PC Pro Schools
August 4th, 2008 by the noob
The Noob is big on education. I think that it’s best to always be learning something new. Before i started bloggernoob dot com, i knew nothing about the internet. I only knew how to search for stuff. I had no clue about IT or computers. But after i set up this blog, i was forced to learn these things. I’m actually thinking about taking a few courses about computers and the internet. I want to learn the basics about IT and networking. There’s a course at PC Pro Schools that helps people start a new career. If you ever thought about getting a job in IT, you should visit PC Pro Schools.
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August 5th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Thanks for the review. So you would recommend them to someone looking for a career in IT?
August 6th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Being in an IT Professional, I feel that a career in IT is very rewarding, if not for the money then for the education.
August 6th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I’m sorry but PC Pro School just continues to push the idea of a ‘paper’ MCSE. Their idea is to get your money and get you out the door as soon as possible.
Experience or a 4 year degree are much better than PPS.
August 8th, 2008 at 12:01 am
super dave- i haven’t tried the program out myself, but from the looks of things, i think it would be good to try.
i’m into learning new things.
beau71- if i could go back to school, i’d study computer science or something like that. i think it’s cool that you’re an IT pro.
benwaynet- thanks for your input. I think people have different views about this. some would say that a college degree is worth nothing more then the paper degree. other’s would argue that the experience and contacts made is priceless. I can relate to both sides. i think having the paper degree so tha tyou can go out and start working is good cause you get to learn while u work. no school is going to teach you everything. but if it can help you get a job and place you so that you can continue learning, i’m all for that.
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:31 am
you are required to disclose this now.
pc pro schools are a rip off. not worth it at all. their job placement rates are inflated by low-paying short-term temp jobs. unfortunately the poor kids who might get suckered into going there may also believe they can get a legit review off a site about making money online.
September 15th, 2008 at 4:57 am
[...] Knowing how to make yourself marketable to IT industry leaders is invaluable information that PC Pro Schools teaches it’s [...]
September 15th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Wow…Paid to review??? You seem mighty angry.
I don’t know what your experience was with them but mine was really good. I attended PC proschools and don’t consider myself to be some “poor sucker”. I received great training and help with getting a job. I’ve had my job for 2 years now and the pay is good.
October 24th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
I recently graduated from PPS. I have to say that the education part is pretty sound. However, their job placement SUCKS. I graduated in June of 2008, and had a few “bones” thrown my way. That pretty much ended after about 3 months. I would send emails to the campus director, AND the instructors and never get a response. They teach you all about follow up, and professionalism, and they don’t follow through???
I also thought the recruiters were VERY pushy. I find out after I graduated, that they are paid a salary PLUS commission. If the schools is so great, why are they paid commission? Shouldn’t the school sell itself?
October 27th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
You can’t be serious…PC Pro Schools?? 6 months to a 60k job?? Bull crap. If I ever received a resume with PC Pro Schools on it I would call the person in for an interview just so I could tear them apart; I’ve done it to 10+ year people I’ll surely do it to 6 month infants. I’m sure it costs 10-15k to get their paper certifications. Why would you do that when you can go and buy the books for a few hudred and get the same paper based cert at the end? If you somehow get past the interview and get a job you’ll crap all over yourself when the theory and the labs in the controlled environment don’t work so well in the real world. Here are my steps to being successful in this industry; 1) Get the degree, 2) Get the entry level job, 3) Get the real world hands on, 4) Get the certs, 5) Move up…rinse and repeat. Nobody, and I mean nobody, will ever take schools like this seriously. It’s a money grab people. Wake up!!! It’s because of organzations like this that a lot of the certifications are losing their value and real professionals such as myself are paying the price.
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:34 pm
2phatsac, I find your comments insulting and ridiculous. You rant like a jealous 13 year old who is mad at anyone who would dare consider trying to accomplish what you have without attending a 4 year school and 10+ years of work experience. Your screen name alone suggests your immaturity. So does it make you feel like a big man suggesting that you would tear apart a job candidate who has taken a 6 month course? I would bet dollars to donnuts the reason you are really pissed off is because people are earning their certs through PPS or other similiar schools and doing what you are without a 4 year degree and in half the time it took you.
November 4th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
I completely agree with you, Research. I was insulted by the arrogance of that post. Why would you want to call someone in, just to “tear them apart”?
PPS is a VERY intense 6 months. Not everyone can hang, we had 3 people drop out, before the course was finished.
As far as the 6 months to a 60k job: I don’t know where you got that, but I for one, know it’s NOT true. I graduated in June, and I am STILL looking for a job.
