According the sources at the Associated Press, she is hoping to recover the $70,000, she spent on tuition because the college failed to provide her with the career advice that they had promised. Tina and her family are facing a severe financial crisis because of Tina's student loan debt.

Should she have known better than to take out a 70k loan? Of course! (But it's easy to say that once you've been duped yourself.)

Does she have a valid lawsuit? Hell no! She should take accountability for her actions and not hold the school responsible for her not having a job.

However…

Posted on the school's website: http://www.monroecollege.edu/aboutmonroe

"Monroe offers Certificate, Associate, Bachelor's, and Master's degree programs leading to employment in the most relevant areas for today's rapidly changing global economy."

Colleges all over the country make these types of claims. From ridiculous tag lines to outrageous promises, people are blatantly led to believe that college is the solution to their success.

Poor Tina with her useless IT degree. Just for giggles, I checked out their IT program to see what courses they are offering in this "rapidly changing world." It actually looks very similar to the same program that I took -which was already outdated in 2003! Good luck with that.

CT-290 – Internship    (doing what?!)
CP-101 – Introduction to Information Processing   ("information processing" is vague. It could be how to send email for all we know)
CP-117 – Programming Logic Using C++    (Well, okay. But you don't need 70k to learn this)
CP-215 – Visual Basic    (outdated)
CP-223 – Computer Hardware    (not necessary unless you plan on building your own)
CP-270 – Cisco I: Cisco Networking Basics (go to Cisco.com and get Cisco certified instead) 
CP-275 – Cisco II: Cisco Basic Routing  
CP-295 – System Analysis & Design    (Vague)
CP-303 – Operating Systems    (Vague)
CP-315 – Management Information Systems   (Vague and probably outdated)
CP-330 – Database Management Systems (USING ORACLE)    (Better off going straight to ORACLE to get certified)
CP-335 – Telecommunications   (What?!)
CP-360 – Network Security   (For who? What company? This is hard to generalize)
CP-415 – IT Project Management    (You can't learn this stuff in school)
CT-101 – Introduction to Information Technology   (Ready to sleep through your 70K education?)
CT-155 – Computer Software (Vague)

Lawmakers in the state of Florida are on the verge of passing two bills that will double the cost of college tuition in Florida. Stanley Tate, a Miami business man is so appalled, he has invested half a million dollars of his own money to publicly protest the Florida legislation.  

On his website, Stanley Tate says;

"If you have a teenager, by the time your kid goes to college the yearly cost, just for tuition, will jump from around $3,600 today to $6,500 or more within five years. That´s a 72% increase just for tuition, not including dorm, books or living expenses."

His web site is FloridaAffordableTuition.com

Florida legislators argue that Florida tuition rates are among the lowest in the nation. They say they need more money to avoid cutting programs, courses and staff. That seems like a noble enough reason to raise tuition. But as you fork out the big bucks so your child can sit in a college classroom,  consider this:

• In 2008, the University of Florida spent 28 million dollars to complete the James W. "Bill" Heavener Football Complex. The renovation included the expansion of the strength and conditioning room, a new Gator Room and renovation to the football offices.

• According to Business Week, the president of the University of Florida got a nearly $300,000 bonus in 2008, as did the head of Florida State.  Florida’s college students are expected to foot the bill after the jet setting Gov. Charlie Crist authorizes a double-digit tuition increases at all of the state’s public institutions.

• Florida's Urban Meyer's salary jumped from $2 million to $3.25 million per year after his 2006 national title. He could become the country's highest-paid coach after a second title.

• UCF's Football Coach George O'Leary gets $50,000 (in addition to his salary) every year there are no violations of the student code of conduct; no arrests, indictments or convictions of crimes; and no "neglect or willfull conduct" in violation of NCAA rules.

More and more money-strapped students are turning to "public" colleges rather than high ticket private colleges so they can get an education. But the state schools are catching on. The truth is; colleges, private and public have learned that they can charge as much as they want. In fact, history shows that college enrollment actually spikes in a bad economy. As people get laid off -they go back to school hoping to "invest" in their future. Are colleges taking advantage of this? 

