Here is a headline for you, “Jobless Graduate Sues College”. Pretty good huh? I never thought to blame my school for a lack of work, but apparently Trina Thompson thought of it. The jobless student named Trina Thompson sues Monroe College for her lack of a job. It sounds like she may have gained some creative thinking skills while at Monroe. With a sound legal strategy like that Monroe may want to consider branching out to opening a law school.
Monroe College Sued By Graduate
According to the New York Post Trina Thompson is suing to get back nearly $70,000 that she paid in tuition, and $2,000 for “stress” related to her search for a job. $70,000 for a Bachelor’s Degree sounds a little steep to me, and if I can get $2,000 for “stress” then maybe I need to sue someone as well.
Trina Thompson boasts a 2.7 GPA and a “good attendance” record but she can’t find a job since graduation in April. Somehow that is the fault of Career Services at the school, and can’t be because of any other reason. At least that’s what Thompson believes. According to CNN:
As Thompson sees it, any reasonable employer would pounce on an applicant with her academic credentials, which include a 2.7 grade-point average and a solid attendance record. But Monroe’s career-services department has put forth insufficient effort to help her secure employment, she claims.
“They’re supposed to say, ‘I got this student, her attendance is good, her GPA is all right — can you interview this person?’ They’re not doing that,” she said.
What it sounds like is that Thompson is expecting the Career Services office to do all the work for her to get a job. She is expecting the school to provide the interviews, work the phones, ensure that the resumes are accepted, and ultimately get the job for her. I hate to break it to her, but that’s not really how it works. I think my favorite quote from the story is found here:
Her complaint adds, “The office of career advancement information technology counselor did not make sure their Monroe e-recruiting clients call their graduates that recently finished college for an interview to get a job placement. They have not tried hard enough to help me.”
She suggested that Monroe’s Office of Career Advancement shows preferential treatment to students with excellent grades. “They favor more toward students that got a 4.0. They help them more out with the job placement,” she said.
You mean to tell me that schools favor students who get straight A’s? All this time I thought that it didn’t matter if a student got an A or a C if I wanted a job. Everyone who graduates has employers burning up the phone lines and knocking down my door trying to get me to accept an offer of employment for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Right? That’s how it works, isn’t it?
Here is a clip from Monroe College extolling the virtues of the school. Now pay close attention to see if there is anywhere in this video that states that if you go to school here you are guaranteed a job.
Monroe College Promotional Video
August 3rd, 2009 at 8:46 pm
I don’t know if this young lady has a case or not, but I do believe that universities need to be more accountable about the fallacy they perpetrate in their advertisements that a higher education equates to a better paying job. It is this misleading perception that needs to be stopped, especially in this economic climate. Universities need to be more transparent with the realities of the job market. I propose that legislation be enacted that universities disclose statistical census about the prospected career a student is investing in. The disclosure should have facts about the median age of a person who is employed in the field, the level of difficulty in entering the field, how many of their students vs. other universities in the state, have successfully entered that field, and the overall longevity of that type of job. Additionally, the disclosure should also inform the student if their earned degree is complementary to another career. As it stands, and recently informed to me by my graduate school, my degree does not complement another career path. Therefore making it virtually a worthless investment.Unlike buying home or a car, that are concrete investments that result in some level of fulfillment, education is major abstract investment that may or may not result in a level of fulfillment. It is for this reason that schools need be more responsible with their insidious opportunity promises that career at their universities offers.
The irony for me is that my higher education has lead to my pending homelessness. Prior to the loss of my good paying job a few years back, I was financially secure, with excellent credit. After losing that high paying job, I was invited to an open house at a graduate campus offering a degree in teaching. I was informed at open house that there was a shortage of teachers in the workforce. More importantly I learned that teaching provides good pay and benefits, with job security. So of course I enrolled. At the time of enrollment, it was strongly advised that it would be extremely advantageous if instead of taking the standard 30 credits masters, to take 48 credits and earn a dual masters because it was soon to be the requirement in the education job market. So with that, I enrolled in a dual masters program, with high hopes and future prospects
Needless to say, I graduated with a 3.73 G.P.A., and here I am five years with two teaching certification and no jobs, and in process of losing my home. Not a good way to end up as a 48-year-old single woman. You can’t even say I interview poorly because I never received one interview. I have even taken more courses at the suggestion of my university as a remedy to become more “employable” as they put it. After finishing these courses, and still no interviews were forthcoming, I contacted my graduate university’s academic advisor, who said, “ Well, if you haven’t gotten a job by now you won’t. Wow, I thought, what a stinging statement to hear after investing close to $100, 000 in this university. The only work I have been able to find is that of substitute teacher, a job that offers no benefits, and pays the same starting pay I made on my first corporate job 15 years ago without a degree.
The thing is higher education is not suitable for everyone. If should only be pursued with the utmost consideration and discretion. I know that if my university had given me a disclosure as I have outlined, I would not be in the financial destitution that I am now facing.
