DeVry: Worth it? - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

FanIn80 · 07-13-2009, 11:16 AM

Anyone have any first-hand experience with these guys?

By first hand, I mean people with DeVry degrees (not diplomas) who had to look for work afterward, and people on the other side who are doing the hiring...

My concern is I don't want to invest a pile of time and money into a degree from a place that is just going to get laughed at on my resume in 3-4 years from now.

GoinAllTheWay · 07-13-2009, 11:18 AM

I looked into the place a number of years ago. I dunno, something just didn't feel right. Felt like I was being sold something. Felt like being in a car dealership more so than a school. Even had to deal with at least half a dozen follow up phone calls from the guy I originally spoke to. Left with a bad taste in my mouth and never went back.

Doubt that is the kind of first hand experience you were looking for but that's all I got

photon · 07-13-2009, 11:19 AM

I never really had a problem with the degree, at least not that I know of.

After going through it, if I had had to pay for it myself, I would say I would have rather had gone to UofC or something like that. But I had a full tuition scholarship, so I figured if I didn't like it I could still go get a different degree.

FanIn80 · 07-13-2009, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

I looked into the place a number of years ago. I dunno, something just didn't feel right. Felt like I was being sold something. Felt like being in a car dealership more so than a school. Even had to deal with at least half a dozen follow up phone calls from the guy I originally spoke to. Left with a bad taste in my mouth and never went back.

Doubt that is the kind of first hand experience you were looking for but that's all I got

Well, they're a private school so they have to actively pitch to people. UofC, SAIT, MRC, etc are publicly-funded so they are half the cost and usually 4x applicants.

It's one of the reasons I'm looking at DeVry. I tried SAIT first, but the program I want to attend filled up in November, so I'd have to wait until Sept 2010 to go. If I have to wait that long, I'll end up not going. I'll be back making 50k by then.

FanIn80 · 07-13-2009, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

I never really had a problem with the degree, at least not that I know of.

After going through it, if I had had to pay for it myself, I would say I would have rather had gone to UofC or something like that. But I had a full tuition scholarship, so I figured if I didn't like it I could still go get a different degree.

Awesome. So you never really picked up on any kind of disdain or anything? I know schools can get reputations, I'm hoping DeVry doesn't have a bad one.

valo403 · 07-13-2009, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Well, they're a private school so they have to actively pitch to people. UofC, SAIT, MRC, etc are publicly-funded so they are half the cost and usually 4x applicants.

Well there are tons of private universities across the US and they don't actively pitch to people, they rely on their reputations. I've always been leery of places that have to convince you that they're credible.

As for hiring, I think it would be dependent on what field you're going into. If it's an area that Devry is pretty established in you might find that you're tying into a decent network of past graduates, but if it's a newer area it might be an uphill battle. I don't have any personal experience with Devry, but I've always found that the more you have to prove that your education is legitimate the less chance you have of being hired.

photon · 07-13-2009, 11:33 AM

It's been 15 years since I went so things may have changed, but I've never been told "Oh, DeVry..". But then again maybe they filter out my resume to begin with.

Back when I graduated I know that the big name companies that the grads were targeting to work for had positive attitudes and hired grads quite often. EDIT: This was in the electronics program.

Overall though I wish I had gone through CS at UofC, but the scholarship was hard to turn down at the time.

Since the entry requirements are lower, you start out a lot slower at DeVry, the first couple of trimesters are a laugh.

We started out with 40 or so, and out of that 3 graduated. So many people think they can just plop down their money and get a degree, they eventually have to learn the material...

Table 5 · 07-13-2009, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FanIn80

I know schools can get reputations, I'm hoping DeVry doesn't have a bad one.

It might not have a bad reputation, but it sure is used often in comedic circumstances/conversations. I guess it all depends on what you are going to study for, and the value you place on respect for a school (which isn't always worth it anyway), but if a name is important to you, you might want to look elsewhere or wait till 2010.

J pold · 07-13-2009, 11:35 AM

Yes it's a scam.

