National-Employment/Partners In Learning made a difference in my life.
I was relentlessly pursued or "recruited" by this company -National-Employment/Partners In Learning, by phone, at least 3-7 days a week for 2 months - dropped as a "prospective student" once they realized that I didn't have any money of my own to finance their "program.
2 weeks go by and the calls started again, this time with a different recruiter who "literally bent-over backwards to win over myself and my Father's scepticism and persuade him to co-sign a $15,000.00 loan agreement through Key Learning Centers to attend a 2 week MCSE - IT Boot-Camp w/Lifetime Job Placement, at MS Learning Centers in Birmingham, Ala.in Jan. Of 2005.
They sent me a library of Microsoft MCSE textbooks, a new Dell 5160 notebook computer, plane ticket to Birmingham, and provided a nice hotel room for me to stay in.
3 days into the classes, I realize that I did't know enough about computers to even be in the class. I was totally lost. I called my recruiter and talked to him about my situation, and he got his supervisor involved. They offered to allow me to change classes to A / Net Certification (a 3-week course) and fly me back to Birmingham in 1 year to resume my MCSE training - all the while still assuring me that I would have a decent-paying IT job within 2-4 months - whether or not I passed any exams in Alabama.
I spent the entire 3 weeks playing "catch-up" by staying after class to be tutored on what I had missed before I changed courses. I was issued completely different (older) versions of the learning materials (CD's) that my classmates were using - when I tried to show this to my instructor, he told me not to worry about it/he couldn't help me.
Luckily I had another instructor that graciously stayed way, way past school hours to tutor me so I would be on the same page with my classmates. I had to stay in Alabama an extra week - learned that the A / Net class was $5,000.00 less than what I was paying and I lost the job that I had in Dallas when I didn't return when I said I would be back. I only took 1 exam and failed it. I was told that I could take the exams again in Dallas as often as needed - at no cost to me - until I passed.
When I did get back home, I had only 1 interview with Ajalon Job-Placement (-another 'Partner-In-Learning' company)- never heard from them about any job prospects. Had to go to get 2 jobs to make ends meet. I was assigned 2 more recruiters over the next 9 months that would keep referring me for jobs that I was not qualified to do, (MCSE administration, SQL Server Management, etc.) & When I was ready to take my exams again in Dallas, Pearson VUE (the certification testing company) told me that I could use my Credit-Card to pay for my testing fees that I wasn't supposed to have to pay for anyway.
When I tried to contact National-Employment about my loan amount, no phone numbers were valid - no e-mails were valid - no nothin'.
So, to make a long-story longer - I haven't heard from any National-Employment recruiters or Ajalon reps in at least 9 months, my loan was 'sold' to another finance company that has since raised my interst rate by $30/month and calls my father in Houston if Im even 1 day late making a payment. So all-in-all I guess Im stuck with a $15,000.00 debt, a notebook computer that I've had to send in for repair 3 times, and a bunch of MCSE Certification textbooks that are probably out-of-date.
Thanks National-Employment/Partners In Learning/Ajalon Job Placement/MS Learning/Key-Lending... You really have made a huge difference in my life
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