For nothing else, I hope this lawsuit puts and end to the predatory practices universities use to lure students in. They need to get real and stop perpetuating that higher education equates to higher pay, because in reality it is quite the opposite.
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Barbara-
I hope that you are able to resolve your difficult financial situation soon, but I don’t think that more legislation is the answer. You said it yourself, that pursuing a higher education program that costs upwards of $100,000 is a a big decision and it should not be undertaken lightly. If the school flat out lied to you then that is one thing, but I think that it is incumbent upon students to do some of this research on their own.
I am truly sorry that you are facing such a difficult time, and I hope that you are able to find a job in your field soon and that you have a place to land if you lose your home. Good luck, my prayers are with you.
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:20 pm
You spent $100K on an education and didn’t do your own research? Would you buy a $100K car without spending 1/2 a day learning about performance/maintenance/etc? Sorry about your situation, but just like the woman in this story, you need to take responsiblity for yourself.
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:37 pm
This college grad is a complete idiot, proven by her 2.7 gpa. I hope she does loose this ridiculous law suit and she ends up having to pay all the court cost, and the fees for the school. A bit of advice for her, get off your lazy a$$ and take control of your own life, don’t wait for somebody else to do it for you.
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:43 pm
UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE!!Yet more proof this country is going nuts. What?? She doesn’t have people knocking down her “2.7 GPA” door? I hope somebody posts up a photo of this lady to warn all would be employers of who NOT to hire. Just imagine if she does get a job and her employer fires her what she’ll do.
August 3rd, 2009 at 11:55 pm
I really hope the judge who handles this case gives her an earful. Somebody needs to tell her that a 2.7 GPA sucks AND that she’s delusional in thinking that it’s decent. Lazy and self-righteous…makes for a GREAT employee!
August 4th, 2009 at 5:13 am
These certainly are difficult economic times, and it is unlikely that things will improve anytime soon, but so what . . .
So what!
Being educated is better than being ignorant, and it tends to make it at least a little bit easier to find something to do, which is fabulous . . .
Fabulous!
Of course, until the President and the Congress realize that keeping the doors open to foreign workers is one of the major problems plaguing our great nation, nothing will change . . .
Businesses certainly have few incentives to hire American citizens, so the only tenable solution is for the federal government to close the doors by enforcing current immigration laws and regulations, as well as by creating new laws and regulations . . .
And for older American workers, the federal government needs to enforce age discrimination laws and regulations, because this is another of the many ways that businesses bend the rules . . .
Do I realistically expect anything to change dramatically in the near future?
No!
The current economic situation has been a long time in the making, and it will continue until something absurdly egregious happens . . .
The problem is that the country has been captured by sneaky weasels, and the fact of the matter is that sneaky weasels have no concerns for the long run, which in a practical way is one of the consequences of their being sociopaths and “Indigo Children”–the new candy-coated terms for “psychopaths” . . .
They have no consciences, and they exist in a strange universe where there are no ethical and moral rules . . .
The primary way they make money is a combination (a) of what one might call “getting small” and (b) of both doing and saying anything, so long as it can trick someone into paying something for nothing . . .
In the short term, this creates the illusion that everything is going along as it always has and that everything is wonderful, but all the while the disease is spreading . . .
And there are abundant clues, which are easily found in the news every day . . .
Mostly, these are the news reports of unusual or odd events, where perhaps something strange happens to an airplane, train, bus, truck, car, ship, or whatever . . .
Or it might be a so-called “hand sanitizer” that is recalled for containing dangerous levels of infectious bacteria and viruses . . .
It can be cookie dough from an otherwise apparently reputable brand, or it might be toxic peanut butter and pistachios, but it just as easily can be tainted medicines, strange and bizarre “herbal remedies”, bogus auto warranties, and so forth and so on . . .
These are the early warning signs and symptoms of the same national and international disease, which basically maps to sneaky weaseling on a global scale, where the general rule is that doing anything to pinch a penny not only is an approved practice but also is an encouraged and promoted practice . . .
Consider something so simple as grocery shopping . . .
How many times recently have you discovered that the check-out scanner price for an item is different from the shelf price?
How many times have you found items in the wrong places on shelves?
Is this the consequence of grocery stores hiring competent workers who can read and write?
I think not . . .
Why has it become necessary to put warning labels on frozen microwave meals regarding the need to give more attention to cooking times?
Is it because this always has been a problem, or is it because gross lack of safe food handling practices has made it impossible for food manufacturers to ensure the safety of their products, hence the strategy to shift the responsibility to the consumer?
The clues are readily available, and they are not so difficult to find . . .
It is not a matter of “stuff happens”, because this was not the way it was in the recent past . . .
