My experiences at ITT Technical Institute
In the fall of 1999, I went in to see a representative for ITT. As a prerequisite for attending ITT, I was given an admittance test. I thought I failed it, yet they assured me that I passed with a very good score. The rep. Then explained the program to me and gave me a few job titles to look up on the Internet that she said I would be qualified for after I earned my degree. A few of those jobs were Webmaster and Network Administrator. I voiced my concerns of being one who is not savvy in the computer field or mathematics. I was assured me that I would have no problem with the material to be taught. The pay rate listed for the jobs referred to me were in the $60-80,000 range.
Before enrolling, I also met with the director of the program. I told him that I already had a Bachelors Degree and did not actually need an Associates Degree. He said that I could also consider getting Certifications instead of attending ITT. However, he felt that ITT would offer a well-rounded education with abundance hands on training and that certifications and an Associate Degree are about equal.
At this time in my life, I was working as a sales rep being paid straight commission. The sales jobs of the past in which one was given a substantial base salary, company car, expense account were long gone. I felt that I needed to become reeducated in a field where there would be growth for years to come. I was tired of being a commission salesman. Consequently, I enrolled at ITT.
After about 3-4 months of schooling, I began having some concerns, as I did not feel that I was learning much at all. I went to visit with the career services worker at ITT who was in charge of job placement. I expressed my concerns and I was assured that all would be fine and I was encouraged me to "stick with it." She stated that "many students were offered lucrative employment halfway through the program" and she bragged about how "the FBI, CIA and US military routinely recruit from ITT."
About halfway through the program, many of my fellow students began becoming frustrated at the lack of hands-on training and heavy emphasis on lecture and theory in the classroom as well as many other concerns. One of my main concerns was that I felt our testing did nothing more than test our memory rather than our ability or our retention of knowledge.
I went with a few students to the Director of the Henderson, Nevada ITT campus, and he assured us that there would be much more hands on training and he assured us all to stick with the program as there were so many jobs and so few candidates available. We students discussed amongst ourselves and most decided to stick it out and hope for the best.
In the spring of as graduation grew near, or concerns grew as well. There were no offers of employment that were worth much. A few students took jobs as help-desks tech for around $10.00 per hour. One fellow student became so disgusted and irate that he went on a drinking binge and dropped out. Another student just gave up and stayed home. On man died of a drug overdose in his sleep.
At our graduation ceremony, the director publicly stated that although we might not use our degrees at this time, it was a valuable degree and would surely be of value someday.
Most all students were irate at the education and the feeling of being scammed for $25,000. I graduated with mostly As and Bs yet I felt ignorant and incompetent.
Shortly after graduation I began to obtain legal counsel. I was informed, as other students were by their attorneys, that we could not sue ITT due to the arbitration clause in our contracts. I subsequently filed a complaint with the Commission for Post-Secondary Education. My complaint was allegedly investigated and dismissed in record time. I filed an appeal and presented my case in front of the Commission. During my hearing, I was interrupted twice, once by the deputy AG and once by some other stuffed shirt. They reluctantly allowed me to continue and at the end, they voted. One by one a hand was slowly and sheepishly raised to uphold the initial investigation.
To date, May I have had no offers to resolve my complaint from ITT whatsoever. I never received any more correspondence from the commission regarding the matter. I have no recourse except to pay an arbitrator and hope for the best. I do not have the money to do so, and I doubt if I would receive adequate restitution for my loss from an arbitrator.
I wasted 2 years of my life and am not competent to obtain employment as they led me to believe, nor are the jobs available. This was a chance to be educated for the future in order to be more marketable. Unfortunately that is not the case.
My ITT degree does not turn heads or even get me any interviews. I have also discovered that the ITT administration has lied to the commission stating that most of my classmates were gainfully employed in the IT field.in contradiction, most of my classmates are doing the same thing they were doing before ITT. On man is a card dealer at a casino, another is surveying roads for the county, another was just terminated from a phone tech position, another is earning $8 per hour as a networker.
My losses are life altering. Due to unemployment, I lost my property and vehicle and had my credit destroyed and I have $20,000 of student loans hanging over my head for an education that is worthless, in my opinion. Thank you ITT.
My suggestion to anyone that intends to get an education at any school is to never agree to a contract that prohibits one to exercise ones right to redress in a court of law. Read the fine print rather than get starry eyed and trust the salespeople. That's all they are, sales people trying to lure you into their school. Furthermore, in the recent trends, higher education appears to be less valuable than 10-15 years ago. Unless someone truly specializes and knows their business well, one might be better at a blue-collar job.
Alan
Henderson, Nevada
U.S.A.
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