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>"Maybe if you give them too much information, they won't want to come in." Perceptive, since that's exactly the reason I ask so many questions before I physic
by wccrawford 10y ago
>"Maybe if you give them too much information, they won't want to come in."
Perceptive, since that's exactly the reason I ask so many questions before I physically drive out to meet someone. On the other hand, refusing to answer questions is pretty much guaranteed to put my guard up, too, which is contrary to their goals.
I'm an ITT graduate. I experienced none of what was in the article. That may have been their tactics at some point, but it wasn't used on me in the early 00's. Perhaps the person who was talking to me knew their job really well and knew it wasn't a good idea.
In the end, I learned nearly nothing (I was self-taught already and mostly wanted the paperwork) and got a 4.0 GPA. I watched others around me struggle with basic programming. Most of them quit, and I graduated with about 4 others in that program.
They claimed that a high percentage of their graduates had jobs when they graduated, but what they didn't make clear was that those jobs weren't necessarily in their field. I didn't have a job at all, most others didn't have a job in IT, and the 1 who did got it on their own at their current employer, Disney. Despite them providing no leads, they blamed my lack of job on me and how I approached it. No attempt was made beyond basic resume and interview coaching. That guy ended up getting fired after my father made a huge stink about it repeatedly. (He wasn't the only one, I gathered.)
When I did get hired, it was by a company that cared more about my skill than anything, and I actually looked worse on paper than the other main candidate. The company paid for BrainBench exams and I blew the other guy away, which got me hired. The paperwork I cared so much about has never been useful. The original estimate was $30k. I paid $23k because I transferred in some credits and tested out of others.
- beachstartup 10y agocurious - now that you have experience do you include or omit the ITT degree on your resume?
- SteveNuts 10y agoI'm not OP but I did go to a similar for-profit school that has since shut down. I can say the degree definitely helped me get a job, but now that I have 7 years of experience, I no longer list it on my resume. I'm a systems administrator/engineer. It never comes up...
- wccrawford 10y agoIt's been a while since I've applied for a job, but I will definitely list it on my resume, still. It doesn't actually seem to be a negative, so I figure there may be some pencil-pusher that needs to see a degree to satisfy some requirement, maybe. My 10+ years of work experience, 15+ years of non-work experience before that, and my title of "senior software engineer" are plenty to make them seriously consider me for a position, even before I list my accomplishments. In short, my resume is now filled out enough that it can't hurt and still might help, so it stays on there.
- narrator 10y ago>The paperwork I cared so much about has never been useful. Going to school just for the paperwork is kind of a bad idea. Ideally, one should learn something useful when getting a degree. Just pointing out the obvious which seems to be overlooked here.
- tekromancr 10y agoExcept in America, every student has the notion that if they don't get a college degree, they will end up homeless and destitute.
- nwmcsween 10y agoA stupidly huge amount of positions in North America require an 4+ year degree to even be considered.
- bgilly 10y agoGetting the paper can be useful by itself. For example, when working abroad, some countries require an advanced degree in order to get a residency or work visa.
- sathackr 10y agoNot that bad of an idea when most job listings making more than $40k has "4-year degree at an accredited college" listed as minimum requirements. Without that, your resumé doesn't even make it through the screen door. It doesn't matter that you have 25 years of experience and run circles around people with Masters degrees. You never even make it far enough in the door to show that.
- ferentchak 10y agoThis Also if you don't have an "in" at the company you will be rejected by software before a person even has to look at it
- iamthepieman 10y agoI don't have a degree but I did go to college. Just attend one semester or even a week of school. On your resume put this line for education Such and such university (2010) It doesn't lie stating that you have a degree but it gets past auto and human filters and you can explain that you went but found it wasn't for you, you weren't learning anything, you worked better being self taught or whatever, you've got your foot in the door ( or at least as much in the door as people with actual degrees on their resumes)
- johnward 10y ago> learned nearly nothing (I was self-taught already and mostly wanted the paperwork) and got a 4.0 GPA. I watched others around me struggle with basic programming. Most of them quit, and I graduated with about 4 others in that program. Went in 04 with a HighSchool buddy. Neither of our parents went to college so we didn't really know any better. We put forth absolutely no effort and were miles beyond our classmates. Both graduated with 4.0 without ever touching the material. After I got my first position the education stopped mattering as much. I split test leaving education off of my resume and linked profile to see if it makes a difference.