Private Technical Schools vs Community Colleges

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OregonBecky
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03 Sep 2009, 7:39 pm

I'm posting this in the general section because, not only does it involve students but parents who are stuck with big debt.

Two friends of mine are in debt for student loans for their sons who went to private technical schools and crashed and burned. They are spectrum people and, I think the parents were hoping that the private school could do the kind of training that they really needed.

My son is studying electronics at a community college. My husband compared what the college offered to what those private technical school that advertise on TV offer. As far as he could tell, the difference was that the community college covered what the private schools offered at a much cheaper price.

He asked the community administrators what the difference was between the community college and the private tech schools. They said PR. They said the public, somehow, is convinced that the private tech schools will succeed where the community colleges failed. Advertising works.

Anyone have good stories about technical schools?

I knew three people who got good jobs after going to private tech schools but they weren't on the spectrum.


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duke666
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03 Sep 2009, 7:47 pm

Some of the technical schools have tie-ins to job placement. Not necessarily great jobs, but places to start. Sometimes they look better on a resume, because it's clearer what they do. Community college is broad and vague. Some techical schools also offer certificates in less time than community colleges.

In general, I think the quality of the education is better at community colleges, and the credits are transferable (to some extent) if the person wants to move on to a regular college.

The only person I know who went to a tech school said the classes were bunk, but the certificate and job placement were useful.


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OregonBecky
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03 Sep 2009, 8:24 pm

duke666 wrote:
Some of the technical schools have tie-ins to job placement. Not necessarily great jobs, but places to start. Sometimes they look better on a resume, because it's clearer what they do. Community college is broad and vague. Some techical schools also offer certificates in less time than community colleges.

In general, I think the quality of the education is better at community colleges, and the credits are transferable (to some extent) if the person wants to move on to a regular college.

The only person I know who went to a tech school said the classes were bunk, but the certificate and job placement were useful.


When I read what you said about job placement I went to the community college's site about careers and job placement and then to ITT's site. They basically said the same thing. It's got to be that one school is getting their message out and the other isn't.


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zer0netgain
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04 Sep 2009, 7:46 am

With ANY school (private or public), you want proof of their rate of successful job placement in actual training-related jobs.

I know there is an explosion of new schools, and it's not that you don't learn enough to be employable, but the market might be over saturated with graduates.

So, if they can't show good numbers (and I'm talking 75% or higher), then I would suggest the path of least expense at any school accredited to do such training.

Trade schools have the edge in getting you trained and on a job in a matter of months where colleges stretch things out longer. So, you might pay more at a trade school for a 5 month program, but maybe it's the same cost as a 2-year college degree with 4 semesters worth of tuition, books, fees and classes you really don't need to be employable.



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04 Sep 2009, 7:56 am

OregonBecky wrote:
When I read what you said about job placement I went to the community college's site about careers and job placement and then to ITT's site. They basically said the same thing. It's got to be that one school is getting their message out and the other isn't.

Yup.. That's what those high tuitions are paying for. Advertising. (Um, what's the plural of "tuition"? :oops: )



OregonBecky
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04 Sep 2009, 9:10 pm

I just compared costs. Whoa! Big difference for basically the same education.

Tuition Savings Example

The following example is from StateUniversity.com website.

* Associate of Applied Science in Network Services and Computing Systems from Bellevue Community College costs about $5,931. (Two years, 91 credits, $65.71 per credit)
* Applied degree in information technology/computer network systems from ITT Technical Institute costs about $41,568. (Two years, 96 credits, $433 per credit unit)


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