Pc Pro Schools review: Scam 44

You should have listened during the orientation. They never promise anything. I start my classes tomorrow actually. During my intro session they said and enforced they only offer the tools to get a job in the computer field. They help get internships, and employment. I did the BBB, Rip-Off thing after my first session. It's a risk, just like school is. Granted I only paid 14k for my 6 month program due to some economic crisis special they had going on or some BS, I spent 8 years doing full and part time college with no degree. I am sure I spent more than 14k on that, but I managed to land a good job because I have experience. I have a solid resume, I interview well, and I am confident I will get a computer job soon. As a matter of fact I am interviewing for a Computer Operator position tomorrow as well before my lab starts. I know it's frustrating, hell I was also very frustrated after I signed all the papers, but now I am thinking clearly about it. I friend of mine went to Tech Skills for his certifications, and while he's not making 80k a year (after 5 years) he's still making around 55k which is 12k more than I make currently.

On a side note, my sister-in-law went to UW-Oahkosh for 5 years. She spent an average of 3.5k a year while she was attending not including books and all other miscellaneous college expenses you don't normally incur not going to college. So 17.5k spent for education, she couldn't find a job. She is nor working at McDonald's, making more money she made than a job she landed at an insurance company after a year of looking. She's a shift manager now making roughly 35k a year, so in essence she wasted her money in college as well because anyone can be a shift manager at MCD's, you don't need a college education for that job.

It's a scary thing, frustrating, big investment. I have a wife, and a kid, this 14k plus interest is way more than I want to be taking on now, but this is the only chance a person in my situation has at getting back into the field.

All schools are a business, and try to sell their program to you, PC Pro's may seem a little sleezy, but it's honestly no different than what Universities do. You are responsible for the end result of nearly all situations in life. You like I decided to attend PC Pro Schools, it's really up to you to sell yourself in interviews, and you are responsible for taking full advantage of the career services center at PCPro, I haven't even started yet and there are 3 people at the school with copies of my resume.

I was also dealt a bad hand with PC ProSchools...and I understood the risk when I signed up (while also thinking will it pay off-the 25k in private loan tuition). PC ProSchools mentoring was medocre at best since I-and the whole class- felt the TA was not a very good teacher...and it is due to this that I didn't even get my diploma from PC ProSchools.
I wrote to the school asking for more help and to unlock the rest of my practice exams and they have yet to respond or do anything about it-been over 3 months now. Obviously the school is a business, but they should at least have some decency to respond to people (even after paying the rediculous amount of tuition).
On another note, you will NEVER get back the amount of money you put into this school...I will give you two reasons...One=they try to place you at a help desk type position, which usually leads nowhere fast. Two=the people who took the loan option will end up paying $50k when all is said and done...which will never be made back because technology constantly changes and you will have to pay more money to keep current with certifications. Optional=this program offers NO DEGREE, and that is what employers today want-not certifications (that are mostly outdated based from industry standards).
I am all for filing a class action lawsuit...has anyone else already done so?

-Sean

I went to the school that used to be or is here in Green Bay and didn't get anything out of it other than 20, 000+ in debt. I've thought of class action myself and agree with everyone who calls it a money making scam.

Paul

Hey ARF,

I just finished my class, June 2009 and I thought the same thing you did when I started. No guarantees. I thought working hard, succeeding and making my own luck was the way to go.

Write back and let me know if and when the light goes on in your head when you realize the difference between "no guarantee" and "no possibility".

Instructor day one: People will be happy to pay you $50-60K a year to keep their networks running.
Instructor day 140: You're entry level help desk. Take $10 an hr if you can get it.

A student recently got promoted out of Level I and it qualified for news on the PCPro website. http://blog.pcpro.edu/ - June 30

Former Student, MCP, MCDST, MCSA, SDP, PCHT
$30K paid, months of apps, 1 job offer, $9.50/hr

I went to PcPro back in 2007, finishing in november. I have only had one job that was remotely even in the feild. That was working at Convergy's down in appleton doing help desk for $10 an hour. I decided to go back to my McD's job where I made $11 an hour. I now got a job doing fiberglassing where I make $14 an hour. I went in for interviews for IT and they tell me that they don't respect the school about what it teaches. I will be paying back over 50k in loan bills now for something completely worthless. Believe me, if you haven't been suckered into the scam yet, DON'T. Biggest waste of money and time.