January 29th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
In a general response to most of these elitist professionals: Why are you threatened? What is your beef with these paper certifications? I am four months deep in this course and all my certs are issued by Microsoft. According to Bill Gates, I am qualified to perform all the duties of any system or network admin and didn’t have to waste three and a half years of school to get to the bare bones of the material, i.e., taking useless bowling classes and the like so a major university can provide me with a “well rounded” education to the tune ot tens of thousands of dollars more. As for the job placement, I own my own engagement for that. I would love to be interviewed vigorously by these professional veterans. It would contribute to my ongoing education, which is standard for all IT professionals.
February 21st, 2009 at 2:31 am
I’m also researching my options and currently switched from a 4year to a 2year to get more hands on. Problem though is all the bogus crap I don’t feel like taking: intro to basket weaving, and great feminists of the 20th century 101. Ohh yaa this stuff has to be relevant in the real world and will contribute to my success in the IT field and should be worth more than certifications would. However I have had a few employers call me and loved my resume but wanted to know where my degree was and when they found out I didn’t have one, they of course were no longer interested. And honestly and truly I had one recruiter from either booz allen Hamilton or Lockheed that said it didn’t matter what my degree was in, it could be in basket weaving and I would have had a job offer, pretty freaking crazy if you ask me. I myself was considering pcpro schools because with a child and a full time job, I just need some certifications to augment my experience however I would stay away from PC Pro schools not because they are considered a certification mill but because of the costs cost costs costs!!! A degree is a piece of paper a certification is a piece of paper and different companies want different things, granted I wont be getting an offer from BAH or Lockheed however there are plenty of other companies that do want people without degrees if you have the experience. So work on certifications (a lot of other companies that are much cheaper for training and access to all the lab stuff or a 2 year school but only take the applicable courses) truly learn the material augment that learning with the certifications. Apply for those entry level positions showing those legit certifications recognized by Microsoft, Cisco, oracle etc… and when someone calls you in for an interview thinking he is going to “tear you apart” blow him away with your knowledge.
Another great option; join the military get a security clearance and that coupled with certifications is worth way more than 60k a year.
Gus once you finish could you give us update – not only yours but any of your classmates as well. Has anyone had any input regarding a certification they have from pc pro schools from the highering manager or interviewer. Also were the bottom line costs – since they get payed on commission anyone haggled with those guys and got it cheaper than initially offered.
See link below has a few previous students as well as an employee from pc pro school with more negative information.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/333/ripoff0333210.htm#335578
April 27th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I am a current student of PC Pro Schools, I was scared as hell when I signed the papers, I even accused my director of pressuring me to make a quick decision with a one time only price (which after research was in fact a one time only price, everyone else in my Track paid full price, except the 2 (of 5) of us who were there that one particular day, we paid about 10k less than everyone else from what I asked.
Back to the school. No one ever promised a 60k year job, in fact during orientation they stressed the fact that that isn’t starting, and the truth is, after 2-3 years IF you work hard and sell yourself you will in fact be making about that much money. You wont succeed because you have the certifications. You have to sell yourself to the company you work for.
I have no college degree and since I was 20 years old, I had an office job making 45k a year. I am now at about 50k but the economy forced me to take a cut, and i might be losing my job by june, which is why I made this decision. The career center is already working with getting me an internship at a local Medical complex, I had an interview and I was told they aren’t looking anymore, they just have to wait for who ever I’m replacing to retire as they were told he’d be retiring soon. PC Pro threw me the bone, but it was me who sold myself to the company (I am a great interviewer) The only people I see rip on PC Pro are the same slackers in my class who don’t do their work, and complain about things, then when they graduate and don’t get a job, instead of blaming themselves, they jump to blame PC Pro Schools. PcPro is not a scam, I was not paid to write this, I am writing this as a person who was very reluctant to enroll because of the cost, but comparing it to all the other similar programs in the area, it was a good price.
Sure, I could have gotten the books studied my butt off, and gotten these certifications, BUT I would not have gotten the one on one instruction I’m getting, and during my interview my possible boss mentioned that he likes PC Pro Graduates because they get real world hands on experience as opposed to places like Tech Skills,(Tech Skills has a great Nursing program but their tech program lacks IMHO) or those who just memorize the book and pass the test for certs.
May 19th, 2009 at 12:15 am
I have to agree with ARF-PCPS on this one. The cost was off putting, but once I decided to do this, I went to every single class. Seems to me that is where the people who complain run into trouble. I know this since my ‘lab partner’ was one of the ones who skipped class almost constantly, starting halfway through our track. Fine by me, I got more hands on experience that way. It also made things a bit more challenging if I got stuck, but Google was a great help for that. That being said, it took me seven months after graduation to land a job, and of the interviews I did get, not one of them was due to the career services department. Don’t want to bash them, as my overall experience was positive, but any interview I got I managed to land on my own. Having previous experience at a former job with basic desktop support may have helped, though. It was a hard search, constantly interviewing (2 or 3 a week), only to be told that I was ok, but someone else was just a little bit more experienced. I now have a job I love, and one more exam to finish the MCSA. I would rather fail and then really learn what I missed on the material the first time to earn my cert honestly than cheat and breeze through. An employee who cannot perform is of no use to a company, and I am interested in keeping said job. So far, my boss has been very pleased.
