February 26, 2004
Students stung as computer schools close
From CNN
BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Hundreds of computer training schools that sprouted during the dot-com boom have now shut down, leaving frustrated students with big debts and little education.State regulatory oversight of the business is far too lax, while loans to attend such schools have been too easy to obtain -- a recipe for disaster, consumer advocates say.
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"A month after I started, they dropped the whole e-commerce course," she said. "That was just the beginning. Many times instructors just didn't show up. It seems like anybody can open a computer school, because these guys don't know what they're doing."
One more reason why I left technical instruction to go to law school. I saw the bubble pop in late 2000 and watched as the weak schools closed.
It's not to say that computer training schools don't fill a niche, but with all vocational training, I think there is a fine line between helping others and making money. Especially with vocational training that isn't regulated properly.
Posted by joy at February 26, 2004 01:30 PM | TrackBackI went to a tech school that closed a couple of years ago. Mostly because my education background was all in Music and I needed a piece of paper that said I knew IT. I already had years of experience in IT, and honestly learned little at the school. I think the non-tech people who went there learned nothing at all. Like the story, a lot of them went there on student loans, and many of the non-tech-savy grads had a lot of trouble paying them back. It's a bit of an industry meant to prey on the unemployed.
Posted by: Jerry at February 26, 2004 05:48 PM