A Mockerview
April 15th, 2008 - I went for a mock interview at a private college today; I call it a mock interview because I was never serious on attending, due to the horrible word of mouth I'd already received about this institution. Apparently graduates don't come away with a thorough knowledge of anything, just an introduction to a wide range of complex subjects. I won't name the school, but it bills itself as Canada's 2nd largest private college (which is odd; in the interview, I was told they had six campuses. How many campuses does the largest private college in Canada have? seven?)
Having worked in private, for-profit education in the past, I know how awful schools can be when money is the motivating factor, but I wanted to hear their sales pitch and thought it might be good for a laugh. I told them I was interested in their Web Developer program, a 52 week course that covered Flash and Maya 3d (two things I genuinely am interested in learning).
One of the first things I noticed in the lobby was a large display case on the wall filled with trophies and awards; as far as I can tell, they were all awards the company had given to itself. Teacher of the year awards, outstanding student awards (were they not even allowed to take home the trophy!?!), things like that.
My interview was more of a speech - I was told about how and why the college was started, some famous IT people who taught at it, why other colleges weren't as good, etc. But instead of asking 'Why should we accept you as a student?' the interview was framed more along the lines of 'What's it gonna take to get you in this car?'
There was one bit of genuine honesty in all of it, when my interviewer said that certification was all that mattered, not degrees. It's been my experience in the work world that what a piece of paper says you can do in no way compares to what you can actually do, corporate executives being the exception.
Anyways, the kicker came at the end when I asked how much. Including tuition and books, $18,000. For 52 weeks. $18,000???
"Who do they think I am, Lorenzo Di Medici!?" - Mr. Burns