May 19th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
From what I have realized in my past 8 yrs doing IT is that you really should have a combination of all 3…a degree (either 2 or 4 yr), certifications and experience. To me, having a degree shows a potential employer that you are at least committed to finishing something you started. Getting certified in the field (IT, Auto, Engineering, etc) shows the employer that you decided to “see what you actually know on the subject at hand” and the experience is priceless. I think no employer will turn you down if you have all 3. But most will hire you with just having any of the 3 if you know how to BS your way through the resume process and interview process (not recommended).
August 5th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I went to PC Pro school and they did not do exactly what they stated they would. They told me that they would help me find a good paying job in my area and it has been 2 yrs now and no job! I am now still stuck in the line of work, construction with being laid off now and then with having to pay off a $29,000 loan. I thought it would have been the best thing for me to do for my family of 6 but it has only made it harder for our family! Not only do I not have a job in the field I have to pay out an extra $333 each month on top of everything else. BEWARE!
August 10th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Please, think before you sign on the dotted line. My son had one low paying job since he graduated in 2008 and is now at the unemployment office. Going to PC Pro is a waste of money…go to a collge or Tech. school.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
I COMPLETELY agree with Bob, and Lynn. DO NOT GO HERE! I graduate in June of ‘08 and I am still in my same job as before. The only difference is that I have to pay that insanely priced tuition, 25k.
No. I am not a bad student. I attended EVERY class, came in early to make up what I missed, (I had to leave early because I work 3rd shift and had to leave for work). I did graduate with the requirements.
DO NOT GO. DO NOT GO. DO NOT GO.
August 27th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
I agree.
I went to the orientation twice. The first time, after seeing the steep price, I took off. The second time I was almost positive that I was going to sign. I’m sure glad that I didn’t.
My advice to you is, if you’re contemplating taking the program, do some research. I found many cheaper alternatives.
I’m now enrolled in a couple certification programs at a local technical college. In one years time, I’ll be A+, Network+, Server+, Security+, MCTS and MCITP (Server 2008s equivalent to 2003s MCSA) certified. All for a total of about 3k, opposed to the 30k I almost spent. 6 useful certifications for a tenth of the price.
Check with local schools. Google is your friend. Listen to that voice in the back of your head.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:30 am
I’m considering going, and I didn’t look before but for some reason here I am looking at all the comments I can find the night before I go sign some papers.
My tuition is going to be $8k as opposed to the 29k… so after reading a lot of the comments, I’m thinking that for what I can get, it might not be too bad.
I’ve read people bashing PCPS and places like ITT Tech - and then people bashing college programs.
Everyone has things to say that we should all pay attention to.
Yes, no matter WHERE you go, you are not going to make it with a poor attitude. Papers… whether they are from a college OR a cert school, are not going to get you the “job of your dreams”. Your success at this industry… at ANY industry is based on four separate things:
First - what you know, and how you can prove you are the real deal and know what you’re talking about when it comes to that job.
Second - what experience you have in the job field or even related to what it is you want to do. Have you been flipping burgers for seven years and suddenly you have papers saying you can work magic on server stations? Or do you have papers and some hands on time to show your stuff?
Third - You can be the greatest techie since that little pimply faced kid with glasses “invented” DOS and Windows 3.11. But if your people skills suck and you can’t interview your way out of a glass building, you are going to be stuck doing something you don’t like.
Fourth - The one thing you can’t control… @$$hats who like to waste your time in interviews “just to tear you down” because they have some kind of imagined mad-on or their girlfriend doesn’t love them anymore or some other screw is loose and you got the first three things covered in gold silk threads and they still don’t want to hire you because your left eye looks funny or because you don’t tell them how good that shirt they have on looks or something else they want to hear.
I have a few more pages of “complaints” to read, but after reading a lot of this… I think I’m still interested.
Yes, I agree, some of the equipment/software they use seems dated - But I remember when XP came out and there were companies still using Windows 95 and you’d have to pry it out of their cold dead hands before they’d give it up. It took me a year of waiting for XP bugs to be worked out before I’d switch from using Win98 - But I dived right into Vista and I love it.
I remember going to MATC in ‘98, and the machines, software and other tech they had was dated compared not only to what I was using in the field, but to what I was using at home, as well.
