Complaint Review: The Chubb Institute - Parsippany New Jersey

I'll keep this short. I graduated from Chubb Institute in Springfield, PA, in late 2007. I will not say it was a wasted investment because I do now have a solid career, but I did it by taking the books they gave me and teaching myself. The school was a disgrace and this guys experience sounds almost exactly the same as mine. The teachers (with the exception of a guy named Tim and my first teacher we called Coach) were pathetic, did not know the subjects at all in some cases (especially with Linux!). Student services was helpful and sympathetic and I think understood the situation but there wasn't much they could do. The job placement people were very nice and tried very hard to place people but they had NOTHING to work with. I was motivated to write this today after being contacted by the school about possibly getting people hired at my current job and I couldn't help but laugh.... I wouldn't have hired myself coming out of there. I feel for every student this place scammed out of $17k, and all I can say is take the books, go home, and teach yourself. I managed to teach myself the networking and security stuff, find an entry job, smoke and mirrors my way into a security job and I actually have a challenging and decent career now, but I could've bought the books and saved myself 15K if I knew any better. I have no problems taking specific questions or talking to prospective students, my email address is [email protected].

Based on these comments, I'll have to remove this from my resume. I was always proud of the having gone to Chubb, when they would only allow those who had an 80 or better to continue. This is a really sad commentary. They ran the brand name into the ground. I am very dismayed by this, and would never recommend the place, based on all of this feedback.

I can't help but think that Chubb has gone a long ways down hill. Chubb started as the training arm of Chubb Insurance to field their DP staff needs. I was a student of Chubb in 1974 when the curriculum was basic program design concepts, BAL and COBOL. I was quickly placed in a well paying position. And started on a career that I am very satisfied with. Several years later I came back to teach. And when I did leave Chubb in the mid 80's was director of their Advanced Training Center. Back then it was a very good school. That could be credited with providing many of Northern New Jersey's best and brightest IT folks. But upon reading this, and many of the other complaints I see on the web, it is obvious that it is not the same Chubb it once was. Which is quite sad. Because recently retired, I owe just about everything I have to Chubb. And from what I see I would not realize the same benefit if I were in the position of starting now. Very sad.

I am a former employee of High Tech Institute (not the same one Phil is attending) and my main responsibility was to find jobs for graduates. I quit after just 3 months because I felt that while I was helping students in my capacity, the school had lied to them from the very start. I did not want to be affiliated in any way with such an unethical, profit driven, scam-oriented company. This is in no way a personal attack-- I just feel the need to let potential victims know the truth. The worst part about the whole scam is the false promise of a well paid "career" upon graduation. I can attest first hand that this is in no way even close to true. Phil mentioned the horror stories of job placement at places like Compuserve. When I worked there, that would be considered a huge success. All technical schools have to maintatin a placement percentage set by state laws, and since the admissions people let anyone in because their own jobs depend on those numbers, the quality of students graduating the program is less than employable. Then, to maintain high placement numbers in order to keep the school open under the law, the placement office scrambles to get any job to count, which means that you will probably work in retail. Employers do not take technical school grads seriously, and computer jobs like the ones that High Tech promised you are ONLY AVAILABLE TO THOSE WITH BACHELOR DEGREES. Do not let them tell you otherwise. Don't take my word for it-- call up any company you want to work for and ask what kind of qualifications they require. Ask them if they even know what a certificate or associates degree means for that field. Additionally, if you enter any graphic design program, your placement will not be a real job. It will be you filling out a form that says you consider yourself a contractor and are self employed. Then, you are ticked off High Tech's employment list and it won't matter if you have $20,000 in debt and are completely unemployable. Also, for any other program, do your research on what this so-called career pays you. I handled the Medical Assistant program's placement, and the average pay rate was $9.00 an hour. With $20,000 plus in debt and $9/hr, you will be declaring bankruptcy in no time. To sweeten the surprise: no education is required for becoming a medical assistant. Most MA's end up answering phones in an office next to a high schooler working her after school job. There is no substitute for hard work, brains, and motivation. High Tech promises an easy education that leads to a career without any of this. Haven't you ever heard the saying "if it's too good to be true, then it probably is"? This is the case. Don't allow yourself to be a victim of this scam!

