Because we all know you cannot write about your employer….well perhaps until they are no longer your employer…which is the case for me. I am going to write about my employer…..after the fact. I spent 2,246 days of my life working for the U n i v e r s i t y of P h o e n i x …ie A p o l l o  G r o u p Inc. That equals 6 years, 1 month and 24 days. In that period of time I arrived with 0 credits and began earning a meager $9.50/hr. I chose to take a pay cut and begin the job because the company offers 100% free college tution. I was nearly newly minted a divorcee’ at the time and I needed to rebuild my life. So I set out on this huge journey to become a better person, both career wise and education wise.
I was working from 12:45 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. for several years as a Student Services Coordinator. This position was wrought with assisting new students, old students and basically all students in the art of computer usage, etc. etc. etc. Low these 2,246 days later it all feels like a big blur. But I do know this much. For every fantastic thing that the company culture offered, there was a drawback. I hate to dis any company because they are all full of both blessings and wonderful things and evil and nasty things combined for the most part. I both loved and despised my job. Depending on the day.Â
Things that I loved with all of my heart.
The inside corporate culture is amazing.Â
There is professional development program that is fantastic where you can spend countless hours doing nothing more than learning how to use excel, or improving one’s emotional intelligence, etc. I spent a whopping 350 hours of my corporate career there doing just that. And those hours were fantastically amazing in many ways. Chock full of videos and lectures and page after page of online information and knowledge.
Of course I spent nearly every one of my 2,246 day’s enrolled in college seeking a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and following that immediately up with the completion of a Master’s of Management degree. I left the company with a mere 2 weeks left in my last course to complete.  All paid for (minus resource fee’s on my part) by the company.
Things that were difficult to understand. The company gives you education but does not provide merit pay or any type of pay increase based upon your educational successes. IE: When I left my boss held no educational degree’s and made more money that I did, I could not advance and my educational successes did not merit any type of pay increase or in other words was not seen as a “value” to the company.
I have many many many opinions about for profit education and will only state my strongest one here.
For profit education means that someone is making money off of helping you gain your education. This means that you will gain a higher level of customer service and assistance regarding every aspect of your education. IE: that college and it’s representatives will hold your hand from enrollment to graduation. For profit colleges sometimes have a lower level of qualifications upon initial enrollment but you are not buying a degree nor will a piece of paper be placed in your hands if you cannot and do not achieve the workload yourself. NO ONE will do your coursework for you. For profit universities give the average person the opportunity to succeed and gain a degree. Often for profit colleges carry out courses online or in a ground campus where you can attend one night a week. This means you can maintain a full time job while you obtain your degree.
There that paragraph is not my entire opinion but there is a place for ”for-profit” colleges and I loathe people who disagree.  Just as I can buy a pair of shoes from Walmart and pay a lesser price or go to Zappos.com and invest in a pair of shoes, you should have the right and the ability to choose your own path towards education. This means that I believe having more than just one so called “traditional” way to gain education is valuable. Just as valuable as having more than one place to buy shoes is. Options…I think that’s imperative.
In the 2,246 day’s I was employed at U n i v e r s i t y of P h o e n i x I got many raises, one each year for every time I “met” or “exceeded” expectations on my annual reviews. Their review, employee coaching and HR policies are more than fair and benefits were generous in all ways. I had many vacation days, in fact I left with 4 weeks vacation in my profile for the following year.Â
Why did I leave? Opportunity. Pure and simple. Last week U n i v e r s i ty of P h o e n i x did a massive layoff and 4 people in the local area were laid off. Of those 4, 2 of the employees were employed there for roughly the same length of time I had been. They had not been at “meets or exceeds” on their past 2 reviews. So the company did layoff’s based upon performance, which in my opinion makes them fantastic. They could have cut based upon tenure and that just isn’t fair. It’s not fair to dump a newer employee who’s doing a fantastic job and keep a tenured employee who is tanking in performance.
These layoff’s made me sad.
They also made me happy that I pushed through my fear and moved on. I am proud of my education and I challenge anyone who thinks going to a “for profit” school like U n i v e r s i ty of P h o e n i x means that your education is less valued or not as good. Each course that grants you 3 credits happens over the course of 5 wks in your undergrad and 6 weeks in your graduate program. It’s accelerated and it’s not easy. Being a “P h o e n i x” changed my life, both professionally and educationally.