OK... Here's the deal. All of you make very good points both ways, but what's a guy to do here? Should I or should I not. Some of these posts are quite old, so what's the verdict? By now, someone should have an answer. What did you guys do? I'm wanting to enroll, but after reading this, I'm have second, third and forth thoughts. Help a guy out here. Mighigan has been in the top of the unemployment list seems like forever. Here in Western Michigan work is very slow, so should I or should I not?

If you think you are going to walk in, work hard, graduate and walk out with a decent paying tech job to keep your head afloat immediately, don't do it.
If you are willing to spend a lot of money to get your foot in the door somewhere for single digits per hour and maybe build on that over the next 10-15 years, I guess its better than not having any training. I've seen basic helpdesk jobs that want 5 years experience.
I don't think there's anybody who came out of that school and became an instant network administrator without some sort of experience to begin with that was worth more than the training itself. Just getting the certs with no experience behind it doesn't impress anyone whos hiring. And they pump out anywhere from 30-50 more 'professionals' every couple months to further aggravate hr managers everywhere who are flooded with unqualified and inexperienced resumes.
The school says you should be sending out 40 resumes a week because hiring managers may remember you if something you're qualified for (which isn't much) comes along. Thats laughable to anyone with enough sense not to want to get on a list of people deemed too stupid to know they have no business applying for certain jobs. I'm hard pressed to find two a week to apply for just to keep up with my unemployment requirements.

I was at the orentation yesterday and then went back today with a family member that does IT for a living (last 15 years). I liked everything they said until the tuition was brought up. They told me it was a great time to enroll because of some of the scholorships they were offering. I was told of the $28, 000 tuition that I had $13, 000 in scholorships and grants so that left me with $15, 000 for tuition. Then he asked my cousin if he would co-sponsor for the remaining of the tuition, in which he did. Later in the afternoon he game me a call and said I was approved, here were the numbers he gave me-- 3months @ $75 9months @ 150 THEN $220 month for TEN YEARS @12.5%.. I THINK I WILL PASS.. for that type of $$ I will buy my own server & the books and save lots of $$$.. Hope this helps someone before they make a big mistake.

Grand Rapids

I worked for PCProschools as a Admission rep they pressure theire employes to sign up students. They constanly promised but they NEVER deliverd. If you pay attention to the employee turn over ratio, it speaks for it self. STAY AWAY BIG RIP OFF. They are highly over priced. You are better off going to a State School. This is inside information

Now they are radio advertising that they have more job orders than they have qualified candidates to fill them. As a listener in good faith who's unfamiliar with the school, you assume they are saying that attending their school will qualify you to land one of those jobs. The problem is, you're still not qualified for any of those jobs even after you finish the school, but you won't know that until well after they've taken your money. Listeners trust that PCPro's intentions are honorable. If you were to call them out on that fact, they would probably stand behind a dozen lawyers and say "play us the part of the ad that says we can get you into that job. We aren't responsible for assumptions made by the listener". And that makes it legal. Shady, dishonest and misleading, but legal.
Its no secret there are hundreds of unfilled IT jobs out there. There are probably plenty of executive jobs at a major company near you too but you won't get one of those jobs just because you took Econ101 at the local annex.

You all should have listened. The evidence was there and the crazy cat that posted his report lost everything in his battle against that school. Last time I seen him was a year ago he was moving from place to place. He was financially ruined, divorced and bankrupt I felt bad for the cat. A school that sues it former students because he calls them out on there scams and you decide to attend any way.

Wow... I am truly amazed as I sit and read through this post. I See consumer anger and zoomman113 being very articulate about there criticism. I like all who show up at that orientation was in a hole financially and work wise. I hated my job, installing ceramic tile, which paid very well. I took a chance and decided to go. I do see consumer angers point with some of the recruits. If you can't tie your shoes don't show up and sign the contract, but seriously some of the students where unsure of the difference between right and left clicking a mouse. I will say now so all who read this know if you're one of these people don't sign up.