I am a former employee of High Tech Institute (not the same one Phil is attending) and my main responsibility was to find jobs for graduates. I quit after just 3 months because I felt that while I was helping students in my capacity, the school had lied to them from the very start. I did not want to be affiliated in any way with such an unethical, profit driven, scam-oriented company. This is in no way a personal attack-- I just feel the need to let potential victims know the truth. The worst part about the whole scam is the false promise of a well paid "career" upon graduation. I can attest first hand that this is in no way even close to true. Phil mentioned the horror stories of job placement at places like Compuserve. When I worked there, that would be considered a huge success. All technical schools have to maintatin a placement percentage set by state laws, and since the admissions people let anyone in because their own jobs depend on those numbers, the quality of students graduating the program is less than employable. Then, to maintain high placement numbers in order to keep the school open under the law, the placement office scrambles to get any job to count, which means that you will probably work in retail. Employers do not take technical school grads seriously, and computer jobs like the ones that High Tech promised you are ONLY AVAILABLE TO THOSE WITH BACHELOR DEGREES. Do not let them tell you otherwise. Don't take my word for it-- call up any company you want to work for and ask what kind of qualifications they require. Ask them if they even know what a certificate or associates degree means for that field. Additionally, if you enter any graphic design program, your placement will not be a real job. It will be you filling out a form that says you consider yourself a contractor and are self employed. Then, you are ticked off High Tech's employment list and it won't matter if you have $20,000 in debt and are completely unemployable. Also, for any other program, do your research on what this so-called career pays you. I handled the Medical Assistant program's placement, and the average pay rate was $9.00 an hour. With $20,000 plus in debt and $9/hr, you will be declaring bankruptcy in no time. To sweeten the surprise: no education is required for becoming a medical assistant. Most MA's end up answering phones in an office next to a high schooler working her after school job. There is no substitute for hard work, brains, and motivation. High Tech promises an easy education that leads to a career without any of this. Haven't you ever heard the saying "if it's too good to be true, then it probably is"? This is the case. Don't allow yourself to be a victim of this scam!

I am a former employee of High Tech Institute (not the same one Phil is attending) and my main responsibility was to find jobs for graduates. I quit after just 3 months because I felt that while I was helping students in my capacity, the school had lied to them from the very start. I did not want to be affiliated in any way with such an unethical, profit driven, scam-oriented company. This is in no way a personal attack-- I just feel the need to let potential victims know the truth. The worst part about the whole scam is the false promise of a well paid "career" upon graduation. I can attest first hand that this is in no way even close to true. Phil mentioned the horror stories of job placement at places like Compuserve. When I worked there, that would be considered a huge success. All technical schools have to maintatin a placement percentage set by state laws, and since the admissions people let anyone in because their own jobs depend on those numbers, the quality of students graduating the program is less than employable. Then, to maintain high placement numbers in order to keep the school open under the law, the placement office scrambles to get any job to count, which means that you will probably work in retail. Employers do not take technical school grads seriously, and computer jobs like the ones that High Tech promised you are ONLY AVAILABLE TO THOSE WITH BACHELOR DEGREES. Do not let them tell you otherwise. Don't take my word for it-- call up any company you want to work for and ask what kind of qualifications they require. Ask them if they even know what a certificate or associates degree means for that field. Additionally, if you enter any graphic design program, your placement will not be a real job. It will be you filling out a form that says you consider yourself a contractor and are self employed. Then, you are ticked off High Tech's employment list and it won't matter if you have $20,000 in debt and are completely unemployable. Also, for any other program, do your research on what this so-called career pays you. I handled the Medical Assistant program's placement, and the average pay rate was $9.00 an hour. With $20,000 plus in debt and $9/hr, you will be declaring bankruptcy in no time. To sweeten the surprise: no education is required for becoming a medical assistant. Most MA's end up answering phones in an office next to a high schooler working her after school job. There is no substitute for hard work, brains, and motivation. High Tech promises an easy education that leads to a career without any of this. Haven't you ever heard the saying "if it's too good to be true, then it probably is"? This is the case. Don't allow yourself to be a victim of this scam!

