PT Barnum Is Alive and Well
I always felt a sign of true intelligence was grasping the concept that we are never as smart as we think we are. Building on that, a favorite adage is that, "You don't know what you don't know until you know it." That is, until you've paid your dues and REALLY have a clue, you can't be sure of anything--a pretty important thing to keep in mind when you're talking about your future livelihood.
If anyone remembers how I struggled to pick a tumor registry course, it wasn't easy--and I still can't swear I've picked the best one. Time and the fruits of my labors will provide the proof one way or another. There still isn't a clear location online to get answers, even at the national organization's level. I am operating under the assumption that the field is still in its relative infancy (at least as far as online presence) and these gaps will eventually be filled in. For now, the only way to proceed was to try to find someone--anyone--who had successfully completed any of these courses and could vouch for the fact that they were indeed prepared to sit for certification and get a job. Oddly enough, I've been assured repeatedly that even employers don't have a clue about which graduates they prefer. All that matters is that you sit for your exam as soon as possible because that is the key item they look for.
You have to understand where I come from to know why this still leaves me feeling a bit shaky. Yes, I'm really, really enjoying my current course and I feel more confident every week that I'm going to do okay. However, I'm coming from the world of transcription--once bitten, twice shy--where accreditation and endorsements don't necessarily mean diddly. To my vision, money is responsible for weaseling around and relaxing criteria after the first two schools set an impossible standard. Once you declare a matchbook school on a par with M-TEC and Andrews, the whole thing loses credibility--except to the people who most need to benefit. What--you mean it's not like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval?
Yeah, everyone's probably sick of me harping on this. I'm sick of having to say it. You get numb after seeing the same story acted out endlessly. Gullible SAHM falls for slick sales pitch and appears on the message boards asking about the bogus course they've chosen and after being pointed to the real deal, end up declaring they've decided to save some money and go cheap because, gosh darn it, they want it badly enough and will study hard enough to make up the difference. Besides, that other student forum is so "nice" and not at all mean and negative like the nasty folk in the real world, who seem obsessed with spelling errors and raining on everyone's parade. After a few dozen of these, you feel a bit inclined to toss out the crusader costume and just let people suffer the consequences of their ignorance. Caveat emptor!
Probably 90% of the time, these people don't really want an answer, they want someone to validate the lousy choice they've already made. Like any other successful cult, they've been dazzled by what they wanted to hear and poisoned against anyone who will tell them otherwise. Working MTs are obviously bitter, nasty, anal retentives who are just worried about all those new grads ready to steal their jobs, right? Don't let the crusty exteriors fool you; we're more like the weary mom who just once wants to be taken at her word without having to test consequences yourself. Don't run with scissors. That burner is hot. Avoid strangers with candy. If it sounds too good to be true, you can bet it is.
Like carneys who follow the sun, we've apparently hit a peak recently where a new crop of rubes are obviously victim to some familiar scams. One school has the lovely opportunity to become a "partner" for the school. All you need to do is make your own website about the wonderful career you've embarked upon (almost), parrot the sales pitch to draw in a few more victims, and lead them clickety click through the school's banner to their website, where they, too, will be dazzled by the love and join up. In return, you get a kickback for every clickthrough and a referral bonus for everyone who signs up. These "you can be an MT like me" sites are multiplying. Gee, why even finish the course? This is easy money!
Another school has a seriously bad reputation, thanks to their self-described "guerilla marketing" tactics, affectionately known as the MTACKY approach. Owner, minions, and students alike swarmed the internet, posting about their "terrific" school at every opportunity--if there was a message board, you could almost count on someone interjecting MT into the discussions. Didn't matter if it was a travel board, cake decorating, religion (boy, that's a rich fishing hole!), parenting, pets, scrapbooking, WAHMs (another goldmine), vacation time shares, or even taking up real estate on the AAMT site. Gotta get your quota of posts in. Heck, when things were slow, the owners even registered multiple identities and conversed with themselves. Only problem was that they also did so on actual transcription message boards and the whole thing blew up in their faces. Sadly, they apparently seem to feel enough time has passed and MTville has a faulty rememberer because in the past week, I have seen a resurgence of googly-eyed recruits trying to talk up this great course and entice others to follow them down the garden path.
Even the legendary Trans-SCAM is still in business, an offshore company promising you can learn on the job with them and when they feel you're ready, will offer you a paying job. Only problem is that they charge you up to $400 for their mandatory software--which often doesn't work and for which they don't provide support--and you NEVER graduate to a paying job. You aren't learning, you're simply providing them with free labor. Your time as an indentured servant doesn't even count as job experience for a real MTSO. Despite all the bad publicity, hardly a week goes by that some neophyte doesn't stumble in and ask about the wonderful job offer they got from these people. Gee, I hope you clicked the link--the mommy with child reclining on the sofa just gives me the warm fuzzies, even if I can't figure out how she can drive that foot pedal with her enormous slippers. *grin*
I can't say it enough: An endorsement doesn't mean squat if it doesn't come from verifiable success, To my vision, that means a graduate who's been in the field for at least a couple of years and can honestly tell you if they were truly prepared. A good course doesn't need to advertise, doesn't need a sweetheart deal with certain employers, doesn't need hotel seminars, infomercials, tuition or "affiliate" kickbacks, and it most certainly doesn't involve coughing up your own precious savings for the "privilege" of working for them for free. Most importantly of all, a mere student is not qualified to swear you will be spending your tuition money well if you slap on the rose-colored glasses and join them in Stepford. It's human nature to root for your home team and to want to believe you've not made a mistake yourself, but being in the middle of a course--even a good one--does not make you an expert, just an optimist. I can say I have never seen a graduate of the top two MT courses declare they'd made a mistake--something none of the other courses can claim.
When you are talking about forking over a huge chunk of your savings--or even worse, money you have to borrow--you owe it to yourself to be honest about it. Don't choose based on what you WANT to hear. Base your decision on what your research tells you is the wisest investment. Factor in not only the up-front cost, but what's included (real teachers and texts?), what you will need to supplement (current, professional reference books?), and whether working graduates wholeheartedly attest to the fact they were ready to dive into the deep end with the bitter, old veterans. Will your investment mean you know as much as possible, or are you going to continue to pay for years because you're incapable of earning your real potential?
Stepford may be a wonderful place to go to school, but I promise you it isn't representative of what's out there in the real world. Besides, if you can't handle the truth from a few crusty veterans, you'll never survive your first week of QA on the job--especially if you know a fraction of what other graduates already know.
The ability to research is a crucial skill in transcription, and a healthy dose of skepticism doesn't hurt when picking any training.