I did know how to operate a mouse, but after that wasn't that much more skilled. I took everything that they were teaching to heart and put in the effort. This is NOT an easy way out. The course is difficult. It takes a lot of study and practice to learn the information that is being given in a short amount of time.

After getting my MCDST certification from the school. I went and found myself a job. It was an entry level Help Desk job. I started at 10.00 hr, major pay cut. I knew that would happen because I read up on the pay scale. It took my Six months to become a Systems administrator, 13.50 hr. I then was given an oppertunity to become the Network Administrator 1 year into this field. I will say it was a bit of luck that our old administrator left and I was more that willing to take his spot but i had to beat out two other co-workers that had been with the IT department for 3 yrs.

Moral of the story. If you want a career in IT the school works, IF you do. The gates of heaven will not open and the yellow brick road will not lead you to the promise land. You have to earn it and it starts with class. It matters not which school you choose just know that 6mon., 2 year or 4 year. In the end your the one that has to get a job. They can't do an interview for you. They can't read the books for you. They cant take the tests for you.

P.S.

WastedMoney- Stop playing the victim...

Playing the victim huh? You hear the radio ads. You hear them say that they have more jobs than qualified students. Offering scholarships to help fill these jobs. Then you admit yourself that you took whatever bottom of the barrel job you could find just to get started. No wonder class was hard for you. You don't even grasp you were duped. I can't help you with that. When they made those claims before I signed up, when they told me that they'd placed 93% of their students, I believed them too. I don't anymore.

I've been looking for work since I started the school in february. I haven't seen more than 2 or 3 entry level jobs in any IT discipline since then. Call center, junior admin, tech support, whatever. When I was taking my fifth exam for networking, there were people in there taking the XP test for the third time. I blew through that school with no difficulties and got my MCP, MCDST and MCSA before the graduation. Yet they still advertise they have all these jobs they can't fill. Since June, you know how many times the school has contacted me saying 'here's someone that wants to interview you'? Zero. None. The school is not coming to me and saying 'heres one of those great jobs we say we can get you'. Why aren't they calling me? Because just finishing the school with an MCSA doesn't qualify you either. Especially for the students who 'don't have previous computer experience' that are the backbone of their admissions.

If their radio ads said 'hey, c'mon on in and pay tons of cash to start over at the bottom', I probably wouldn't have a problem with it. But thats far from what they're saying. They say they're giving you options in these troubled times. I say the options aren't there. The school is not telling me I kicked ### and heres a shot at legit employment. I was making $10 an hour in 1990, I coulda gone to Kmart and earned that stocking shelves without $30k in tuition. But they implied more. Being desperate to support my family and keep my home, I believed them. And I'm paying big time.

I went to the job fair in April or May and there were people milling around that hadn't found work since graduating the previous June, 2008. There was one service that actually said they were looking for customer service people and I presented my resume. I didn't even get a callback. You know who they hired? The guy who had been working at best buy the last ten years. The guy who sat next to me, that I had to tell him to go to the START menu to install windows components. His customer service experience got that job, not his technical expertise. And thats where my issues began.

Don't try and hand me this crap that I can't get hired because of a bad attitude. I was happy as a clam in class, felt like I was accomplishing something, proud of my understanding and rareing to go when I was finished. But the severe lack of opportunities has changed my opinion. I thought being a top student would mean something. It hasn't got me anywhere. The placement service they tout has been nothing more than a weekly friday email of stale job board postings and craigslist ads that I had already applied for the previous sunday or monday.

I don't know when you began this IT career of yours, but I'm guessing it wasn't recently. Quit your job, leave off the previous experience and try again. See how far just having the schooling on there gets you. You'll see what I'm talking about.

I have to agree with wastedmoney. I'm getting ready to start schooling and am looking at my options. most schools in my area suck as bad as pcpro. I've been doing computer building, repair, and network IT since I was 8. I can work on anything windows based you can set in front of me. I've been doing unqualified work for spare chump change for years now. I can outdo most 2 year grads. BUT.., If you don't have J O B experience, They don't give damn. Even after schooling, gotta have job experience. How you suppose to get job experience when nobody will hire you? I mean seriously, your suppose to pay this place 50k to start at a help desk job and move up...? hell, by the time they consider promoting you to a job that makes a damn difference in your wallet, oh snap! It's been long enough... Gotta go pay another 50k to update your quals... so, here's the deal. Keep your crappy job for now, check out the university of pheonix, get your friggin' masters with an ALL online schooling setup, and THEN take the extra grant money from the 8 years of school that you should save, buy some tools, lease a small building, and start your own business. It's the only way to beat the corporate game. Catch you on the flip-side peeps. I'm out.