11 years ago, the computer I would work on in a workstation at MATC, now fits into my friggin’ cell phone. (not literally of course, but the cell phone comp is roughly the same as the old 486’s I used to work on.)
I remember using VAX computers in 7th grade (lord help me back in ‘81 or so) and the reson I mention this is that the tech has changed SOOOO fast in such a short amount of time - I doubt any institution is going to ever be able to stay “cutting edge”. But YOU can remain cutting edge if you use whichever education you choose as a stepping board, and keep up with the advances in tech yourself.
Thank you ALL for your opinions… both GOOD AND BAD. I really appreciated reading through all of the input.
November 17th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I have great people skills, a great personality and I can get along with anybody. I don’t think I can’t get an IT job because of a “poor attitude”. Truth is, PCPro tells you NOT to have personality. They tell you no HR rep gives a r*ts*ss about you, your family, your kids, your hobbies, what you care about or what you think, so keep it to yourself.
The fact of the matter is, anyone can pass a test, computer issues are not multiple choice and PCPro pumps out about 50 more “professionals” every couple months. The wonderlich they gave me puts my IQ at 120, I tested 100% on my certs to be the only one in my class to get the mcsa BEFORE graduation, and I’ve been working with computers since they became desktops. But on paper, I’m just another hump who went out and got a cert who can’t even get in for an interview because there’s 500 others with the same amount of ‘talent’. My only work since finishing has been one temp job where some of my coworkers were using dead time to study for certs because their one year deadline to pass was almost up. I had to laugh. How does someone stand out from the others? They don’t. Hiring managers know they may find a gem in the pile, but they’re not gonna risk their jobs on it. They all want experience, not paper. Just like anyone else.
November 27th, 2009 at 11:26 am
HaHaHa!!! Now they’re running ads saying they have more job orders than they have qualified candidates. While that may technically be true (taking a call from someone who says ‘do you have anyone in your school with 5 years SQL administration experience?’ may constitute a job order), it’s funny the ad fails to mention that completeing their classes doesn’t make you a qualified candidate for all these orders they can’t fill. Advertising at its finest, a half truth is far better than no truth or the whole truth.
November 29th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
I will stay clear of schools like that, thanks
December 19th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Being in an IT Professional, I feel that a career in IT is very rewarding, if not for the money then for the education.
March 8th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Seems there are people out there who just fail at things and then look to blame their failures on someone else or something else, in this case that other person being PC Pro
March 10th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
I recently completed their course, finishing my studies to complete exams for MCSA. This is not a boot camp type course that crams the answers down your throat to pass the exam; you do get hands on and practice.
Here is what you really get:
Go to class and instructor goes through homework quizzes on overhead, sometimes going into detail on the why answers are correct or not. Then a lab is handed out to go through. The problem with the labs is you don’t know if what you’ve done is right or not. You get to a point where you think its right but without having the instructor review it you don’t know - so forget home study of the lab. They need to better define the labs so you can self check to see if you’ve properly completed the assignment. I also was very annoyed at when their phone rings they go running out of class to answer it & you sit there waiting until they return.
I was sold on their claim of more job orders to fill than students, but these are $9 - 11/hr part time or contract jobs that sometimes may lead to a position. I went to one interview and the person didn’t even interview me, took one look at my resume and told me I was over qualified. What my wife & I were told, was that with my background I should be able to find a position paying over $40k/yr and grow from there - haven’t seen those types of opportunities. In fact when I inquired with job placement I was told that the job market is saturated. They pushed me towards a 1099 position or non-pay internship & then wanted me to sign a form saying that they had completed their requirements. There are people who will say they got a great job after attending PC Proschools, I’m sure they exist, I’m just not sure they are as honest about the quantity and location of those positions or the percentage of those higher paying opportunities to the bulk of their real positions.
I’m not saying they are a scam, but I definitely don’t feel like they met their sales pitch to get me to sign up. My recommendation is save the 9 - 12K, go to Amazon.com and buy the Microsoft Course books (same as school provides), read them, practice the material and Google your questions - that’s what they tell you to do in class.
Positives I will say about them is the 1 day a week you have online videos to watch, most of those were helpful and informative, just not sure if they are worth the cost of the class. You get access to all Microsoft Operating systems to download for free, no Office s/w. When you need to work on two servers, it’s nice to have the lab environment to do this instead of at home.
If you are someone who is making less than $10/hr, doesn’t know much about computers and needs a weekly schedule to make you do the work – might be worth it. If you’re accustomed to making more than $15/hr and have some self discipline, save your money, buy the books, define your schedule and stick with it. You’ll be happy you did with more money in your pocket.
Bottom line - they are a for profit school built on selling people on taking and paying for the course and seem to over promise and under deliver.