This article should be required reading for all JWs who graduate from high school

by neverendingjourney 14 Replies latest jw experiences

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  neverendingjourney

  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/business/14schools.html

  The gist of the article is that trade schools are becoming increasingly poplular in our down economy, and that many of them deceptively market themselves, to put it nicely. Far too many students graduate from these outfits with tens of thousands of dollars of debt and zero job prospects.

  When I was 19 years old, I decided to take the "spiritual" and "theocratic" route by foregoing a college education in favor of a quick trade school program. The Society was really pushing 1 to 2 years programs at the time. The CO was delighted by my decision and I received kudos from many prominent elders in my circuit.

  The only problem was that I couldn't find a job after I got out and found myself saddled with $10,000 of debt (this was back in the late 90s). It wasn't an altogether negative experience. It provided one more piece of evidence that the Society was not what it claimed to be and it led me to enroll in community college. Ten years later, I now have undergraduate and post-graduate professional degrees under my belt and a nice career.

  The WT doesn't warn members of the risks outlined in the article linked to above. They simply push kids into trade schools (not college!). I was a young, naive follower at the time and lacked the life experience necessary to properly evaluate this decision. I honestly had no idea of the risks involved in pursuing the trade school path. If any JWs were aware of the risks, they never alerted me, maybe because they feared being viewed as spiritually weak for criticizing a WT recommendation.
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  snowbird

  Amen.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/179717/1/Alumna-sues-college-because-she-hasnt-found-a-job

  Sylvia
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  Magwitch

  Very interesting article.
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  lepermessiah

  Good stuff! Thanks!

  I cringe everytime I see those "ITT Technical Institute" commericials.

  They make it sound like you are going to be a C.I.O. the minute you graduate.....

  Several years and $$$$$$ later, you have tons of debt and no job in the field.

  I had two friends who went there and had nothing but disappointment and hassles.

  Some of those places are cash grabs....this is from wikipedia (one of my buddies was contemplating a suit)

  ITT Technical Institute has been involved in several controversies over its business and academic practices. The most famous of which are listed here.

  In August 1998, 15 former students alleged misrepresentation, fraud and concealment by ITT arising out of their recruitment and education at ITT campuses. In September 1998, ITT settled all of the claims of the 15 claimants. [ 6 ]

  On February 25, 2004, federal agents raided the company's headquarters and 10 of its campuses. [ 7 ] The investigation negatively affected the company's stock and triggered several class action lawsuits by investors. [ 8 ] [ 9 ]

  In October 2005, ITT agreed to pay $725,000 to settle a lawsuit with California in which employees alleged that it inflated students’ grade point averages so they qualified for more financial aid from the State of California. [ 10 ]
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  dgp

  Marked for reflection.
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  nugget

  The society is happy to push people into dead end jobs because then the only place for fulfillment is the congregation. I agree the young need to wise up and make the most of their education. Hopefully as the end seems to move further away some may consider their future prospects more carefully.
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  garyneal

  marking for later reference
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  JeffT

  I went to a place similar to ITT. I've done well since then. But I already had a BA (English) so I can state that I have a BA, a certificate in accounting and x years of experience.

  A good number of these places are ripoffs, one has to take a close look. Many community colleges offer better, more reputable programs.
• 

  neverendingjourney

  Jeff,

  I hear what you're saying. In the right situation, a trade school certificate might be a good investment. For instance, I've known of people with bachelor degrees who obtained paralegal certificates back when there was a demand for that kind of work. These folks were able to obtain employment with large law firms who wouldn't hire paralegals without college degrees. However, for every one of them there were 10 others without college degrees who went through the expense of obtaining the certifcate and were unemployable. Law firms didn't want to hire people who were working at McDonalds six months before. That's just the way it was, and this was back when the economy was really doing well.

  My brother had a similar experience. Because of health issues, he was forced to find office work. He went to an IT trade school to obtain a certificae in networking or some such computer-related field. He spent about a year there and was unable to obtain the professional certifications that he was led to believe he would be able to procure. It turns out this outfit was very careful with their language in the way the Society was careful in the run up to 1975. Fortunately for my brother, he was able to draw upon his vast JW network and found entry-level employment that paid farely well and with time he was able to get enough work experience under his belt to make a career out of it. He was lucky, and he probably could have gotten the entry-level job without the certificate.

  What bothers me most is that there is no discussion about the dangers/risks associated with these trades schools. Young JWs are not given the proper facts so as to be in a position to carefully evaluate whether trade school is right for them. Instead, the Society talks up young people who forego college, enroll in brief trade school programs and join the ranks of pioneers. This is the model that's presented to JW youth. It seems like every assembly I went to when I was young had a part with experiences highlighting young people who chose to go to trade school and pioneer instead of going to college.

  JWs don't typically discuss trade school horror stories because that kind of thing can get you flagged as being "untheocratic." It's reminiscent of the WTs involvement in medical decisions. They impose themselves on as authorities on a given subject, selectively cherry-pick the evidence they present, and obfuscate the dangers associated with following their recommended path.
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  blondie

  The average welder working for the UW-Madison makes the same as a professor.

  http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/university/article_2b18e498-2eda-11df-b917-001cc4c03286.html