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Monday, June 20, 2011

The Great Tuition Conspiracy

This is visible, plainly in view; yet nothing is done about it. What am I talking about? Are you a student now or have you recently been one? Then take a moment to think back when you were deciding what career you wanted to educate or re-educate yourself for. Besides the course description what other things did you notice about their claims (Colleges, Universities)?

Well the first thing in the description we notice is the in class hours spent on each general education course as opposed to the CORE classes. Gen-Ed courses are those like Mathematics, English, History, etc, all the ones you have been taking for the last 12 years from kindergarten on up. CORE classes on the other hand are those courses specific to your degree or the ones that will get you the job at the end of it all, notice the hours per class? Half! Now what's the tuition on your course? mine was $70,000. Did you notice something else? No? Well let's talk about the class hours first then I'll bring up the next thing.

If you’re like me you you’re probably thinking already and the thoughts go something like this. I know enough Math, Science and English from all those years I've previously taken them why am I not getting more CORE class time than gen-ed time? I need a job knowing the material that is (sometimes) offered in the core classes not the gen-ed material. For example let's suppose your degree is in "3D Animation", how are 10 hours of history and 10 hours of political science as opposed to 3D modeling, Lighting and Drawing concepts going to get you the job? Know what else? Those job specific courses like 3D modeling, Lighting and Drawing concepts are offered for only 5 hours each! That's right you’re paying 70k to rehash material from all your life instead of getting more CORE for your money.

It doesn't end there however I wish that were the extent of the corruption in education but it isn't. The next thing the learning institution is guilty of is lying. Flat-out, bold faced, looking you right in the eye, lying. What is their biggest pitch in most cases? It's not the cheerleaders, it's not the glee club activities, or the football team, it’s the "placement ratio or percentage" boast. My school boasted in the 80% range as people finding work in their fields upon completion of their respective courses. Mine was a B. A. Visual Art majoring in Game Art. Or in simple terms I am a 3D modeler using software. The college prints these boasts in its course outline book so it's not hidden from view, but where do they come up with these numbers?

Here is a fact, Out of 36 students that started this program with me from our original class, only 3 of us graduated. Be it because of funding, bad grades, work, lack of interest, or whatever the rest dropped out or disappeared. Now taking this into consideration the 80% placement figure above is all ready Bullshit. But to be fair out of the 3 of us which makes up 100% of the graduating class right? Only....0...Zero, of us has found a job in this field. And not through a lack of trying either. I stay in touch with the other two "graduates" we have all had our resumes professionally looked at and evaluated, our portfolios online are great for entry level positions in the gaming industry, which we're all looking for, but we're still 3 unemployed graduates. I'm no math genius but that certainly isn't 80% placement success and it works out to more like 100% placement failure. Bold faced lie.

So what is it? Is it the course material that is putting off companies from hiring us? I think so. Companies look at schools as much as a prospective students look at the program books to decide. I think companies see the gen-ed/core ratio and it adds doubt as to how ready a student will be. But that's not all, no it gets worse. Educational institutions are not interfacing with the gaming world (in my case) to construct the program for these degree's so over 50% of the material in the course is irrelevant. Garbage and nothing that will get you a job in that field. Like in my course, we had 3-4 10 week courses on business management??? I want an entry level position, I will NOT be a company CEO right out of college, and I’m more realistic than that.

Colleges and Universities alike also say they offer job assistance on completion of your degree. This is what that consists of. No job will be related to your field, they email bomb you with positions for everything from grocery bagger to loading printers with paper but not one game job in the piles of email. They give you NO names of executives in the game industry to which you can send a demo reel too or resume. They do not work closely enough with hiring companies to throw job fairs for your degree upon graduation for entry level jobs. Useless. And all the jobs are usually part-time 30 hours or less and pay close to minimum wage, how do you live and repay loans at that wage?

Now it still get's worse. Sallie Mae is working with the educational institutions to get you into these 70k tuitions knowing full well the failure rates of students finding jobs or dropping out of the courses. Sallie Mae more than willingly writes you loan after loan until you’re in your last semesters then refuse to continue to fund you unless you obtain a co-signer. Now, as a student your already into it for 65k you need that last 5k to get the degree and the great paying entry level position that will quickly help you pay off your student loans and pave your future to financial security. So you have to agree and you frantically seek someone who will co-sign. Sallie Mae full well knows the "placement numbers" are shit from the College or University and you will have difficulty finding a job to pay back your loans. They are aware of this and are getting away with it. Most times it’s a young student who is taking loans out him or herself but now gets mom and dad to sign as co-signers and Sallie Mae goes after them for the money with both barrels and the student cannot find work. Do Sallie Mae or the College or University care if the student works? No they harass the co-signer.

In some cases the co-signer is a spouse such as in mine. Well what is Sallie Mae going to do garnish wages? I'm out of work and can't find work in my degree. My wife barely makes enough to feed and keep a roof over our heads, Sallie Mae garnishes her wages she and I will be in the street and she would loose her job and then what? Sallie Mae still doesn't get a cent. This kind of shit has to stop! Colleges and Universities need to change course structure to JOB ACCEPTABLE content with more CORE than gen-ed. They need to be investigated as to how many students are actually finding work in their degrees and the shit ones need to be thrown in the can. Sallie Mae needs to be reprimanded and investigated for not investigating learning institutions courses and actual placement and of course, Tuition fees need to be investigated. Sallie Mae needs to be held responsible for giving students loans until the end and then requiring a co-signer, everyone's credit gets worse as school goes on and more loans are required but they know this and it should not require a co-signer if it didn't in the beginning.

On a parting note both Sallie Mae and your educational institution need to be investigated and held accountable for the high tuitions and the loan procedures they use for students. On your own be aware of these practices if your looking into an education make sure you see the real numbers.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Obama is finding this Depression humourous

Obama's making jokes about shovels and our depression while millions of Americans keep getting foreclosed upon or loose their jobs in the US. Personally I think he's a president of "bad taste" oh and "false promises" so what's to be expected from him?

Let's take a look at his accomplishments in office shall we?

Depression denial - he's been particularly good at saying what a double dip recession we're in but can spit out the truth, it's a frikin depression and a fucking bad one. 

"Unemployment numbers are going down" - Obama chimes on about this every chance he gets you know why? because he thinks we are all as stupid as he is that's why. We of educated cloth know that the reason numbers in unemployment are going down is not because our Muslim loving Pres did something good its because he has done nothing at all and people are loosing their claims for unemployment benefits and giving up on finding work altogether that's what his REAL unemployment fix has been.

TWELVE MILLION or more! Illegals mostly from Mexico and other South American countries are here putting a burden on our health, social aide programs, housing values, and killing or murdering our citizens and feeding drugs to our youth. To this Obama says lets open the borders, lets make these criminals and illegals Americans by just giving it (citizenship) to them because they came here illegally we should reward them for their ingenuity. Let's ignore the millions and millions of Americans here who went through the process to do it right. AND let's give their children tuition's in the billions at tax payer expense so they can eventually take jobs away from American citizens children.

He's very happy about how Nancy Pelosi pulled the rug out from under Americans in regards to tier 5 unemployment benefits in fact so much he wanted her to stay forever by his side.

More to come on this topic, stay tuned.....