I am a former employee of High Tech Institute (not the same one Phil is attending) and my main responsibility was to find jobs for graduates. I quit after just 3 months because I felt that while I was helping students in my capacity, the school had lied to them from the very start. I did not want to be affiliated in any way with such an unethical, profit driven, scam-oriented company. This is in no way a personal attack-- I just feel the need to let potential victims know the truth. The worst part about the whole scam is the false promise of a well paid "career" upon graduation. I can attest first hand that this is in no way even close to true. Phil mentioned the horror stories of job placement at places like Compuserve. When I worked there, that would be considered a huge success. All technical schools have to maintatin a placement percentage set by state laws, and since the admissions people let anyone in because their own jobs depend on those numbers, the quality of students graduating the program is less than employable. Then, to maintain high placement numbers in order to keep the school open under the law, the placement office scrambles to get any job to count, which means that you will probably work in retail. Employers do not take technical school grads seriously, and computer jobs like the ones that High Tech promised you are ONLY AVAILABLE TO THOSE WITH BACHELOR DEGREES. Do not let them tell you otherwise. Don't take my word for it-- call up any company you want to work for and ask what kind of qualifications they require. Ask them if they even know what a certificate or associates degree means for that field. Additionally, if you enter any graphic design program, your placement will not be a real job. It will be you filling out a form that says you consider yourself a contractor and are self employed. Then, you are ticked off High Tech's employment list and it won't matter if you have $20,000 in debt and are completely unemployable. Also, for any other program, do your research on what this so-called career pays you. I handled the Medical Assistant program's placement, and the average pay rate was $9.00 an hour. With $20,000 plus in debt and $9/hr, you will be declaring bankruptcy in no time. To sweeten the surprise: no education is required for becoming a medical assistant. Most MA's end up answering phones in an office next to a high schooler working her after school job. There is no substitute for hard work, brains, and motivation. High Tech promises an easy education that leads to a career without any of this. Haven't you ever heard the saying "if it's too good to be true, then it probably is"? This is the case. Don't allow yourself to be a victim of this scam!

I was a part time evening instructor at The Chubb Institute for over 5 years. I did not teach at the same campus as Phil. Therefore, I did not have Phil as a student, nor do I know him. However, I have great sympathy for Phil, since he reminds me of the few really good, serious students I had at Chubb. Based on my observations as an insider, I believe what Phil is writing here to be true. In fact, I have no doubts that it is a true accounting of his experiences. Any prospective students would be very wise to heed his words. I could go on for many, many pages with my "observations" but I think Phil provides an excellent and truthful account. Suffice it to say, that I was an instructor who cared a great deal about my student's success. I could not go on teaching in that environment and maintain my personal integrity. I think that says it all. In my opinion, any prospective computer science students would be much better served by attending a 2-year community college and earning a Associates Degree. After earning the AS, I would try to get my foot in the door in any entry level computer job I could find. Once, you are employed in the field, I would suggest that you pursue a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science in the evening. If I were in the shoes of a prospective student I would avoid Chubb by any and all means possible. But, of course, that is my opinion, based on my 20 years of experience in the computer field and what I witnessed inside the walls of The Chubb Institute.

I have just spoken privately with Mr. O' Shea and offered him a personal appology. I really do feel horrible about what I wrote with regards to him. It was not true, and nothing founds that claim besides a small occurance which happened in class. I was at a loss of words while appologizing, half because i felt like a complete jerk, and half because I was nervous. It's hard to ask for someone's forgiveness. But again I'm sorry Mike and I fully take back the paragraph I wrote about you. It was a foolish mistake while I was venting my frustrations about Chubb. Hopefully we can put this behind us and have a normal student / teacher relationship because we're both good people who don't need or want any enemies.

I want to update this by saying i appologize for calling Mr. Mike O'Shea racist. I do not have proof of this allegation, it was just a claim by what took place in class. The students that appeared to be treated unfairly did not take the issue any further than outside of class, therefore i wish to take back my comment by updating this web site. AJ has read this ripoffreport and notified me that Daves parents have not taken the racist issue to the school so it is just an allogation and that I should update it accordingly. I am completely willing to do just that and update accordingly to any further changes.