ITT Technical Institute From Former Employee - DON'T DO IT!!! Burr Ridge Illinois

I worked for the ITT Tech in Burr Ridge, IL for three years, starting back in 2005.  I started out as a temporary employee, then they decided to offer me a full time job in the Career Services Department.  Two years later I was promoted to the Financial Department. 

There, I saw the way things worked from the other end.  I sat back and wondered how the recruiting department went from almost never making their recruitment goal to making it and exceeding it, and no one thought to question why.  Then I got to see firsthand how they did it.  The recruitment department was told not to pick students up, that if they couldn't get to the school on their own for an initial appointment, how would they get there for class three times a week?  That of course did not stop the recruitment department from going to the student's home and bringing them to their initial appointment.  In order for the student to count towards their goal (called a sit), a student must attend each class that first week.  After that, they need not return.  If that is the case, Financial Aid takes a hit because the student will be charged for those classes and those monies will be in default and Academics takes a ding because it is considered a "drop".  Recruitment of course does not care because they made their goal.  I had the recruitment manager get in my face and ask why the student no logner wanted to enroll.  The student was told by recruitment that they would be able to work on cars (because cars have alot of electronics they wanted to sign him up for the CEET (Computer Electronics Engenieering Technology) Degree.  My boss had to intervene and say that the student was misinformed (LIED TO).  New, less experienced reps were guided towards unethical practices from seasoned employees, and becaseu they feared for their jobs, they did things that they probably aren't proud of. 

They did not just bend the rules, they flat out broke, them, but  no one seemed to care, because the schools was finally making their goal. 

The straw that broke the camel's back for me was when I had a young student convinced to lie on his FASFA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and say he wasn't married so that he didn't have to include his wife's taxes.  I brought it to the attetion of my boss, who brought it to the attention of his boss, but ultimately, there was a supposed investigation, and nothing came of it.  They pretty much said that the student (and presumably myself ) were lying.  I started out really liking my job, helping students who thoght that a post-secondary education was out of reach financailly, be able to fund their education, but with all the tension and one department pitted against another and one department doing anything to succeed, even if others must fail, it just got to be too much.  I no longer felt good about my job, no longer enjoyed coming to work, and no longer liked to tell people where I worked; I felt like when I told people that I worked at ITT, they lookoed at me like I just said I murder puppies for a living, it was the most unpleasant experience of my life, and I've worked in insurance.