
<p>There are been cases where students have won class-actions against career colleges that over-promise. She should talk to other jobless grads and get a class-action going.</p>
<p>Being from the area I would say that Monroe College is a for-profit career college like ThatPoshGirl described, but suing your Alma mater for not getting a job is ridiculous. This makes me wonder, if this goes suit goes through, can a person sue the public education system in NYC for similar reasons?</p>
<p>Either way, it seems like this person has made herself unemployable for life. I don’t know how many companies would higher someone with an entitlement complex severe enough to merit litigation.</p>
<p>The difference is that for-profit schools over-promise and under-educate. They show students statistics from the top 25% and try to claim they can get them there. They tell students they will help them find a job, and then they don’t. Plus the student ends up with a lower quality education and a school name on their resume that makes employers laugh.</p>
<p>These schools should be required to tell students what their graduates are making and their placement rate.</p>
<p>Re: you NEED a college degree these days to do well financially:</p>
<p>I’m going to make a guess here… that about 40% of the $125k+ jobs in the U.S. are in two areas: 1) owning all or part of a small business, and 2) being a commissioned sales rep/broker for just about any sized company.</p>
<p>In neither of these cases have I seen a lack of a college degree be an disqualifying condition.</p>
<p>That is entirely false and a empty statistic. Do you realize how many departments there are in even in a mid size corporation? Sales is simply one department. People in managerial position from Finance departments, Marketing, Merchandising, Manufacturing, etc. often times make more money than sales managers. I’m not sure where your guess came from but not a single part of your statement is true. Do you know how many people who own small businesses make LESS than $100,000/year? Do you have any idea how many people sink themselves into debt because of a small business?</p>
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<p>What experience do you have hiring people? I sure haven’t seen any sales positions that could bring in $125k+ that don’t require a college degree. </p>
<p>If you’re going to “guess”, at least make an educated guess.</p>
<p>“As Thompson sees it, any reasonable employer would pounce on an applicant with her academic credentials, which include a 2.7 grade-point average and a solid attendance record.”</p>
<p>ROFL…you have got to be kidding me. 2.7 GPA is bottom half of a business department. Solid attendance record? This isn’t jr. high…I didn’t even know they kept attendance in college. How come it doesn’t mention extracurriculars or internships? What a joke.</p>
<p>^Problem is, she was probably told throughout her college education that she was doing everything right and as long as she passed her classes, would score a good job. A 2.7 is not exactly marketable in top jobs, but I don’t think she is aiming for top jobs. She probably was passed up by those graduating form her University with better credentials. Though, after reading her quote, she sounds like an entitled *****.</p>
<p>Obviously it is easy to laugh at a situation such as this, especially in a forum filled mostly with students who have been educated about education for many years. </p>
<p>I have said this for years, every single ****ing time I hear some ridiculous commercial on the radio or television advertising one of the countless for-profit institutions throughout the U.S., it flat out makes me sick. The target market for these places are undereducated and often times down-and-out members of society, looking for a way out of a dead end life. They are gullible, and uninformed. Anybody with working knowledge of the system can spot one of these institutions from a thousand miles away, but there are many people who just dont know the system and think that all you have to do is go to a college and youre set. </p>
<p>I personally know a number of people with liberal arts, physical education, and other degrees that mean next to nothing in the marketplace. They graduate and search for many months(or years) without finding a job, from decent non-profit institutions. But, they knew this going into college and wanted to take the easy route - that truly is their fault. The fact of life that most people on here know, is that you have to go to one of the best schools in the country to get a well paying job with an easy major. Even with a highly sought after major you are pushing your luck attending an unknown school. I agree with the poster that said 80% of students today probably would be better off not going to college. You have to realize that there are thousands of schools throughout the U.S., and most of them are no-name institutions that require an explanation in any conversation. Perhaps it wont hurt to have a degree on your resume, but it certainly isnt worth the amount of money necessary to get it. </p>
<p>Having spent a significant amount of time around uneducated and down-and-out people in my life, it is my opinion that something should be done to stop the predatory marketing strategies these institutions use. I guarantee you that nobody would attend them if someone said, Hey! If you go here, employers and many other people will just laugh at you when you show them your degree, and not only that, but you need to pay us X$ to make this happen </p>
<p>My brother has an MBA from Wharton and 25+ years of experience at Fortune 500 firms (with steadily increasing levels of salary and supervisory responsibilities) – and he can’t find a job either! </p>
<p>Please tell me thats not an attempt to compare a Wharton graduates life and opportunities with that of a no-name, for-profit, school Your brother probably cant find a job paying 200+ and isnt willing to work for any less. If a graduate of school Xtech gets a job that can pay a meager rent payment and phone bill theyre lucky. </p>
<p>I havent read the article, and my points here arent directed at her specific situation. Instead, I am arguing that these programs are a scam - and that even in good times a decent paying job out of one of them probably happens in every 1/250 students.</p>
<p>The problem is there are too many employers who require degrees for jobs that shouldn’t require degrees. Particularly with employment through the internet it’s way too easy for HR people to save themselves a lot of resume reading by just requiring a bachelor degree for something a high school grad could easily do. </p>
<p>As far as hating for-profit education…I think this society would be FAR better off if millions of English and history majors at 3rd tier schools went to DeVry to learn to operate or repair heavy machinery, computers, MRI’s, etc. I appreciate the desire for liberal educations but it’s not like there aren’t millions of people holding B.A.s who wouldn’t know a Platonic ideal if it hit them in the face and called them Sally.</p>
<p>Its not really shocking that these career colleges taking advantage of unsuspecting students- its bound to happen. I agree she shouldn’t sue the school. Never believe what anyone says.</p>
<p>Someone I know got an associates degree in “business” from a for-profit school as a mature student, taking courses in Word, Excel and Powerpoint (!). She got "A"s and she did find a job as an administrative assistant but only lasted 6 months at it. Then she got admitted to a program run by Easter Seals to help mature students get placed in jobs, and they said that her “skills” were not at an acceptable level and sent her to a course to update her skills. And now she is stuck paying back a $30,000 loan for a useless degree. And she was so excited she was a “college graduate”. A really expensive mistake.</p>