The other day I was doing a little research on companies that come up when you search for things like:
*Fast degree programs
*college for adults
*Distance learning
What stunned me was how many diploma mills there are. What is a diploma mill? A diploma mill is a company that sells a degree. Just like a paper mill manufactures paper a diploma mill manufactures college diplomas. The problem[spin] is that since they are based on nothing more than air they are essentially useless. They steal your money and give you a worthless piece of paper.
[spin]It interested me to see the tactics they used. Some were “accredited” by official sounding organizations. So after a little more web research it became clear that these organizations were definitely not legitimate. Since the organization wasn’t legitimate it is logical that the “school” was fake as well.
Others focused on the unique details of their diplomas. They bragged that their diplomas had a foil seal that was embossed. They bragged that they used high quality parchment with security watermarks. They talked about the transcripts printed on security paper. What they glossed over was the fact that these were counterfeit diplomas!
Some of these companies even have staff on hand to answer the phone if a perspective employer contacts them.
I know that people want a quick fix. It takes work to earn your degree (a lot if you don’t know the secrets and shortcuts). Most people are impatient and want something for nothing.
Earning your degree is important for most people.
It is a moment of profound pride. It gets you that promotion or raise. It helps you keep your job in a down economy. All in all it is something you should strive for. But it must be earned.
Don’t fall for their tricks
If you are tempted by these scams-diploma mills-be aware that you will most likely be caught. Employers are suspicious of colleges they don’t recognize. Several organizations keep blacklists of all know diploma mills. Human Resources Managers know the tricks and how to uncover fake education.
Knowing what to look for is the first step. Some common diploma mill (scam) traits are:
*Offering college degrees in weeks or days. Anything less that 12 months is suspicious. The fastest I’ve seen (he had two years of college already) was 6 months.
*Offering a college degree in exchange for money. This should go without saying…
*Basing your diplomaon “life experience.” Filling out a form or writing an essay isn’t going to get you real credit!
*Advertising how real their diploma look.
*Using official sounding accreditation organizations. This one is harder and takes a lot of research to uncover.
Brandt Smith is the co-founder of Education 2.0, and has over a decade of experience in helping people find flexible ways to earn their college degree. Education 2.0 understands that college for adults creates unique challenges. Go to Education 2.0 to learn more.
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