Cutting corners on the road to hell

The concept of a "degree" or "certificate" in nine, 18, or even 24 months has always sounded suspicious to me. Particularly from so-called schools that are guaranteeing a bright future for a bunch of slackers who don't want to bother with real college, but want to reap the benefits of a degree. I say that because these schools, these "techinical" or "trade" schools, promise students not only jobs, but jobs paying $30,000 upon completion of a certificate or associate's program. Guaranteed job placement, they boast. Well here's news for those folks: you may not get that much in your first job with a four year degree. And that's taking a big leap of faith that you'll land a job at all.

As I watched the segment on 60 Minutes last night about a federal investigation prompted by lawsuits former students and employees filed because they'd been ripped off by subsidiaries of the for-profit Career Education Corp., I heard nothing but violins. They'd been fed the dream of big bucks the easy way, and were angry at their gullibility. Students at the Brooks College (California) fashion design program were upset that they'd graduated the school with jobs folding shirts and upwards of $80,000 in loans. Similar stories were relayed from students at ITT and Katherine Gibbs School and several others.

Associate producer Jennifer MacDonald went undercover posing as a student interested in different programs at different CEC schools. She was told at one that choosing fashion design she "can make anywhere from hundreds of thousands to if you go up to be a designer." And when she showed interest in the medical assistant program at another school, the admissions specialist practically handed MacDonald a roster despite attempts to disqualify herself.

There's no selectivity in these schools, unlike colleges and universities, which require transcripts, recommendations, personal essays and sometimes interviews before accepting a student. As one former CEC employee said, "You need three things. You need $50, a pulse, and you’ve got to be able to sign your name. That’s about it.” I'm willing to bet anyone could walk in to ITT and say "I never finished 11th grade," and the admissions rep would reply "There's no better time to start over than now! Sign here on the dotted line!"

Be wary, is all I'm saying. If you're not willing to put in the four, six, twelve years it may take to earn a six-figure salary, you're only fooling yourself by thinking an associate's or certification program with "career placement" alone is going to open those doors. It takes hundreds of hours' worth of strained eyes, thousands of words written, boxloads of books highlighted and then experience in the field to get the big bucks. Most importantly, and this alone can sometimes push a person sans degree very far--you need ambition.

It's unfortunate that the education industry is mimicking the predatory ways of lending, entertainment and fashion by hawking dreams to dreamers. But the cliche became a cliche for a reason; if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.