BeHonest101 do you work for PcProductivity. You see I ask if you work for the school because I came across these really interesting websites should check them out. Now what is really peculiar is some of the students landed jobs for Pc Productivity as Technical Support analyst or Tech 1 etc. What I discovered in further research is that Pc Pro Schools is Pc Productivity yet on the Pc Pro Schools web site it states they work for Pc Productivity. Well here is the link it takes a little bit to load but it's good research.
http://web.archive.org/web/20061210190719/www.pcproductivityschools.com/

I'm glad I came across this website/message board. I have a couple friends that are trying to get into the IT field and they have asked me for help. I mentioned to one of them to try PC Pro Schools and I'm glad they didn't listen to me. I personally attended WCTC (Waukesha County Technical College) and I had a job 2 semesters before I graduated. When I graduated I was offered a full time position with the company that I was with and I worked there for a few years. I have an Associates Degree in Electronics Technology, but I should've gone on and completed the Telecommunications course. It would've required only one or two more semesters of class, because a lot of the pre-reqs were shared between the two degrees. Today I have an excellent job and I couldn't be happier. I highly recommend going to a Tech school if you are looking for something that will get you farther than a certification. A certification is nice if you are trying to better yourself in a current job/position at a company that will value it.

I went to school there for one month decided i did not like that and dropped out now i am in debt $13, 000! any ideas anybody how i can get rid of this debt. trying to go back to school but this debt is killing me with interest i will end up owing almost $20, 000 for nothing! Please help me!

Email address: sexy_your_not@hotmail.com

Thanks,
Travis

So now, PCPro has released its "Transparency Report" to try and neutralize the critics. One sweeping generalization that 75% of their graduates "were employed in IT" and 25% "Other". So vague its flattering to them and so vague it can't be disputed. Absolutely no evidence is presented to support any of their "statistics".

Take the annual income graph as an example. I know for a fact that I did not work full time last year. I only worked 25% of the hours I was available to work during the six months after graduation. Yes, I fall into the "employed in IT" category. Am I included in the annual income graph? Was my income extrapolated somehow to reflect full time and placed there? How many incomes were extrapolated? Was I excluded entirely? How many others were included or excluded? Like I said above, no facts are presented to substantiate any statistics. And as far as that goes, they state that 81% of graduates reported income of $25000 or more for their first IT job. I was never asked to report anything in any form of official data collection so I have to ask, where, when and how was this data collected? They don't say. They then draw pages of favorable comparisons to this unexplained information. Any serious statistical analysis cites data. This is page after page of nothing more than "because we say so".

This report is the equivalent of going to the doctor because you don't feel well and receiving the diagnosis of "your sick". Thats true indeed. But not the whole story. This report is like your kid telling you he cleaned his room, and you notice a two foot tall lump under his blanket. The room may be clean, but if you peek under the blanket, suddenly you're not liking what you see.

If PCPro wants to be transparent, how about some hard facts, not vague generalizations. Tell us how many grads are currently employed, how much they're working and how much they earned in actual income. Show us the methodology of their analysis and how they got the data. Conduct some real reporting in an open format not subject to this simplistic analysis. I'm sure if the specifics were as impressive as the generalizations, they'd be using them instead.

In other news, PCPro has this job posting listed on 1/22/10. In part, it states:

PC ProSchools is looking to add an energetic sales professional to our team. Individuals that have succeeded in this role in the past typically have 1 – 4 years in a consulting sales or recruiting role.

The Position is for a "Career Advisor".

