Anthem Institute, Anthem Institute Journal Square Career Services tells students to sign "waivers" releasing the school from job placement obligations, not signing means you will not get to graduate. Jersey City, New Jersey

At my very first contact with Anthem Institute, their admissions reps harped on and on about how perfect their job placement was and that, as a Graphic Designer, I had to be willing to work in an In-house position upon graduation and that freelance for beginners was not advisable. I completely agreed with that. It was the very reason I chose them over other schools.

Before classes began I was required to attend an orientation where a speech was given by the director of Career Services where he bragged and bragged about his success rate and how he could get anybody a job as long as they were willing to go to the interviews that he arranged.

I studied hard, worked hard, and became involved in a variety of projects at the school. Throughout the entire school year the Career Services Director continued to roam the halls bragging and bragging about how perfect he was at his job. That was until the final set of FAFSA forms went through and the school was paid. 

After that whenever one of my classmates or I tried to ask him something he would start limping and say his foot hurt to bad to be bothered. He was to advise us on our portfolios near the end of school; never happened. That is when his story began to change. The once forbidden freelance work became the only work he would recommend. 

The very last week of school, I am called to the Career Services office to sign some forms "as a formality". These forms were a waiver releasing his department and the school from any obligations as far as job placement was concerned. I told them I was not comfortable with that because I needed to work. I was told that it was a formality that had to be dealt with or I could not graduate. I signed the forms. Biggest mistake of my life. Not only did I graduated with honors but was Valedictorian.

I was required to pay for a years web-hosting and create my own site (a cost of $300+) to "accommodate" the job placement procedures. Still they refused to do what they agreed to. At my last conversation with the Career Services director he told me that if I wanted a job I would have to go on Craigslist and find it myself because...and I quote..."graphic design jobs are too difficult for me to find". Yes, this was the same man that bragged every day for nearly 12 months about how perfect he was.

In closing, I need to add that I am terminally ill and it has become obvious that I will never achieve my dream of doing a graphic design project for someone before I die. My life was ruined by one man's laziness. Do not let him and his co-workers ruin yours. If he will not even attempt to find a job for the Valedictorian what chance does anyone else have.