Thread regarding Education Management Corporation layoffs

Actually, you CAN learn coding for free online from Microsoft Code Academy, and Microsoft Virtual Academy... and these degrees can be obtained from legitimate schools for much less, anyways... and with coding, your degree doesn't matter as much as the fact that you pass your certifications, which, you don't need school to do, a person adept in coding will not need a school to teach them how to code, it is just a resource that they can potentially use. Coding does not require college. Companies like VMWare even pay to have their employees trained for coding, so you don't really actually know what you are talking about.

Nah, I was on Deans list, but after losing out on jobs after submitting a resume with Ai on it, it made sense to pull it off. I did, and have been better off.

-5292

College isnt necessary if u r holding ur dick in one hand drawing with the other so that you can show it to your mom later who will post it on facebook and title it ' my son the artist'. If you want to learn web design, graphic design, coding ... you neee to go to college. Now you can go to an interview and say that you didnt go to collegd and you learnt your coding skills from youtube and want a 90k job but they will send you back home so that u can sit around and play with urself and call urseld an artist

-5286

Lets assume your premise is correct. The students were idiots and could be outsmarted by koko the gorilla. These students are hs graduates or ged holders. Why not bash the hs system fir producing graduates that apparantly cant add? And dont bullshit about not putting ai on your resume. If u dont put it on ur resume it means you eithrr didnt graduate or got a really laughable gpa.

Yes, lets pay Ai $5000 a quarter to go on PSTutorials or SimplyMaya while the teacher sits around letting us have "Work time," and teach ourselves. Sounds like a super legit education. If you had a brain, you would know college is not necessary for art. It just plain, isn't, especially in the age of the internet, where we can literally have everything at our fingertips and pay tens of thousands less for hands on workshops. Portfolios are everything. You cannot teach creativity. You either have it or you don't. A $90 thousand education isn't going to make a difference if you aren't good at art. That's why portfolio is God.

-5275

Thank you for proving my point. "When it comes to hiring, portfolio is god." I couldnt agree with you more. You know how people get a great portfolio? You go to college, learn the skills, expand on them, collect your work, finish college. Too bad your friend did none of that. And if you are going to say that one doesnt need to go to college to lesrn these skills, I'll ask yiu why your friend hasnt self taught himself fhe skills and joined u at blizzard? Listen bud, go back to ur computer screen and deal with computer models. Belueve they ate much easier to deal wuth than real people ... afterall they dont argue like morons.

Get over it. The school will fall. Maybe not any time soon, but it will. For right now, everyone is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic and it's all business as usual, but behind the facade is the panic of the administration and faculty because now everyone - taxpayers and students - are tired of getting taken advantage of. Taxpayer funds and federal loans aren't there to line the pockets of fat admin and deans or stockholders.

What was once the students fault in borrowing and choosing a terrible major is now becoming an epidemic with higher education, as schools bet on getting the loans, regardless if the student pays them back. EDMC used this to their advantage and created a business model that made profits for their crony investors. It's smart. Have low-income students step in, max out their federal loans, prey on their lack of understanding of student loans and private loans, and milk it. Get the funnel of pain going. They signed the arbitration clause unknowingly. EDMC was in the clear. Then, insert Goldman Sacs in 2006. It got worse.

I was a test proctor -- and student from 2006 to 2009 -- at the school for the COMPASS test. They let kids in the school who should have been turned away. If they failed the test, they got to retake it. I also tutored in the academic lab. Culinary students who couldn't do basic arithmetic - multiplication and division, fractions - filled the room. There was a remedial class for the remedial class. An additional class taken in conjunction with the remedial math class and lab. I tutored this one culinary student who was clearly not as smart and probably lacked an elementary school education, but they kept her enrolled in her program. She probably took out $3000 - $5000 for each quarter. What a waste of her time and resources.

My friend was also an RA for Ai. Students with criminal backgrounds were at the school, but they were kept at two of the worse communities.

What's the point of all this? It's a clear fact that EDMC was taking in all students they could find in order to get at education funds, and they had no intention of providing an education worth a damn. That's one spoke in the wheel as to why employers don't value Ai grads and education because they take anyone, offer no value, and are full if deceit.