Ok people...I think I have had about enough of PC ProSchools and their BS, they are not a reputable business and flat out lie to the people they select to attend their schools. I went there...they gave me my diploma (even though I don’t think I technically graduated), and I still cannot find a job. I ask for more help after graduation and it is nowhere to be found.
Point is this...my life was a WHOLE lot better before I attended PC ProSchools because I actually had a job. Now I am jobless and I don't think any computer business would even glance at me because it is exactly how I said it was in a previous posting-a company doesn't care much about certifications they care about education and experience. Pushing students through a short curriculum designed for them to pass the tests needed for graduation is not career training in my opinion...and I am sure many of you feel the same. When I signed on I expected that companies would be knocking on my door, after successful completion, but no company wants someone with a bunch of outdated certifications and no experience as a desktop service technician.

PC ProSchools promised exceptional training and failed to deliver...any former students interested in gaining back some of what PC ProSchools stole from them have a right to be angry. We all need to join voices to bring down this school because they aren’t helping students they are hindering them and getting rich in the process-not to mention becoming another failure of the educational system.

Who would be interested in signing a formal complaint which will be used in a lawsuit?

You are missing the point Sean. People HAVE sued PCPro. And lost. I'll bet they have a lot more legal resources to defend themselves than you've got to accuse them. That kind of money train don't roll without a lot of legal wheel grease. If you think you got took for the price of admission, wait till the lawyers get done with you.

This is PCPro's business model. Make a broad claim that requires the most minimal amounts of substantiation. A claim that looks good on the surface and is easy to prove. Legally, they are not lying. This is why they are still in business. Morally, thats something their own consciences have to deal with.

Say I told you I had a computer to sell.

If you wanted to buy it, you would look in the box to see whats in it. Board, processor, ram, video, audio, hd, disk drives. If there was nothing in it other than a board and processor and you bought it without looking, it may not be functional, but the truth is, I did what I said. I sold you a computer.

We bought PCPro without looking in the box. We got less than we had hoped for and we are SOL.

Thats why I post a few comments. Mostly to vent my frustration that I was so gullible that I leaped before I looked. Desperation does that, and they count on that to cash in. I said to people when I signed up, either I would kick butt and get a decent IT job, or because I was going down anyway, go down big. At that time I at least thought it was possible to get a decent job and I was excited at the possibilities. Look at the last couple newsletters they sent out in Feb and March. The "Hot Job Opportunities" they list all require degrees, a year or more of experience, SAP, A+, all things that if you had, you wouldn't need PCPro to begin with. And now the radio ads say they're offering bonus Cisco certs. Thing is, its another cert that sounds good to you, but means nothing to an employer who wants experience before minimal training.

As time went on, my expectations were systematically lowered in the classroom. What started as "a career in the high paying field of IT" (not to be confused with "a high paying career in the field of IT, note the legal distinction) became "entry level help desk". Even the diploma every grad got says it's a "Help Desk/MCSA" program. Even though I was aware of only two grads actually having the MCSA when they got it.

The other reason I post is to warn. For any of you sitting on the fence wondering if you should sign up or not, the only thing I will say is this: See if they will show you anything more than vague, unsubstantiated claims. Some actual verified employment statistics. I don't think they'll give you any. If they lawyer up and say "we provide all the information the law requires us to provide", turn around and run. I didn't ask. I wish I had.

Thats why I post a few comments. Mostly to vent my frustration that I was so gullible that I leaped before I looked. Desperation does that, and they count on that to cash in. I said to people when I signed up, either I would kick butt and get a decent IT job, or because I was going down anyway, go down big. At that time I at least thought it was possible to get a decent job and I was excited at the possibilities. Look at the last couple newsletters they sent out in Feb and March. The "Hot Job Opportunities" they list all require degrees, a year or more of experience, SAP, A , all things that if you had, you wouldn't need PCPro to begin with. And now the radio ads say they're offering bonus Cisco certs. Thing is, its another cert that sounds good to you, but means nothing to an employer who wants experience before minimal training.

As time went on, my expectations were systematically lowered in the classroom. What started as "a career in the high paying field of IT" (not to be confused with "a high paying career in the field of IT, note the legal distinction) became "entry level help desk". Even the diploma every grad got says it's a "Help Desk/MCSA" program. Even though I was aware of only two grads actually having the MCSA when they got it.