The “getting small” aspect is one of the problems, and it happens when an otherwise successful company is walked-down to nothing by sneaky weasels, who cut corners and delay or entirely skip such things as routine maintenance, quality control, and so forth and so on . . .
And whatever . . .
So, how does this relate to getting an education and suddenly discovering that there are no jobs?
Great question!
The answer is that if one just now is discovering that there are no jobs in our great nation, then “Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!”, as Gomer Pyle said . . .
Welcome to reality at the dawn of the early 21st century in our great nation . . .
Is there anything you can do about it?
Sure!
You can use your education to create a job for yourself, which is entirely possible, although it typically requires what colloquially is called “reinventing yourself” . . .
The government is not going to do this for you, and nobody else will do it, either . . .
You need to find something that you enjoy doing, and then you need to discover a way to make money doing it . . .
Is it easy?
No!
It is extraordinarily difficult, but so what . . .
So what!
And regarding the concept that a college or university somehow owes its students full employment when they graduate, this is patently absurd . . .
If nothing else, it is an excellent reason to require at least two semesters of Economics at the undergraduate level . . .
While in some respects, it might be tempting to blame the college or university, this attitude primarily is the consequence of another problem, which might actually have a bit of legal merit . . .
Instead of suing the college or university for making false promises, such folks might be able to prevail in lawsuits based on faulty admissions standards, where to be more specific the plaintiffs would be seeking compensation for the college and university admissions office failing to recognize early that the plaintiffs actually are airheads, hence should never have been granted admission to higher educational opportunities in the first place . . .
The only way that one might be able to argue that an educational promise or contract was not kept tends to be in highly specialized training, such as for example a course in professional truck driving which is clearly and specifically promoted both in advertising and in writing as leading directly to a job as a professional truck driver at a time when there actually are professional truck driver jobs . . .
In fact, it is a bit mind-boggling to read that someone can get an undergraduate degree and, upon graduating, believe that they somehow are owed a job or that they have a right to enjoy guaranteed employment . . .
And regarding Trina Thompson, how likely is it that she will ever get a job anywhere when the first thing she does after graduating is to sue her alma mater for failing properly to train her for employment?
What business or corporation cannot help but need more people who like to solve their personal problems with lawsuits?
If you have a business and you hire Ms. Thompson, how likely is it that she will sue you after a few days on the job, because she does not like to sharpen pencils, is not happy with the interior design of her cubicle, or whatever?
My advice to Ms. Thompson is that she drop the lawsuit; change her name; and hope that nobody every discovers that she is a complete and total airhead with the additional baggage of being a litigious fanatic . . .
August 4th, 2009 at 5:27 am
Dear Ms. Thompson,
A GPA of 3.7 is better than 2.7 and you don’t get credit for attendance when you’re an adult.
Study your class notes, get better grades and stop blaming others for your problems.
good luck.
August 4th, 2009 at 5:55 am
This is absolutely unbelievable. I could die today and actually say I would rest peacefully knowing that I have seen it all. Trina Thompson and her complaint, for the good of humanity, should be thrown out before it ever gets to court. The judge that presides over this case owes it too ALL hard working Americans. I implore everyone that is reading this article to look at the facts. She is an average student, at best, that cant spell tuition. She is unable to form a lucid scentence and most of all blames everyone else for her shortcomings. TRINA…wake up and smell the coffee. No one in this world owes you or I ANYTHING. If you want something you have to work at it to acheive it. You have not. Your outstanding 2.7 average is just that…average at best. Your attendance in an economy such as this can’t be good…it has to be PERFECT. I attended a tech college 16 years ago. I graduated top of my class and received the FAA award for the highest GPA. I missed a total of 2 days of school. My wife worked two jobs to put me through school so I would not have to work while attending so that I could study to do my best. This I will be grateful for for the rest of my life. When it came time to find employment I DID NOT SIT AROUND ON MY BUTT and complain that no one would hire me. I sent out my resume’. I called people. I attended conferences. I worked my ASS off to find employment. In the end I moved away from my own family 3000 plus miles to work as a contractor. Ultimately I got a job on my own. TRINA…pay close attention to what I am about to say, I FOUND A JOB ON MY OWN AND I WORKED VERY HARD TO GET IT AND I WORK VERY HARD TO KEEP IT. BOTH of my kids are now going to STATE SCHOOLS. That’s right State Schools Trina. They understand and have been told from the get go that life is not fair. No one owes you anything and there is in fact no Santa Clause. No one coming around to GIVE you anything. The only thing that I agree with in this case is that Trina should NOT be given her money back, but the college should be investigated for padding its diplomas to get government funding. Graduates pulling down 2.7’s that should be 1.0’s equates to no government funding. OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE FUNDING SUBSTANDARD EDUCATION AND BAD ETHICS.
August 4th, 2009 at 6:53 am
My problem with this suit? She looked for a job for all of three months?
How many resumes did she send? 10? 20? 100s? Did she ever try any other resources than the college’s job centre?