Legitimacy of Connecticut School of Broadcasting(Irving) (Dallas, Austin: loans, find a job)

[rikolai]

I got some information on the Connecticut School of Broadcasting this week as I have been considering enrolling in March.I'm just wondering if anyone out there has known anyone that went there or personally experienced what they have to offer.I found out it's around $11,000 to sign up which sounded kind of steep to me(8-16 week course).Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[rb4browns]

Originally Posted by rikolai

I got some information on the Connecticut School of Broadcasting this week as I have been considering enrolling in March.I'm just wondering if anyone out there has known anyone that went there or personally experienced what they have to offer.I found out it's around $11,000 to sign up which sounded kind of steep to me(8-16 week course).Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I do not know of the school and I am not overly familiar with broadcasting as a career. I am, however, suspicious in general of trade schools that charge lots of money like this. Rather than soliciting random opinions for what is quite an investment, you might consider placing calls in to local tv and radio stations to the GM or other management personel. Ask them if this type of training is something they look for.

My sense is that an actual bachelors from a legit univeristy (or even an AA from a local 2 year college) along with actual work experience from learning the industry starting at an entry level position is what would put you on the best path for a successful career. With very few exceptions there are no shortcuts in life. That holds true with a job, and unless your father in law owns the company no matter what industry you are in, nothing replaces hard work, careful and strategic planning, education and execution.

[FarNorthDallas]

Be careful of these proprietary schools. Call The Ticket (sports talk radio) or some other TV or radio and talk to the HR people. My guess is the peeps they hire are not graduates from any proprietary school (or perhaps not graduates of anywhere).

I don't know anything about this school in particular. My job required me to get a certificate from a proprietary school (after already having a Bachelors which this trade school required) and most people in my class never did find a job in this career (even though, again, everyone in the class had a Bachelors degree). The school had old old job postings on the job postings board to appear as if there are tons of jobs for inexperienced entry level jobs. They said there were 11 jobs per grad. Untrue. There were just a few and the ones who got hired were younger, cuter, thinner, smarter. The ones who never got jobs were older, had been working for the govt, not too bright, argumentative, or only wanted a part time job. Yet, we all had loans to pay off.

[stargazer]

I have a family member who is in radio. In order to do well in broadcasting, you need to go to college and major in a degree called Broadcast Communication. Here is a link to what is required from UTA where my family member went. UTA Department of Communication (http://www.uta.edu/communication/broadcast.html - broken link)

I know nothing about the tech school above... I will ask if you like but I believe a 4 year degree is going to be more helpful than going to tech school.. JFYI There are lots of people too who want to be in radio.. my husband was the controller for one of the big companies that owned 6 radio stations in town at one point and he saw so many people sending in resumes to be apart of radio.

[rikolai]

Thanks to all who responded.It didn't seem fair to me that you could shell out 11K and 8 weeks later you're a commodity in the broadcast industry.Maybe I should just ask Dr.Phil...

[stargazer]

It takes a little longer than 8 weeks. My family member did for years the technical end which they call produce shows ( running cable and the boards) He produced The Dallas Cowboys Radio Network show for years and was named a few years as the Employee of the Year at his former employers. It takes years of experience working your way up.. right now he is music program director of a station in town and is a radio personality.. He graduated about 11 years ago. I would actually call a University and ask about their programs... Good luck

[stargazer]

Moderator cut: orphaned

My brother in law was nominated for a prestigious award in Nashville and as I said, he is an air personality and music program director working for a top 5 radio station in DFW. His past employer, CBS Radio named him employee of the year for the station he worked for twice. For a low class program, one in which he paid for himself and worked all through college, I think he did fine. He is respected in his field by not only who he works with , he is also respected by many major corporations that own several radio stations.

If the CSB can help a person network, that is great. My husband was at CBS Radio for a few years as their market controller. I asked him just a few minutes ago about the school, he said it was fine but so are the others in the area. If a person has a degree in Broadcast Communications, it helps. He also wants the op to understand that the positions once out of school are very low paying and you have to pay your dues. The real money is in sales. Best wishes to the OP.

[nsumner]

I have had 2 clients that were radio personalities in Dallas and they moved to Austin. They became close friends and I asked them about this school last evening on the phone. One of them attended it but not the Irving location. They spoke highly of it and said that they recommend it. They have a syndicated show now in Austin ;-)

[rikolai]

Thanks for the responses.I've decided to take a tour of the facility next Tuesday and go from there.

[bluescreen73]

Regardless of whether you attend CSB or not, radio is not a career move I recommend for _anyone_. For every Kidd Kraddick making 6+ figures there are thousands of schleps making less than 50 grand a year, holding down 2 or more jobs just to make ends meet.

I played radio for 14 years and then I got a real job and I can tell you that if your goal is to settle down, own a house, and start a family, you can forget it on the average radio salary.

Radio is a fun job but the pay SUCKS and it's getting worse. Voice-tracking and syndication are even replacing major market jobs in the industry as companies like Clear Channel, Cumulus, Citadel, and CBS Radio look for ways to cut cash in the face of slowing ad growth.

$11,000 for 8 to 16 weeks worth of training to land a job in an industry where opportunities are disappearing left and right and the average starting pay is less than $25,000/yr is a terrible investment.

If you wanna make serious cash go to nursing school or get an engineering degree. At least those fields pay enough to make a decent living.