I do not put Ai on my resume, bank on learning on my own, and have found jobs doing HTML and writing work. I got nothing out of Ai and do not plan on pretending they gave any kind of education.

Quit defending EDMC. Get some integrity, and put people over profits.

234... George McLaughlin?

As someone who taught at an AI I can say that I do see both sides to this situation. It is tough to hear but the vast majority of students did not want -- or even understand-- what it means to work hard to perfect their craft and knowledge. YES! They wanted the TV ad that AI showed them... I can be an ARTIST! I'm a CHEF! I'm going to make MOVIES! Tell me the names of some artists? Chefs? Directors? :::crickets:::: I saw some seriously lazy actions from instructors - classes DID end early, lessons were not well planned, they were more concerned with being friends than professors... I could go on. The students didn't complain. It was EASY. Now, an instructor who would ask for even academic high school work?! They had their fans but they certainly were not valued by the majority of students. Those students with high GPA's. I think that is great but you have no idea how easy your classes were compared to a real college. You were not challenged. You don't even know how little you know. Sorry to be blunt but it didn't matter until your bills started to come in.

-5250 I was asked to comment because my friend who went to Ai for audio saw the previous post about Blizzard and thought I would like to say something.

Sorry bro- when it comes down to hiring portfolio is god. The requirements are just a starting point but if we see something that blows us away then we takes steps, fly the person out for an interview and go from there.

I expected as much from what are most likely a bunch of butt-hurt school officials trying to self validate the reasons for doing the shit you do. You have devoted yourself to a life of misleading others, so yeah, that must suck royally. Off to create stuff that makes people happy - peace out!

-5237

You made me laugh so hard i almost fell off the couch. I have 2 questions for you.

1. You work for Blizzard right? Did you offer a job to your friend who got 'defrauded' by AI? Or did you think he was too stupid to be hired?by your admission you guys have hired hs graduates right? Did you get your friend a job?

2. Since we are all crying about showing FACTS, SHOW ME a job posting at blizzard that asks for hs graduates and offers a real salary. If you cant then you are as bad as the so called recruiters you hate.

Bill gates dropped out of college and made microsoft. Steve jobs never graduated and cofounded apple. That doesnt mean one can argue that college is not important. If you took an frshman level logic class you would know how wrong you are.

And I am supposed to believe and that a defrauded AI student who has a 'friend' at blizzard texted him and said ' hey buddy can you go to layoff.com and make a post about how you guys hire kids with hs diploma' and u came running to defend gou friends baseless arguement. Do u think I am as dumb as your family members who show symathy to you when you cry to them about how your incompetency and lack of focus didnt get you a job in this economy? Lets blame the school? Leta blame mcdonalds for making us fat even though we choose to go there and eat like a pig ... You ppl make me sick

I was asked by a student friend who is a victim of AI to come here and say something.

As someone who worked on the cinematic team at Blizzard, I can say yes, we have hired insanely talented people before who had a killer portfolio and no degree whatsoever. You know what we see a lot of, kids from the art institute and ITT that have no focus whatsoever with really shitty ports. Kids that have no idea what the industry is even about. Kids that like the idea of working in games but are not prepared at all for teamwork or the pipeline.

Before we even looked at a reel and we see the name of a for profit chain in a resume... yeah, it makes a difference. Will you give someone preference from Calarts or full sail over AI ITT or that Expression place? Hell yeah. We only have so much time and going by experience, those students usually are just not up to snuff. Sucks, but true. The only exception is if someone from those schools were to corner me at Siggraph or GDC and show me something good, then they might have a chance. More often than not they are going away a bit destroyed when I tell them the truth. So do I want these kids from these schools to stop approaching me with crap portfolios and have to break their hearts because the school they chose fed them a line of shit? You bet I do. Hell, some of the ones I sent away are probably some of your protesters now! HA! I used to think the schools might get their shit together but I have been thinking that for over 10 years now, so...

Point is, as far as reputation goes those schools have been in the crapper for a long time and their marketing (which seems to permeate every goddamn thing I see these days) has to work overtime to make up for it.

