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Ok so I am 25 and decided to go back to school. I have enrolled in ITT-Tech. with classes starting in December! The loans I have to take out are outrageous, and its starting to scare me.... then I worry, will the degree get me any where? Any one have any input?
Last edited by babyrain; 10-18-2009 at 10:27 PM..
Reason: spelling
You're better of going to a "real" normal four year institution for like half the cost. Not saying ITT Tech is a bad school, well actually it is, but there's been a lot of heat concerning the school.
Namely your credits have limited, if any, transferability.
It really depends on what you're going for. Is there a cheaper alternative as far as school is concerned in your area? If so, do that.
Their "job placement" assistance is a joke. And those numbers they spew about "working graduates"? In your final weeks, they put out a MANDATORY survey, don't turn it in and they will withhold your degree. If you have a job, even one working at a gas station, they will count that in their statistics.
On the other hand, if you do like I have and stay home to raise your kids and find your education is 10 years old, they have lifetime education benefits. Supposedly, I can walk back in and re-enroll for free... something I've been meaning to look into.
Having a degree from a tech school can help you get your foot in the door and if you apply yourself, you can learn something. But choose the cheapest tech school there is.
I attended tech school because I didn't know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, but I figured that in 18 months I could either be continuing to make minimum wage, or I could be making more money while I made that decision. As it turned out, CAD ended up being something I really enjoyed doing!
I am a graduate of ITT, 1994. I also was hired to teach in 1997.
Long story about the teaching part:
1 week before midterms, I suspected all but two of my students were part of a cheating "ring". I went to the Director of Education. He asked if I could prove it, and I said, yes. Either they could produce the original file and that would either prove them innocent or guilty or they would deny it all and refuse to produce their work, as the syllabus required them to do. He said I had the authority to give them "F"s.
I walked into the classroom and made the announcement... anyone who couldn't produce the computer file for inspection, which matched what they turned in, would fail the class. There were lots of protests. Apparently, telling a room full of "adults" that they have 3 days to prove that 1) they followed instructions and backed up their work to a disk and 2) that they had to hand it over was torture and "outrageous". Some asked for their print back, so they could use it to redo the assignment... NOPE! That same night, 3 of the students went to the Director and protested the fail, though only ONE could produce the file. Over the course of the night, I discovered that he had accidentally saved the file to one of the school's computers. This is how I suspect the rest cheated - someone found the file and they all printed it out after changing their name, font style and a couple other minor things.
Anyway, 1 hour before class ended the Director called me out of the classroom and said that I would have to give the cheaters a "no grade" instead of the "F" and couldn't count the assignment against them. I pointed out that this would punish the two that HADN'T cheated (neither of them got 100%) and was rewarding cheating... by "adults", but he insisted. I realized that making that announcement would completely undermine my authority.
So, with the director, I walked back in and gave them his decision. I explained what it would mean for both the cheaters and the non-cheaters. Then I told them that each of them had made my degree worthless and quit. Walked out. The Director called me everyday for a week to try to hire me back, just to finish out the semester.
The class ended up being put into hiatus and they all had to retake the course. They graduated 3 months late.
I have let everyone I know, especially within the industry, about this. ITT is not an institute of technology - they just sell degrees. I tell them (even in interviews, this has never hurt me) to test each employee to make sure they learned something and didn't just buy a degree.
Oh, and how did I know all of them were cheating? Simple.
15 lines of text in the drawing. 6 typos and one misspelled word. Exact same errors. By 13 "adults" of varying ages and backgrounds. Yeah, right!
sskkc, there was actually a similar situation here. Apparently a student in Indianapolis got a hold of some answer keys from a teachers flash drive and distributed them online. A few students were caught with them here and are now going though expulsion hearings.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Croye22
You're better of going to a "real" normal four year institution for like half the cost.
I think you forgot to add in room & board, books, lab fees, basic living, etc.
With that added in, a 2 year degree in the same field is going to cost you about 50,000 compared to 40,000 at ITT. At least that's the case around here. Plus all the books and lab equipment are new and up to date and included in tuition.
I go to ITT, and I would recommend it, but do your research first. I have heard great things about some locations, but not so great things about others. Luckily I go to a location that is respected around the state and will get you into the field. I did my research and toured colleges in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Indiana and nothing seemed as good. ITT just seemed more up to date and doable.
You'll likely be taught by teachers with Masters and PhD's that are in the field and have become very successful, not those who have passed through and failed. I have gotten some interviews solely based on the fact of who some of my professors are, and their teaching credentials. Again, this varies from location to location.
In this job market, there's no telling where a degree will get you. If you have some prior work experience in the field, it may come a little easier. If not, you should also get some certs. They "make up" for lack or experience a lot of the time. I have been meaning to do that for a while now.
Based on what figures per say? Sure, a highly known university may be expensive, but the average university is a lot cheaper than ITT Tech. Plus you get more fin. aid options than you would at ITT Tech.
I am not trying to say not go to ITT, but do your research first.
Based on what figures per say? Sure, a highly known university may be expensive, but the average university is a lot cheaper than ITT Tech. Plus you get more fin. aid options than you would at ITT Tech.
I am not trying to say not go to ITT, but do your research first.
I toured OSU, OU, Bellarmine, and Toledo and all the quotes were between 45,000-60,000 for two years. Looked at Columbus and Franklin State and was not impressed at all. I have a few friends at ITT that previously went to Columbus State and had a horrible experience.
My advice about ITT is that if you put a lot of time and effort into your education, then it will always pay off. Slack off and you will regret it.
You'll likely be taught by teachers with Masters and PhD's that are in the field and have become very successful
They require only a bachelor's degree and no teacher's creds to be an instructor there. And when I was hired, I only had my associate's from them. Granted, some of their requirements might have changed, but I'm sure that they still make "exceptions" everyday.
When I began at the San Diego ITT, I went to the 6-10pm class. That first night, the instructor (who spoke English with a very heavy Asian accent, very difficult to understand) was bragging that he'd just gotten a job offer for $9/hr. Um... yeah. He was supposedly a mechanical engineer and had 15 years experience in the field. $9/hr was what I was hoping to make from my first position after graduation with a tech school assoc degree.
Again, it is what you can get a good foundation there, but a great educational institute with superior teaching, it is not.
ITT Tech is a for-profit corporation. What that means if you can fork over the bill they will give you a useless degree. You're better off going to the mafia and having them give you a degree from a dead guy; its probably cheaper.
Note: Traditional college/university are non-profit.
Suggestion: Go to local CC then transfer to 4yr college.
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