Degreed And Jobless, For-Profit College Graduate Turns To Stripping

After graduating from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Carrianne Howard hoped to find a job in the video game industry.

She did -- kind of. For $12 an hour, she worked as a recruiter for video game companies. And then her position was eliminated. So now, she's working as a stripper.

According to Bloomberg, Howard spent $70,000 on her degree from the for-profit Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, the parent company of which is owned in part by Goldman Sachs. She told Bloomberg that upon a pre-enrollment visit to the school, a campus tour guide "made it sound like [she] was going to make hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Howard's story is not entirely unique -- and experiences like hers are driving the government's investigation into the efficacy and recruiting practices of for-profit colleges.

This week, a Government Accountability Office report detailed how for-profit recruiters often promise potential students unobtainable jobs and high salaries, and tell them to lie to procure more federal financial aid.

At a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on the report Wednesday, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) slammed for-profit institutions, saying that the report made it "disturbingly clear that abuses in for-profit recruiting are not limited to a few rogue recruiters or even a few schools with lax oversight."

In July, the Education Department put forth a set of regulations for for-profit colleges that would force them to prove that they placed students in worthy jobs after graduation and that their students were able to pay down debt.

Some officials in opposition to the regulations say they will make college less accessible. According to the Associated Press, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) called them "a surprisingly wacky proposal."

What do you think of the regulations? Join the discussion below.

Comments

[dbmetzger]

07:34 PM on 09/29/2010

Rising College Costs Collide With Aspirations
Sending a child off to college often takes more than good grades and a big check these days. More than ever, it can mean compromising on school choice or a mountain of debt - or both
http://www.newslook.com/videos/252836-rising-col lege-costs-collide-with-aspirations?autoplay=true

[jessica Simmonds]

06:52 AM on 08/31/2010

I think Howard did well...She will realise that the State education does not give her the job and security she needs. If she was led to believethat was the case, then she should hav done moe research. At least now she is going to learn what real life is like nd not rely on being told what to do as a career pathfrom people who are likely to benefit

I know being a stripper will give her the life experience she needs
And will teach her some great sales techniques...have a look - http://strippertipsblog.com/stripper-tips-sales-class/

Good luck to her

[SmokingJoe]

10:53 AM on 09/21/2010

Um did you read the article? It wasn't a state education, it was a for-profit fleecing...

[Emily Baldwin]

02:02 AM on 08/27/2010

She could just pay her loan with credit cards and then stop payment on the credit cards... the credit card companies will try to settle. She can threatened to declare bankruptcy if they don't restore her credit score with the settlement... then, if they don't comply, she can declare Chapter 7 and clear her student loans forever.

[Emily Baldwin]

02:04 AM on 08/27/2010

Take them ALL down girl! Its not just colleges, Sallie Mae is a scam! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7OHrVKNIvw

[Golden Child]

01:12 PM on 08/11/2010

I think college nowadays is a big gamble. There's no telling whether your desired field of work will be hiring anyone four years from now. Also, if you live in an economically depressed area of the country, having the fanciest degree will not help get a job in your home state or allow you move to a recession proof area. If you don't know anybody or don't have any connections, you probably won't get a job either.

As far a starting your own business, I think the Koreans have always had the right idea. Korean immigrants always pour all their money and savings into starting recession proof businesses like liquor stores, mini markets, deli's and take out food spots. People are always going to have to eat and want to drink beer and liquor in every neighborhood in the country. Investing your money into starting a video game company is most likely to be a huge flop considering al the big name companies out there who will eat you alive.

What I think is wrong with current educated American labor market is that they actually don't produce anything useful. Why is it that in America today engineering new iphone applications and new ways for teenagers to text message is more important than actually bringing back manufacturing to the United States? Oh, that's right all manufacturing was shipped overseas so corporate fat cats could be billionaires instead of millionaires.

[Stmugrad]

05:12 AM on 08/10/2010

These places are all scams that WE ALL pay for when they get FAFSA money. University of the Phoenix degrees are worthless to most employers but are still allowed to get federal student loan money

[topguide]

01:54 AM on 08/10/2010

"Howard spent $70,000 on her degree from the for-profit Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, the parent company of which is owned in part by Goldman Sachs"

The end result of tax payer subsidized loans to unqualified "students" for the benefit of private investors whose only goal is to line their own pockets. Yet another data point in the systematic collapse of the great American economy.

[cybexg]

07:27 PM on 08/09/2010

Several years ago, I managed a LARGE IT dept. for an international corporation (1st - 2nd career depending on your definition). I had a female employee that suffered from a disease that required expensive procedures. Even though our medical plan was pretty good, she still built up a huge debt due to medical expenses. She started stripping to pay the medical expenses (her illness made her very lean but she was naturally very busty).

