Devry University vs. ITT Tech

[jjakobsen]

Im was in the same spot you were in. I was looking at private schools like devry itt and university of phoenix for any computer degree because of BS public college rules. What I learned is that though you do learn some things about computers, these schools are more like buisnesses not colleges.

I now believe that these schools are far to expensive for what they offer.

80 grand for ITT tech? Thats more than some large private (normal) colleges!

My plan as of now is getting an Associates degree in Computer Informations Systems at a local junior college.

These classes are the same describtion and material, but maybe less classes needed becuase its only an associates. The tutions price is just a fraction of what it would be if I was devry itt etc...

Any kind of degree plus certifications plus experience equals a good job in the computer industry.

[stadifer]

I believe when it's all said and done my coursework including the Bachelors will come in around $55k total. I did the math once and I believe I'll end up spending roughly 20% more at ITT then the local community college including books and all.

[MitaDC]

Alright guys I will look around some more; I did a search on fastweb.com and it came up with either Boise or Devry but Boise has like 23k people and devry has like 1200... I like the small classes etc. I might look into University of Idaho but I think they are more computer science. Any more input would be great!

[CRS6785]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stadifer

Sorry about the length but I'm a little tired of seeing people bag on ITT when it isn't as bad as so many make it sound. Like I said before many people probably didn't go the extra mile to make their education at ITT worth the money they put into it.

So true. There are quite a few kids in my class that just slack off and expect to float through, They don't push themselves to really learn much of anything and just want that piece of paper at the end. Our class (CNS program) started with 27 kids, and after three quarters it's already down to just seven students. I expect it to be down to about four kids when its all said and done. You get out of it what you put in though, if you aren't willing to put forth any effort, than it sucks for you I guess

As for the books, I just picked up my new books today and they are a big improvement over what they were using before. Those NIIT books were pretty bad.

[stadifer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRS6785

So true. There are quite a few kids in my class that just slack off and expect to float through, They don't push themselves to really learn much of anything and just want that piece of paper at the end. Our class (CNS program) started with 27 kids, and after three quarters it's already down to just seven students. I expect it to be down to about four kids when its all said and done. You get out of it what you put in though, if you aren't willing to put forth any effort, than it sucks for you I guess

As for the books, I just picked up my new backs today and they are a big improvement over what they were using before. Those NIIT books were pretty bad.

My class started with about 35 and surprisingly enough finished with 20. I can safetly say if you know how to whine well you will pass with at least a 3.0 regardless of the work you do. We had a few in our class that constantly went to the Dean and complained and they kept bending to their will... Because hey it is income if they stay.

That is the major difference between ITT and traditional colleges... They aren't so concerned about keeping students for money. But the instructors are in some cases better then the ones I had at the local community colleges. Most of my Bachelor level instructors are working on their PhD. and most of them have taught for many years at junior colleges and some at four year colleges. Many others are fresh out of the industry "taking a break" as they like to say.

This quarter I received books published by Prentice Hall & QUE so that is a big step up. Althought the Prentice Hall book looks like some of our earlier NIIT books. So I'm a little aprehensive about that one. Beyond that I do know our job search center has solid alliances with companies such as Boeing, Intel, IBM, ELI, and the like. I think some ITT campuses have some shady job search departments that don't do their jobs. My only complain is that the school still seems a bit oriented towards the electronics and robotics students. They have few alliances with tech associations and the like.

[desmocat]

Umm... Me best friend went to DeVry in Dallas and he isn't doing to bad for himself..
Consulting engineer at Cisco, has 2 clients, both world wide companies, and gets paid to study for his CCIE.

He attended back in the mid-late 80's though, and has lots of hands on experience.. (kinda goes without saying...)

He even survived layoffs at Cisco that took out several CCIEs that were not good at their job, even though they had the alphabet soup behind their names and the degrees from major universities.

Problem with just about every school was when things were smokin in the mid late 90's and stupid stuff like paper MCSEs right out of boot camp getting 60-70 80 grand a year jobs flooded the market with paper tigers who knew little of the real world outside of sims and a lab environment.

This cheapened certs to the point that they really don't mean much anymore, other than "whoopee...you passed a test.."

I have a CCNA that I didn't renew because it was pointless, didn't have an IT job, and no real world experience, and after the great tech wreck, you were butting heads with people with enterprise level network experience with 10 to 20 years time in the job for an entry level job.

Experience is KING, school gets you in the door ,and it's up to you to show em what you got.

[stadifer]

I agree on certification... Some I do believe have a little more value. It also depends on what type of company you are applying at. If you are applying for a smaller company that isn't tech-centric those certifications look like medals on a general's chest to the people hiring.

But some emerging fields such as Linux or even generalized certs like Network+ and the like have value IMO. Other certifications like the MCSE I personally think aren't worth the time or money. Especially the MCSE certification because it costs so much and must be renewed with little discount every 3 years.

I'll likely get a Network+, Linux+, and CCNA once I complete college just to add a little something extra to my portfolio. But beyond that I'll just do whatever my future company wants (and will pay for) me to do in the cert realm.

[zruh]

I almost went to ITT too, but i came across this. This guy will respond back to you, email you, call you, whatever. He used to be a recruiter for ITT. I am now going to a real University in their accelarated program for working adults, and im far more happy, not paying near as much, and will have a ral Bachelors degree in any state, instead of ITT, which are limited

http://badbusinessbureau.com/view.asp?id=154604

[chump_grad]

Tons of comments about ITT Tech here:
http://certcities.com/editorial/news...=4&pagesize=18
http://tinyurl.com/6ymwt

[elroy]

Just a general comment on these schools, unrelated to the tech field.
My brother has a phd and is a professor and dean of a school in Michigan. His opinion is these schools [DeVry and ITT] are like junior, junior community colleges. Certainly not worth the money and unlikely to impress anyone on a resume. A prospective employer would certainly take a graduate of a "real" 4 year school over one of these vocational schools. Why spend all that $$ to start out your career with an inferior degree. Also as stated above do you want to spend that much $$ to get a job that pays $35k? Entry level truck drivers make that much.