In response to criticisms about College America, I once worked there in the Denver office in the late 1990s. Turn-over was high, esp. For admissions reps.
No, I am not some disgruntled ex-employee, because I left for many reasons. However, I will post what I think the public should know.
As for "rip-off" complaints, keep in mind these technical, private, trade schools that you see advertised to the the JERRY SPRINGER and SAVE BY THE BELL TV viewers in the afternoon — are like any business - all about money.
Like dealing with car salesmen, they will tell & sell you anything, give you a loan, and usually could care less what your problems are with its services later. Salespeople have quotas to fill and deadlines to complete.
Before jumping into doing ANY business, whether buying a car, attending a school, joining a gym with contract, etc. - you need to do as MUCH research as POSSIBLE. Simply watching the commercials and talking to the salespeople (in this case with College America, admissions reps) is not enough.
This means you need to research COMPLAINTS turned into the BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU, reads the usacomplaints. Coms, talk to current users/students of its services, etc.in fact, try to find people who were "screwed" and those who have succeeded.
As for working at College America, I received MANY complaints from students that the instructors seem "not to care" about their students and would simply "throw books" at them to figure the material out for themselves.
Many of these College America instructors at the time had never had training or teaching licenses in the field they are teaching. They worked part-time for as little as $15 per hour, and knowing some personally, they really didn't want to be there.in other words, sounds like most jobs I've had.
So before jumping into ANY school, investigate the credentials of the instructors (see if they have Master's, teaching licenses, industry-related work experience, etc.). Try finding companies who have HIRED those who went to College America.
Also, see what complaints & law suits have been filed with the company. For like $10-50, you can find out A LOT more on from all these companys.
In defense of College America, the school is about "flexibilty" within your schedule AND self-pace training.in other words, you see the instructor for the main overview, and then you spend the rest of your time in the computer lab with your book - basically figuring things out for yourself. When you are ready for tests, you meet with instructors or take timed-computer tests.
If you must be concerned about flexibilty and self-pace courses, you are far better off picking books and computer software from your local stores AND TRAINING yourself. Like with Microsoft, you can even pay to take their official courses & exams in a local facility if you are concerned about "certification" from the software itself.
If its about getting an Associates degree, you might as well bite the travel bug and drive to community state colleges. WHy spend 5 times more?
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