Well, they mentioned the Complaintsboard by name on the blog, so I know they've seen these posts. When someone asks "how do they sleep?" she's all over it with a cutesy little anecdote about her daughter (pimpin out your child for work? ufb...). Now that I challenged them to provide some real explanations or real numbers, the silence is deafining.

WastedMoney... I am posting because I feel that I was taken advantage of and the staff at PC Pro Schools pushed me through their curriculum even though I missed about 4 straight weeks of classes due to unforeseen circumstances. I don't think this school has any desire to help people - they are robbers not educators.
The problem is...as consumer's we were not told what was contained in the "box" we were buying (it was not clearly defined). But the admissions rep's kept saying it would pay off - yeah maybe that would have been true, had the certification's all been updated and not focused on help desk. These rep's clearly said the certifications were for networking and MCSA...NOT HELP DESK, that is the point...and I am very perturbed about this fact. I should have known such a short curriculum for this outstanding of a price (using a private loan nonetheless) was a rip-off.
And, personally, I think the reason they are feeding you silence now is because they are guilty, of being fraudulent, and are preparing a PR campaign to save themselves-good luck to whoever takes that job...

As a person intimately familiar with the PC Proschools I can say this: Do not put any more money in the pocket of these crooks! It amazes me that people continue to fall for their sales tricks and sign up for these worthless classes. The "Transparency Report" is just that ~ transparent. It contains hot air...nothing more! Do not believe their stories of all those people working in IT. It is simply not true. Ask for hard facts if you are interested:
1. How many people from this campus have graduated.
2. How many people that graduated found a job within 90 days of graduation ~ from this particular campus. (They have four campuses and screw the numbers to their advantage)
3. How many of these jobs are PERMANENT jobs and not temp positions that last 30 days and then nothing.
4. Who helps me LOCALLY find a job? ( The Career Advisors are all located in the Milwaukee area, there are none in the other campuses. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
5. Why are they too cheap to have a graduation ceremony? (They take all that cash and have a VIRTUAL GRADUATION! and charge you for a certificate of completion!)
6. Have they ever lied to their Accrediting body (ACCET.ORG) to fudge the numbers so they can maintain their accreditation? (Like you would get the truth if you asked that! Ha!)
7. Ask for some contact info from people who did not graduate and see if they would recommend the school.

Videos upon videos to watch and no help from anyone with any heartbeat. If you don't understand something it is pretty useless to go watch the same videos over and over again. The "labs" are pointless if you don't understand the material. I know a person who attended the school when the teachers actually taught the material and he was impressed with the dedication of the teachers. Now its just watch videos, do homework, come in and do labs nobody understands, and then get thrown into an exam you are TOTALLY not prepared to take and waste vouchers that are not included with tuition trying to justify to yourself that the money that you spent did not go to waste.

I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of students have a voice running through their mind on the last day of class that keeps repeating..."I paid how much for this?...Where was the lube?"

anybody considering enrolling should read this.

Again, I recently saw on their blog how they say they're getting all their graduates these high paying jobs. Placing entire classes. Having gotten nothing a year after graduating, I contacted them saying "hey, I'm still looking, what have you got?" They sent me a list of temp agencies...

I went to the school in Green Bay, WI. I too, fell for the hype, and propaganda from the admissions "sales" guy. Which is EXACTLY what they are. They sell you a product, just like a car salesperson. They don't care what lies they have to tell you, to get the maximum amount of money for THEMSELVES. Then, it's onto the next sucker. Oops. Did I just say sucker. :)

I graduated in '08 with my MCP, SCA (a useless cert), and my MCDST. BEFORE I went there, I was able to pass both my A+, and NET+ tests. Since then, I've gotten 2 interviews, both of I've gotten on my own. Their job placement is a joke. All they send you is copy/paste links from various job sites, where EVERYONE has access to them. They don't, at least from my experience, have ANY insider job leads, friends in various companies, or any contacts of any kind. Once your year is up after graduation, they drop you like a hot rock. You emails will be ignored; they even got ignored after I graduated BEFORE my year of "assistance" was up.

This "school" is a scam, and a waste of your hard earned money. DO NOT GO.

