CC "hard sell." Is this normal?

[Wahoo Redux]

So, about a week ago I emailed the general contact email for our local community college asking about the cost of a basket weaving certificate.  That was it----I simply asked for an estimated cost for their trade program.

A couple of days later I received an auto-response with a link stating that I needed to fill out an online form before I would hear from their registrar. 

Okay.  I hadn't heard that this was the process of simple query, but I decided I would go along with it (maybe they were surveying for some government requirement?).

The form required all my basic info, including SSN for some reason.

The rest of the week passed and then the weekend, and this afternoon I received the following two emails:

Dear Wahoo,

Congratulations on accelerating your career at Monster Island Community College. Your application has been approved. Once you complete the payment you will be registered for the course(s). The information provided in this email will help you gain access to the MICC Student Portal and process your payment (if applicable).

And:

Good Afternoon Wahoo,

Thank you for your interest in Monster Island Community College's Basket Weaving Program offered through our Workforce Career Accelerator Department.

You have applied to the Basket Weaving Career Accelerator program at Monster Island Community College.  The demand for Basket Weavers is increasing in numerous industries, including construction, manufacturing, natural gas, power generation, and utilities. Workers who possess basic skills for basket weaving can easily shift from one industry to another depending on where they are needed most.

Currently, there are hundreds of open jobs for Basket Weavers in the region. You can help fill these positions by getting the in-demand training and skills needed for a career in basket weaving. Reach out to Monster Island to discuss our multiple pathways to becoming a certified Basket Weaver.

Courses are designed to have multiple entrance and exit points, earning stackable credentials along the way. Flexible scheduling means that the courses will have the least impact to your existing personal life. Short term training with life changing results. Monster Island has a newly created basket weaving lab with the latest equipment covering all forms of beast weaving. All basket weaving programs at Monster Island provide the skill preparation required for BWWS and other industry certifications. Led by an BWWS Certified Basket Weaving Instructor (BWE/BWI), our instructors come from various industries with a broad range of experience in the basket weaver field. Learn the skills needed to become a successful basket weaver at a top company near you.

This feels like the time we bought bookshelves at a closeout sale and the salesman simply kept adding furniture to the sale we didn't ask for (and did not take).

Is this a usual practice to just enroll someone who queries about the cost of a program?  Do we always have the sales pitch with "acceptance" letter?

[Mobius]

Dickinson State in North Dakota used to do this with workshops. This and issues awarding degrees to international students who couldn't speak a much English led to the president getting fired and a dean committing suicide on campus when the report detailing what happened came out.

[kaysixteen]

OK, you wanna tell us what trade the CC program really is for, the better to ascertain the accuracy of its claims about the career prospects appartaining thereto?

[Langue_doc]

Wahoo R, I would forward the email to the president/accrediting organizations and other admins to ask them if this is how they recruit students, and if so this practice sounds borderline fraudulent. If this is a state-funded CC, then also include the elected rep for that region in your email.

[apl68]

Dickinson State in North Dakota used to do this with workshops. This and issues awarding degrees to international students who couldn't speak a much English led to the president getting fired and a dean committing suicide on campus when the report detailing what happened came out.

Had to look that up.  Apparently there were complaints about them turning into a "diploma mill" for overseas students, when they couldn't convince local high school graduates to go to college during the last oil boom.  I can see how a desperate institution might get sucked into that.  Sounds like "Monster Island" has at least been taking some concerning steps in that direction.

[Wahoo Redux]

OK, you wanna tell us what trade the CC program really is for, the better to ascertain the accuracy of its claims about the career prospects appartaining thereto?

Welding. 

There are some jobs locally according to Indeed, etc.

[Wahoo Redux]

Wahoo R, I would forward the email to the president/accrediting organizations and other admins to ask them if this is how they recruit students, and if so this practice sounds borderline fraudulent. If this is a state-funded CC, then also include the elected rep for that region in your email.

Jeepers!

I had actually thought this might be an article in a local newspaper...and that I could write it...but...

This school has been in some trouble recently.

[Mobius]

University in the news again as the president pushed to change state law regarding tenure in the state legislature to make it easier to fire tenured professors. Several programs on chopping block. It's a small place with about 1,400 students. Beautiful part of North Dakota, though.

https://www.inforum.com/news/dickinson-state-proposes-elimination-of-14-positions-6-programs-to-balance-budget

Dickinson State in North Dakota used to do this with workshops. This and issues awarding degrees to international students who couldn't speak a much English led to the president getting fired and a dean committing suicide on campus when the report detailing what happened came out.

Dickinson State in North Dakota used to do this with workshops. This and issues awarding degrees to international students who couldn't speak a much English led to the president getting fired and a dean committing suicide on campus when the report detailing what happened came out.

Had to look that up.  Apparently there were complaints about them turning into a "diploma mill" for overseas students, when they couldn't convince local high school graduates to go to college during the last oil boom.  I can see how a desperate institution might get sucked into that.  Sounds like "Monster Island" has at least been taking some concerning steps in that direction.

Had to look that up.  Apparently there were complaints about them turning into a "diploma mill" for overseas students, when they couldn't convince local high school graduates to go to college during the last oil boom.  I can see how a desperate institution might get sucked into that.  Sounds like "Monster Island" has at least been taking some concerning steps in that direction.

[AvidReader]

OK, you wanna tell us what trade the CC program really is for, the better to ascertain the accuracy of its claims about the career prospects appartaining thereto?

Welding. 

There are some jobs locally according to Indeed, etc.

Welding is my fourth fallback. If you take the course, I'd love to know how it goes!

AR.

[apl68]

We have a high school welding program done in conjunction with the local vo-tech school.  They produce a promising batch of students each year.  It's a real benefit to young people with little academic bent, perhaps little support of any kind at home, who are looking to find a direction in life.  The teacher who heads the program provides mentoring as well as technical skills.

Each year the teacher exhibits examples of welded sculptures that the students have produced.  They show an impressive combination of technical skill and creativity.  The students are usually not very articulate or at ease in front of people as they present their work.  But you can see their pride in what they do.

[Wahoo Redux]

OK, you wanna tell us what trade the CC program really is for, the better to ascertain the accuracy of its claims about the career prospects appartaining thereto?

Welding. 

There are some jobs locally according to Indeed, etc.

Welding is my fourth fallback. If you take the course, I'd love to know how it goes!

AR.

The certificate program itself looked good enough---two semesters, $5K basic / $7K advanced. Local technical colleges want $15K for what looks like the same deal.

There are welder jobs, and they pay about what a fulltime college lecturer would make ($32 - $45K a year).

This career does strike me as something ripe for AI to pick in a decade or less, however.