ITT Technical Institute - Tempe

Date: Aug 06 2011
Major: Design Arts - Industrial Design/Graphic Design/etc (This Major's Salary over time)
There will always be pros and cons to a school- it is all what you want, expect, get and how you look at the experience. This school had many pro's but also had it's cons.

Pros: The Tempe campus was very nice- a bit smaller and very comfortable. A good atmosphere I felt safe in a good area of town. There are some instructors there who are DAMN good and have the passion to go above and beyond, inspire their students and help them in any way they can. Financial Assistance was very helpful and friendly- couldn't have done it without them, plus the woman who recruited me opened my eyes to what my real passion was before I made the mistake of going lost into a 4 year "traditional education". ITT is what you may consider a "nerd" school… but the truth is, you get all sorts of people. Yes, some are arrogant and competitive. So many are friendly and the class sizes are so small that you get the opportunity to connect with others and I have life long friends from my expierence. We were a team and helped each other get to graduation, that is priceless. I think what helped make schooling more practical for me by my choice at ITT was that it was a focused degree, for something in specific I really wanted to do in the future- I got that but also a job in the field 1 year into my schooling. I also had to hold down a job full time during the day, so the night classes were what made it possible for my success.

Cons: Yes, I do agree it is a bit overly expensive. If financial aide weren't an option, this would not have been an option. There are also some staff members on the Tempe campus who are less than pleasant or desireable. When one tells you to "Hit F1 for the help menu" when asking a question and expecting instruction… it can get frustrating. There were one or two instructors who just didn't seem to care much, have any passion or want to be there to educate. That is not speaking for all campuses! I also was dissatisfied with the administration when I brought forth complaints of the lack of education I was receiving from some of these instructors- it seems they always took the administrative side. Go figure… Another con is that if you are well aware of all the material before even taking the class, they do fail to tell you that you can take an exam to "test out" and gain the credits by proving you already know the material (thus saving you money!) Go figure they pull that one, too. I learned the hard way. On top of what it costs to attend, I also payed $500 for books and materials. I can honestly say I never used ANY "materials" unless it was on my own personal terms. The books I only used 60% of them. Why give out a full "hand drafting" kit and force pay on it when we are there for COMPUTER drafting, not involving anything pencil or material-wise!? That pissed me off. Half of my supply fee was wasted. But like I said- you'll have cons with any school. There will always be something that won't work well or settle well with you. Goes with the territory of life!

So my advice to anyone considering ITT, just research the campus you want to attend in general, first. It is a good place for education specified to one area in a good time frame and flexible schedule. The quality really does depend on the campus of choice (as would the facility and student body). So what if it isn't "traditional"?! I graduated runner up for valadictorian and gained 'Graduate of the Quarter' because I had the desire to persue what I wanted. I have been in my field for 5 years now (with TWO jobs) gaining one half-way through my schooling. It was worth it for me. Sometimes you have to take the negative aspects and jump over that bump in the road to get what you really want.