I agree because when I called to inquire about their radio ad, the representative said in a cheerful voice; you've called at the right time the company has aquired over 30 billion in grants and scholaships to cover your tuition, Only to find out it was a bait and switch tactic. I will not be attended the trining at a tune of $12500.00 unless it is free.

It's been 20 months since I blew thru PCPro like it was nothing and "graduated" with everything they had to offer, a recruiter finally told me what I already knew. The chances of my getting an IT job are slim to none. The half that say they are doing well either have low opinions of "well" or were already in a position where the certs helped, but weren't the main reason for a job.

The ads say "you don't need previous computer experience". I say bull. No experience, no jobs. period.

If you have customer service experience, if you have call center experience, if you can afford A+ and networking certs to boost your worth, fine. Do that, but I would encourage you to do it on your own, rather than pay PCPro huge sums to do it on your own anyway. They teach you how to pass the microsoft tests, learning IT is secondary to that.

I have officially given up on the prospect of ever working in IT. Cleaning out my retirement account for a downpay and a large loan that has gone into default, the next stop is foreclosure. The class after mine was when they started the giveaways. Me? they pressured me to get the money so they could "guarantee my spot" before I lost out, only to find a room that was less than half full when classes began.

Don't bet your farm on this "solution" in your desperation as I did. You'll regret it.

I just got an email from a Alexandra Loeher from PC Pro. She wants me to share my "success story about pc pro! HA! This is what I am going to send back to her, although I doubt I'll get a response.

I’d be glad to share my story of pcpro schools.

Here it is:
While it is true that I graduated, that’s all I can say, because nothing happened after that. I am STILL in my same 3rd shift factory job as before. The only difference now is that I am 25, 000 farther in debt than before. Thanks to pc pro!

You don't think I'm being too harsh, do you? ROFL

Sorry about my previous post. Apparently it didnt like apostrophes. Anyway here goes round 2:

I got an emal from an Alexandra Loehre from PC Pro. She wants me to share my success story with them. If I had one to share, I would. But I dont. Unless you count being 25k farther in debt a success story. I sure dont.

Here is the copy of the email I received. Anyone else get this one? WastedMoney are you Bob Jones on bloggernoob?

We invite you, as a successful PC Pro graduate, to join in an exciting contest we are holding. One winner will receive an HP Slate Tablet!

Because of your hard work and success as a PC Pro graduate, we feel your story should be shared.

Contestants are asked to complete a short (1-3 minute) video sharing their story of transformation. The video can be as simple or elaborate as you choose – voters will be asked to vote on content, specifically the story they feel represents most extreme change.

The contest will be run through Facebook, which requires at least 20 videos in order to activate, so please share this information with as many alumni you are in contact with and encourage your friends and family members to vote!

One winner will be selected, based on a Facebook voting process. The winner will receive a brand new HP Slate tablet which runs Windows 7.

Check in now with our Facebook page at facebook.com/pcproschools for further details!

Feel free to respond to this e-mail with any questions or concerns.

Thank you and good luck!

That would be me, RecentGrad. Bet your not recent any more...

I have not received this. I must be too busy getting rich in my new fast paced career that they don't want to bother me.

I get an occasional call from recruiters who see my resume on careerbuilder or dice, but they all run away when I tell them I have no on the job experience. The one job I had a real shot at phone support told me I was too smart, I would hate the job and I would quit on them. Another company I interviewed with told me they had a lot of PCPro applicants interviewing, crying they can't find a job. Said they were the ones featured in the ads as success stories. I wish I was making that up.

Nice to see ya here, BJ or WM. :)

So, I replied back to that email saying something to the effect that "if I had a success story to share I would. But I am still stuck in my same 3rd shift factory job as before. the only difference now is that I am much farther in debt."
Next thing I know, I got an email from Laura Polancich saying shed like my most recent resume so she can start sending me job leads! A nice gesture, but its still the same copy/paste job leads from the various boards.

If youd like, BJ Id be more than happy to forward you that email. Just leave me a yahoo address or something and Ill send it to you. That way, you can reply back like I did and get back on the job search. If you want to do that, let me know.