The colleges have been feeding off of ignorance and finally some of the people that you screwed over are getting the balls to call you out on it? Kudos to them.

-226

You have a big mouth and know how to jabber but unfortunately you are deluded. You are bitching because you werent given 'facts' or else you would have made an 'educated decison'.

My brother in law went to Duquene for political science degree .. It was a 80 thousand dollar degree and no during orientaton they didnt announce 'HERE ARE THE FACTS, YOU WILL NEVER GET A JOB WITH THIS DEGREE'. He graduated and has been working at a call center for 15 an hour. But guess what he isnt protesting outside of duquene. I have friends who went to private colleges and gpt degrees in music, art, history and all sorts of degrees without much payout ... But they dont stand around and protest. Its scumbags like you .. With entitlement issues to hang around and butch about shitthat doesnt matter. You feel that the curriculum isnt good .. Take it with the f***ing accrediting body. Ignorance must be such a bliss.

Professors teaching without teaching degrees? You goddamn moron, go to ANY UNIVERSITY and professors dont need to have teaching degrees ... High school teachers do!!! College professors need a masters or doctorate ... Not f***ing teaching degree. Its morons like you who make things worse by whining and peretending to have a change of heart. Its moron recruiters like you who tak about shit they know nothing about and mislead student. If u went to college maybe u would know that. And now u have the audacity to say you will meet up with students and say sorry. You have a built nice delusional world for yourself, just like these idiot lazy bums who didnt study and took out thousands in stipends. You have a problem with the curriculum, take it with the accrediting body.

The amount of success stories cannot excuse the fact that the schools prey on students with learning disabilities, which you can see for yourself in line item 91 of the U.S. vs EDMC case. I suppose those students should have worked harder to not be scammed for their Pell grants, right? The successful alumns would have been successful regardless, because they were talented. When you enroll over 100,000 students, there are bound to be talented people who get scammed, too. Employers have told us we have a better chance of getting jobs without Ai on our resumes. Get a grip. These protests aren't about us, or what we make, or our loans. This is about giving prospective students FACTS, you know, things that have been proven to be true, about the schools. This is about giving them a whole picture so that they can make an educated decision about their education. This is about the blatant lies and lack of transparency. This is about deliberate deception. This is about the fact that investors can file suit against EDMC, but students cannot due to an arbitration clause. You have no idea what you are talking about. A few success stories is not enough to excuse the destruction of tens of thousands of other people's lives. I for one will be present at the next protests.

college should not carry the risk of destroying the futures of those who are not successful. Sure, there are success stories that happen despite the terrible curriculum, but that in no way excuses the fact that many who should not have gone there were misled into signing via false job placement statistics and graduation rates. The schools targeted veterans, low income, and those with learning disabilities. They don't require that teachers have teaching degrees, much less be prepared to deal with special needs students. They were paying recruiters by commissions like used car salesmen. They were creating a class environment where talented students were surrounded by those with little to no idea what they truly wanted to do (thanks to no art test or entrance qualifications). It has made me sick for years to acknowledge it so I just take the paycheck and help them the best I could, knowing that if I told them what I really thought it would cost me my job.

Sorry, but the college scorecard stats that they keep bringing up are the elephant in the room that we have been trying to hide for such a long time. We kid ourselves into thinking that we are doing good by focusing on the student successes, because looking the other direction and the people who have been destroyed by the program is too hard for those of us with a soul.

I have known this was coming for a long time, yet you berate those standing up to the corruption as having entitlement issues? I have talked with my husband and I am considering leaving the company in the next few months. Not what I was hoping for before the holidays, but I just can't take it any longer. Maybe I will meet these protesters in the future and tell them just how right they are as well as apologize for my role in all of this.

Can you start an entry-level job at a web design firm without a college degree? Can you get an entry level job at a game development company without a college degree? Why dont you show me some job posting showing Blizzard is hiring high school graduates. Dont argue about stuff you know nothing about. And about your large monthly payments, how much stipend money did you take out every quarter? Let me see ... You barely learn anything from class, scrape by and pass your classes,take out thousands of dollars in stipends and then protest when your wild expectations of making 100k as a fresh graduate doesnt get met? Go in your contact list on your phone and call anybody who graduated from college and ask if they had to start out with an entry level job or not.