CaptainCrunch · 07-13-2009, 11:43 AM

I have a DeVry degree and I had no problem getting a well paying job coming out of school, they're career center is top notch and they work very hard to get their graduating students through the door.

The other thing that I did notice was that I was equally knowledgable on the job requirement skills as any graduate from Sait or the UofC, and at the time being able to go through a degree program in 2 years and 8 months and not having to waste my time on useless filler courses was a bonus to me.

I don't think its a scam, but they do have to work harder to enroll students.

Someone else posted that they have to start a lot simpler in the first few trimesters to get students up to speed and thats true, but the last couple of trimesters where you get into advanced subjects were brutally tough.

FanIn80 · 07-13-2009, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valo403

I don't have any personal experience with Devry, but I've always found that the more you have to prove that your education is legitimate the less chance you have of being hired.

Yes, exactly what I'm hoping to avoid.

I'd be attending their CIS program, with a major in Web Application Development. It culminates in a "Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems."

CaptainCrunch · 07-13-2009, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Yes, exactly what I'm hoping to avoid.

I'd be attending their CIS program, with a major in Web Application Development. It culminates in a "Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems."

Over the last few years I've volunteered with them to go in and judge their senior projects for final term students. I always make sure that I make the students sweat and earn their marks.

FanIn80 · 07-13-2009, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

It might not have a bad reputation, but it sure is used often in comedic circumstances/conversations. I guess it all depends on what you are going to study for, and the value you place on respect for a school (which isn't always worth it anyway), but if a name is important to you, you might want to look elsewhere or wait till 2010.

Yeah, I'm not too concerned about the name, per say. Not like the way someone from Harvard would be... my only concern is the guy filtering resumes going through the pile and saying "Oh look, another DeVry app..."

valo403 · 07-13-2009, 11:47 AM

It might be a good idea to talk to some of the employers you'd be hoping to work for, see if they will give you a candid assessment of Devry. It might be hard to get an honest opinion, but if you can get it that would certainly help.

photon · 07-13-2009, 11:48 AM

Heh, I loved the last few trimesters, "Now we're getting somewhere" I remember thinking, then being disappointed when it was all over.

The instructors were usually recently out of industry rather than academics, so that was good. But sometimes they were HORRIBLE teachers.

Yeah the career center was very good when I was there as well.

FanIn80 · 07-13-2009, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Over the last few years I've volunteered with them to go in and judge their senior projects for final term students. I always make sure that I make the students sweat and earn their marks.

Haha, awesome.

CaptainCrunch · 07-13-2009, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valo403

It might be a good idea to talk to some of the employers you'd be hoping to work for, see if they will give you a candid assessment of Devry. It might be hard to get an honest opinion, but if you can get it that would certainly help.

If your worried about that go talk to one of their career people and ask for a list of local companies that have hired graduates.

photon · 07-13-2009, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valo403

It might be a good idea to talk to some of the employers you'd be hoping to work for, see if they will give you a candid assessment of Devry. It might be hard to get an honest opinion, but if you can get it that would certainly help.

That's a good suggestion, if you know anyone at Critical Mass or something like that.

CaptainCrunch · 07-13-2009, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

Heh, I loved the last few trimesters, "Now we're getting somewhere" I remember thinking, then being disappointed when it was all over.

The instructors were usually recently out of industry rather than academics, so that was good. But sometimes they were HORRIBLE teachers.

Yeah the career center was very good when I was there as well.

I only had one bad instructor, but it was more over a textbook bone job then anything else.

For the most part the instructors that I had were very technically knowledgible, and unlike a lot of university professors would work very hard with you directly to make sure that you understand the curriculum and could keep up with the rest of the class.

photon · 07-13-2009, 11:59 AM

Yeah most were great, I only had two in important subjects that I would have said were very poor instructors.

I learn on the fly and if I pay attention in class and get to ask a few questions when I need, I don't have to study all that much. Whereas if I miss a class it'll take me hours and hours of reading to catch up, so a good instructor is important to me.

The worst one I had was for one a physics course that was part of the first few trimester "remedial" classes (as we called them). Man if I hadn't known physics from highs school, that class would have take me forever.