More Bad News... Or Maybe It's Good... I Don't Know...

Ben, poor kid, just had his dreams crushed.

Yesterday he spend the entire day on the phone with a local trade school, setting himself up for an appointment with a representative, paying the $50.00 application fee, and discussing future salaries he could expect to earn with his projected degree plan. He was so excited when I came home from school that afternoon. He sat me down, beaming eagerly at me like some kind of puppy desperately seeking the approval of its owner, and walked me through the notes he'd diligently taken.

Today, he started researching the school, and discovered it to be a huge scam. Apparently, a vast majority of employers do not recognize the school as a legitimate academic institution. Honestly, we were astounded. Not only because of the school's horrible reputation, but because we actually almost fell for it. School, I thought, was tightly regulated by the government. Apparently you can get away with charging students an obscene tuition (cough $70k cough) without informing them that the piece of paper they'll receive at the end if virtually useless. A group of students are actually suing the school for deception. Amazing.

So, that plan is out, and let me tell you, Ben is in a foul mood. He's just been sitting there, watching T.V. He applied for a job at a grocery store today. They just told him to apply online. Everyone just tells you to apply online. How are you supposed to make an impression - to show these people you are willing to work, that you are human - if you can't even speak to someone. It amazes me how there's this technological barrier to getting even the most mundane of jobs. Don't get me wrong, we're still plucking away - we just don't want to resort to Ben waiting tables, due to the odd hours and the fickle pay. I'm not losing hope yet, but this news about the school was a blow.

I feel a little unsettled by the whole thing. We could have lost a LOT of money that we truly do not have. Our next step is to send Ben to a community college with hopes to transfer to a university with good grades. Poor guy. I think for Ben, this feeling of helplessness is grating against his take-charge nature. Oh, well. At least we didn't lose 70 grand.