People can start at an entry level job without an AI degree and the $600-1500 a month payments that come with the loans. That's part of what the protests are about, how the degree is worthless.

The reason you and your idiot friends didnt get a job is because you guys are f***ing idiots. There are AI graduates making video games that are being played worldwide, shooting at fashion shows in milan, have cooking shows on TV ... Have u ever considered that maybe you are just not good enough to crack it in the industry? I am so sick of your generations entitlement issues. Those who have a passion and put in hard work make it. You and your idiot friends think that just because you graduated college your starting salary is going to be 100k. The problem is that you are a moron and the people around you are morons ... Look into the mirror and accept the fact that you just aren't good enough. Then redo your resume and start at an entry level position and work your way up ... Thats how careers are made you moron

Protesting is the student's legal right. The 'financial advisors' used the students to allegedly commit $11,000,000,000 in fraud against the government. Most of them had to restart completely over and get a new degree at a real college (where credits actually transfer) because it's nearly impossible to find work with 'The Art Institutes' listed on your resume. So expect more protests at your open house until your company goes bankrupt for running such a corrupt business model. My advice for all the employees is to get out now because you are ruining everyone's life that you recruit. You don't see what happens to them after they leave.

Ill' will is not the point of protest... knowledge!

Protests took place at Ai campuses from California to Chicago. What took place this weekend is only the beginning! Numbers will grow and won't stop until doors at these campuses are nailed shut. Next stop...VICTORY!!! And the best part about it is Ai can't do anything to silence or prevent these protests! For those of you on here who are part of this despicable organization or are defending Ai in any way...I hope you get ass cancer!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a former EDMC employee. I'll see you at the next open house / protest. I encourage all former employees, faculty, and students to do the same. And bring snacks! It'll be fun!

As an employee in admissions I am so glad that people are exposing the truth. We kid ourselves into thinking we are doing good for people, but we know better in our heart of hearts. They are right about the arbitration clause. If we were doing legitimate business there would be no need for that. Other colleges don't have it. Hoping that my fellow employees take a hard look at what they do because the few success stories from the school don't really excuse the majority of students that are not successful and become slaves to their debt.

I for one am looking for a job that lets me sleep better at night. When the investors even start suing you know it is time to get out.

Maybe 5-7 of those 45 will actually graduate, if EDMC even lasts that long

45 in a few hours. Doesn't leave much time for explaining arbitration clauses or loan terms, does it? Disgusting.

Actually they protested because they LOVE people and CARE!

See you at the next open house. Must feel great to destroy 45 lives, huh? There's this thing called karma... We aren't going anywhere.

Great open house in Pittsburgh! 45 signed! Exceeded goal by 250 percent! Take that haters!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if students and former faculty got the word out about the fraud EDMC has committed creating the final blow for the company??? Sign me up! (Former faculty.)

Who wants to PROTEST!

it looks like maybe a third of the schools had protests. If this momentum grows the schools are finally going to be in some big trouble. They bank on ignorance.

When is the next round of open houses? I'd like to join the protests!

The protesters should tell new students about to sign up not to sign the arbitration clause. That will really put the breaks on things when you look at a $100,000 student in the face and have to turn that much profit away. After all, if the school is so good at what it dose and runs ethically, they should not have anything to hide and should never have to worries about and legal action. NOTE this is a red flag, most legitimate colleges dont force you to sign these kind of document.

HA, HA, about time. Students finally waking up out of the Zombie College spell.

How AWKWARD it was to talk to prospective students and parents? You must be kidding....you are screwing them over!

HAHAH https://www.facebook.com/groups/aistudents/?ref=br_tf

i am AI on facebook has pics of Chicago student protestors. i love this and am sure others do too.

How many protestors at the Chicago protest? I'd love to see pictures HAHAHAHHAHA

I can't tell you how awkward it was to talk to families and prospective students.

Word is several campuses had protesters