More about Stanley Tate's one-man battle:

Miami businessman Stanley Tate fights lonely fight against tuition increases
By Amy Hollyfield, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
In Print: Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Some Illinois State University students were not in class today because the science lab at the university was closed for a death investigation.
Part of the third floor of the Science Laboratory Building was closed for about two hours when the mother of a man in his 30s found his body in the chemistry lab shortly before 8:30 a.m. Coroner Beth Kimmerling says the man, who she wouldn’t identify, graduated with a master’s degree in Chemistry. His mother says he had been despondent because he hadn’t found a job in a year and had school loans he couldn’t pay. Kimmerling says the man had made some statements to his mother last night about possibly harming himself.

ISU Police Chief Ron confirms there were no signs of foul play. Kimmerling says she’ll know more when toxicology tests are back in a few weeks. Meanwhil, the administration is making sure students know counseling is available.

Headlines:

Student Sues CDI College For False Advertising

Florida Student Sues College For Slander

(and my favorite…) 

MBA Sues Over Useless Education

Are Colleges Producing Disgruntled Graduates?

If college came with a money-back guarantee would you turn in your diploma for a full refund?

According to Reid Lyle, The answer is YES."I would most certainly ask for my money back. However, what irritates me more is that "they" stole 5 years of my life, which could have been used to actually learn something somewhere else. So, while $60,000 would be nice, I'd prefer to have my five years back."

Reid graduated with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri's School of Journalism in 2005. Even before graduating and entering the workforce, he strongly felt that his education was not adequately preparing him for a profession.

"Instead of understanding production, many advertising students have a vague understanding of subjects such as Middle Eastern Geography, Law in Classical Athens, Epistemology, and Early German Film. These classes represent 12-hours of course work (5 months and $4,000) that I spent fulfilling seemingly unnecessary (and limited) upper-level general education requirements. I did not choose these courses because they seemed interesting or I thought I could apply them to my life. I enrolled in these courses because they were (in most cases) the ONLY available upper-level classes for which I was eligible."

Reid says that while he realizes the school was dedicated to providing a "well-rounded" education, many students are graduating with a "vague set of knowledge that is no way comprehensive." He would be much better off in the real world if he had more practical training in things like web design, radio production, and creative PowerPoint presentations.

Buyer Beware!

Personally, I'm surprised we don't hear more stories like this on 60 minutes or Dateline. I hear about how college is failing consumers all the time. (And yes, that is exactly how higher education refers to students. They are college consumers –as in paying customers)

My friend, Bonnie is a full-time computer programmer. She has worked very hard to complete her thesis in order to graduate with an MT from Georgia Southern University. (What's an MT? –It stands for "Master of Technology." I think the school just made this degree up a few years ago. I got suckered into this flashy new program when I went poking around campus looking for web design classes one day.)

My friend Bonnie has had a chance to see the other side of the system…

"One class I'm taking is Global Tech (which you liked.) You know the one where we pay $ to have students teach the class. The other class is an independent study in which I will create an excel spreadsheet for the professor to support the textbook for the course. In other words, I'm not learning ANYTHING and I'm providing him with a product that I normally would get paid for, but instead, I'm paying to do it.

Yeah. Well, let me know how this degree works out for you because it never really impressed any of my potential employers –and I was working it! Oh, and about those "independent studies"; I've been there. It's a cheap way out for schools who do not have the resources to teach you something you really need to know. The funny thing is, I learned more by teaching myself using a Macromedia Flash training tutorial than I did by listening to an over-worked and underpaid adjunct professor (who would most likely be using the same tutorial to teach the class.)

It's Not Their Job To Prepare You For a Job

Higher education is a business. Colleges make the bulk of their money on athletes and patent-producing researchers. College may set the stage for study and socializing. It may grant you a degree. But in most cases, college doesn't prepare you for the real working world.