Back at ya RG,

I sent Laura an email a couple months ago saying if all these great jobs are getting got like they say on 'the click', what have you got for me two years out of school? She sent me another list of temp agencies, almost all of whom have interviewed me and disregarded me for my lack of experience. A "tough sell" one finally told me the truth. She then started sending me the same stale, week old "leads" every friday that she pulled of the same web boards that I had already surfed and applied for on monday or tuesday. She has no "leads" any better than what I already see publicly posted. She has no "in" with anyone of consequence.

I like Laura, I think she's a good person, but I also think she has to do the best with what she has for no reason other than she needs to keep her own butt employed. I don't hold it against her, but she can't work with what she hasn't got, which is all the connections PCPro claims to have. That's the part that bothers me the most. The half truths and vagaries that keep them out of court for their deception.

Most of their "successes" they post bragging about 'wow' salaries are people who advanced in a feld they were already in. The certs were gravy. Some aren't even IT related. Even the entry level successes are nothing more than someone going from some call center into an IT call center. Certainly no "this guy was a fry cook and now he's an admin" stories. They don't happen.

I agree with you, BJ. The fry cook scenario just doesn't happen. Despite what the sale rep errr... I mean admissions person says.

After sending back my email about my lack of success, I am getting the same old copy/paste job leads from Laura. There are NO insider job lead of any kind. In fact, I just got an email from Laura saying that if I wanted to remain on the active job leads email, I had to respond back to this email within a week. You spend 25K and this is the treatment you get?!?!?! What is she doing? Searching the job boards just like EVERYONE else. How hard is that?

Ive said it before, and Ill say it again: DO NOT GO TO PC PRO. I liken their success stories to winning the lottery; it happens to a few lucky ones, and thats it. Regardless of how much hard work YOU put in.

Yeah, I got the same thing. I'll ignore it. they'll be sure to drop me if it means less responsibility for them.

I was gonna use the lottery example too. My gas station can say "look at all the ten dollar winners we sell, we 'could' sell you a multimillion dollar ticket too". just don't hold your breath.

haha, as I was typing the last note, I got this weeks "leads"

Monster, Dice, Sologig, MilwaukeeJobs. Teksystems has been looking for this level 2/3 for over a year now.

Why should she need to send us ads for helpdesk when the entire school specializes in producing helpdesk workers? Shouldn't she be calling these posts and saying we have dozens (if not hundreds) of students available and trained to fill your needs? You'd think these companies would be greatful for that service.

Pretty much speaks for itself.

OK - So I am a SysAdmin looking to fill a helpdesk - network admin position. With all the hype on the radio about PC Pro I figured I'd do some research to see if any of the graduates actually know the difference between tcp and udp.

IMHO one rule is certain. You get what you pay for. Graduate from M.I.T, University of Virgina (Great C.S. Program) U.C. Berkley. You get a high paying job. Graduate from Community College, PC Pro, ITT Tech... All I can say is "You want Fries with that"?

If it is of any consequence to those here who feel ripped off, know that I will not be contacting PC Pro for future employment needs

Well after reading all of above posts I would like to point out something new. As of yesterday the latest and greatest PCPro Radio Ad ran after the Brickyard [protected]. And quote "We guarantee that you will have a full time job no more than six months after you graduate from their program or we will refund your Tuition." Now I am sure that there are some hidden clauses about that guarantee but, I dont really care because am accredited school is not allowed to say that. Personally I am a victim of this school, yes I paid the insane amount to take the class and in the end have no job. I had the highest GPA of my entire class and tutored the others in my class, and graduated with a 3.97 over all GPA. Now I am dealing with career services and yes they turn me onto jobs that are like the ones above for little to no pay and many miles from my location. My only choice is to do it on my own and continue educating myself in other areas that employers want. Yes I can probably kiss that money goodbye and well they are good at getting around the small print and from the research i have found that they tend to come out guns ablazing when someone says they did wrong or ripped someone off and I guess scare the person into backing down. Well its time they faced the music for the actions they have done to people who were bad off then and now worse off with a monthly payment and still no or a low paying job. So in closing I would like anyone who reads this who has been to this school or is thinking of suck please email me @ former.student.pcpro@gmail.com. I would love to hear the past stories so maybe we as a group can come together and take a stand.

Former Student.

former.student.pcpro@gmail.com

I whole heartily agree. PCPro is a big scam. I will sign a formal complaint.