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Career School Information
In recent years, the cost of attending college has increased dramatically. After graduation, many students find themselves jobless, unprepared to enter the workplace and burdened with financial debt from the expense of repaying student loans.
The global economy has made outsourcing jobs to overseas workers easier and cheaper than ever. In many professions, competition for jobs has increased while salaries have decreased.
The type of schools listed on the left side offer an alternative to traditional educational institutions. Traditional schools offer a formal education that includes many classes not related to your specific field and usually require 2-to-4 year degree programs. Click the links on the graphic to learn more.
Technical, vocational or career schools teach a specific skill to prepare students for a specific job in less time than a traditional academic two or four year college. Career schools allow students to graduate in as little as 12 months and have shorter school days which makes it easier to work or care for children.
The specific skills taught by these schools enable graduates to work for companies that, because of their nature, survive good and bad economic times. There’s always a need for certified, educated mechanics, electricians, paralegals, cosmetologists and other trades.
Career schools provide students with the practical experience and licenses necessary to open their own businesses or starting working immediately. Additionally, trade and vocational schools train students to find employment in professions that are generally very difficult to outsource to workers outside of the United States.
If your goal is to find a job that offers good pay and reasonable job security in a short period of time, attending one of the schools listed in our directory in your area may be the answer for you.
Financial assistance to attend all the types of schools listed above is usually available through the schools themselves or your state or federal government. Financial aid grants include federal Student Aid, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Pell Grants, and Stafford + Perkins loans.
For more detailed information on financial assistance for schools please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Website (ed.gov). For additional financial information, view the ACSFA Web site. Good luck, and remember that knowledge is power.
Before enrolling in a trade or career school, the Federal Trade Commission recommends the following:
Can you learn the skills offered by the school on the job or as an apprentice?
What size are the classes?
Do the instructors have real-world experience that makes them qualified teachers?
What type of equipment does the school have?
Do you need to purchase books, equipment, or supplies that the school does not provide?
Check the school’s licensing and accrediting organizations. This can be done by checking the Department of Education’s list of accrediting agencies.
If other schools do not accept credits earned, find out why. If the school does not want to provide this information, it may be a bad sign. Employers may not hire graduates from unaccredited schools.
To see wether any complaints have been filed against the school, check with the Better Business Bureau in your state or the Attorney General’s Office.
Ask a school representative about job placement rates, dropout rates, program length, tuition and additional expenses.
After selecting a school
Do not sign up with a school until you have carefully studied all the paperwork the school has given you.
It is very important that you carefully look over the school’s contract before signing it.
What does the contract say? Can you cancel the contract after signing it and if you can, how long do you have to cancel?
If you don’t complete your courses are you still required to pay off your loan?
A school should willingly offer you its documents and contract before you sign up. If it doesn’t, you may want to consider attending another school.
Always get everything in writing. If a school official or representative tells you something that you don’t see in the contract or documents, tell him to put it in writing and sign it.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with anything related to your school, try to work the problem out with them first. If this is not possible you can:
Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at its free number, 1-877-382-4357, or go to its Website ( www.ftc.gov ) and file a complaint form.
Contact your state licensing agency.
If federal financial aide is used to pay your tuition, contact the U.S. Department of Education at its toll-free number, 1-800-647-8733.
Check out often for more information.
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