I never made any comment nor did I ever think less of her (she did her job well, that's all I could ask). Sadly, some of the other executives found out and did occasionally make comments. I see NOTHING wrong with this woman choosing to pay her bills through stripping.

[Brooke Steele]

08:54 AM on 08/10/2010

If all she *wanted* to do was strip, it wouldn't require a degree and a $70k debt.

[cybexg]

11:01 AM on 08/10/2010

why are you having such a hard time with this concept. She is stripping now, that doesn't mean that stripping is her preferred occupation.

Seriously, either try to reason before commenting or don't comment

[Emily Baldwin]

01:27 AM on 08/27/2010

You know what, I think what we are all learning through this recession is that life can be HARD and we are in no place to judge because we could be there too. Id rather see someone do that that claim bankruptcy dont you think?

[HeyHeyNow]

07:16 PM on 08/09/2010

First of all, there's nothing wrong with being a stripper, it pays REALLY WELL, a sign that not everyone is impacted by the recession and people are always willing to pay for erotic entertainment and always will. Monetizing your sexuality is not immoral, in my view, and is only demeaning when one is doing it because they have no CHOICE.

She does have a choice and she's choosing stripping because it is simply the best paying job out there. She's smart to monetize what she has. Hopefully she's saving that money as well as putting it to her loans.

School loans suck and the whole system is criminal and barbaric.

[AbysmalParadox]

07:13 PM on 08/09/2010

This is old news, she's lucky to be attractive enough to strip or model. Everyone except the beautiful women end up involved in drugs, online scams, slave wage jobs, the military.

Only the stupid kids attempt to pay them back. Once in, immediately you realize its a trap, but you were too young to know better. Not that you could possibly pay them back with their sneaky shape-shifing interest rates.

People fail to realize these are hardworking intelligent individuals your putting out of options. Don't make that mistake and stay in your element. You don't have to fear strippers. Everyone else has no problem learning to paint with your blood in the streets. We had the training.

[Vanessa Belle]

06:58 PM on 08/09/2010

So she couldn't find another job and she had to become a stripper?

There are young beautiful educated women all over the U.S. and Canada who can't find jobs in their field or find jobs out of university or college that meet their salary expectations but don't go into stripping.

Please give me a break.

[HeyHeyNow]

07:18 PM on 08/09/2010

I bet they would if they weren't hamstrung by their false sense of morality. It pays really well for the most par. We need to stop demonizing women who choose to monetize their sexuality.

[AbysmalParadox]

07:21 PM on 08/09/2010

AI is particularly skilled at trapping people in a hopeless situation

[BocaMom]

04:55 PM on 08/09/2010

It's sad, but this what happen when you have a lack of leadership in Washington. The Administration and Congress don't have a clue on how to fix the economy and put 20 million Americans back to work, let alone the new crop of graduates. Meanwhile, millions of Americans are losing their homes, life saving and small businesses. That's the real story!

[steve4851]

05:17 PM on 08/09/2010

No, the real story is that the For-Profit "Higher Education" took off under the Bush and the GOP because student loans were back by the federal government/taxpayers. T At the same time Bush and the GOP had no interest in any regulaation. These guys are no better than the subprime crooks.

The GOP party of no has been dragging its feet on approving appointments and making changes so it can protect these crooks.

If the people want to fix the economy and put people back to work they would stop shopping at WalMart so corporation quickly got the message to bring the jobs or keep the merchandise. If you want the economy fixed vote more Republicans out in November.

[Absolon]

07:03 PM on 08/09/2010

Right. Like McCain and Palin would have those 20 million in any jobs but minimum wage.

[StopMakingSense2]

04:55 PM on 08/09/2010

Well at least she's pulling her self up by her G strings. Great poster child for the republicans you think? So when Americans do all the right things and the invisible hand of the free market remains invisible people should just be left to die in the streets?

[graffitijoe]

07:33 AM on 08/09/2010

Is she tring to say being a stripper is a bad thing?

[StopMakingSense2]

04:55 PM on 08/09/2010

She has my blessing.

[Iceman11]

07:05 AM on 08/09/2010

I think if you major in Art at any college, and don't have an advanced degree, you are going to have a hard time finding work. DUH. What kind of job did she think she was going to find ?

[HeyHeyNow]

07:13 PM on 08/09/2010

Duh... having an art degree in 2010 is not what it was in the 70's. Look around you, we're surrounded constantly by the work of Art majors. It's a very solid degree to have in the age of graphic design, web design, animation, marketing, communications, TV, Film, illustrations, etc.

[FaceReality2]

04:49 AM on 08/09/2010

Ain't capitalism great? Prospective students of for-profit colleges should be warned that the colleges will say anything to get their tuition money. But, like the warning on cigarette packages that smoking causes lung cancer, that should be obvious.