I am working as an associate registrar at another school. Not so well known, one that insists that their employees have education. They won’t hire you without at least a Bachelors and they do pay considerably more if you have your Master’s. They too offer tuition benefits, but it is not 100% like at U n i v e r s i ty of P h o e n i x. I am considering a PhD program, but at this point only considering it.
When I began working at U n i v e r s i ty of P h o e n i x in August of 2004, I was a vastly different girl. I will always be a “P h o e n i x” because the company and my education greatly changed me. While I had many annimosities about things I felt were not fair and while I see them making changes that sadden me in an attempt to renew themselves in the local area, I will always love the company because they swept into the trainwreck that was my life at the perfect time and provided me with structure, support, education and a buttload of years of valuable experience and friendships a’plenty.
I currently am working with my bud Chad from U n i v e r s i ty of P h o e n i x day’s and one of my former bosses also works at my current employer. In addition my current boss obtained his education via the U n i v e r s i ty of P h o e n i x train as well. It’s a nice place to be, a step further in my career.Â
My new job….much like one of my old positions at U n i v e r s i ty of P h o e n i x only I get paid a lot lot more. Money is not everything. But growing as a person. Moving from someone with very little to rely upon in life, constant fear via living from paycheck to paycheck….to being this girl. The one that wears business suits and drives pretty smoking hot car….gosh it is sweet. Sweeter because I worked hard for it. But despite many years of not always agreeing with what my bosses at U n i v e r s i ty of P h o e n i x did or said or how they treated me and others…..the company and a certain Mr. S p e r l i n g who started that amazing college….life changing for me.Â
I am very proud of the 6 years, 1 month and 24 day’s that I spent there. My current very best friend….met there. My current boss….also groomed there. My how I have changed and been blessed by U n i v e r s i ty of P h o e n i x. It’s impossible to put into words. despite the crappy boss that I don’t miss…despite the challenges, the moments of frustration and the lack of opportunity for me to go to the next level and feeling stunted….they were just awesome. I used to work 12:30 to 10:15 when I started. I held 3 different positions within my time there. I lost two of those positions to restructuring. I went daylight twice and was bumped back down to the nightshift twice. I was bumped to a different location father from home once. I was then bumped back to my original location. I spent nearly all of my time with the company working on Sat. mornings. I sat in nearly every cubicle they had, had 5 different bosses, the worst one twice. God she was awful. She once yelled at me and told me I was too stupid to find a key, yet I was earning a 3.97 in my graduate program at the time. She taught me all the things I will never be….when one day I am a boss.
But despite the above things, those 53,904 hours there…..working for A p o l l o G r o u p…..they were nothing less than fucking amazing. I’m not sorry I left. I love my new job. I love my new boss. I love my new crew of students and activities and the Dean where I am is amazing…the building and the cleaness of everything. I love it all. But those day’s working for U n i v e r s i ty of P h o e n i x….getting my education. They just were amazing. They were a journey and a fun one at that. My facebook is chockful of other former and current P h o e n i x’s and I’m happy to know all of them. I’m glad to be somewhere using everything I learned there in my time. I’m happy to be continuing to move forward in the education world as my career.
I also love my new car Zippy the Honda Civic….and my paychecks no longer look like receipts. Life is good. Thank you A p o l l o!
Disclaimer: If you come tell me my education is worthless I’ll show you my pre-education paychecks versus my current ones and laugh. If you think there’s no place for for-profit education might I remind you that now the local Community College is advertising because they are losing enrollment’s by leaps and bounds. If you tell me a Harvard education or an Ivy League school education is better, I won’t argue because I have no real clue if that is true or not. lol If you want me to dis for profit education because of some stupid story you’re doing about how it rips off students…don’t bother to ask me. I won’t. Consumers have many many choices, and they should choose what is best for them. I did and I don’t regret it.
Also when I left A p o l l o it wasn’t purely for more money. In the six years I worked there my pay definitely increased a lot. I wasn’t doing too bad when I left. I also had 4 weeks vacation, great health insurance and countless other perks. I miss some of them. It was for opportunity and to get away from that boss I was told to “manage up”. uh no thanks…..she just wasn’t management material nor educated. If you think anyone can manage…you’re wrong.