The slipknot of unemployment is waiting for you. The noose is swinging in trees all over the nation. The hooded henchmen are sitting in parlors with their party favors spread on their table of plenty. It is no longer a fight of good versus evil, or better versus best. We have been delivered into an era of survival of the fittest. A fit individual in today’s market is willing to be in the company of the most accomplished illusionists our nation has ever known.

We are captivated by illusions, and the powerful have delusions of grandeur. We cannot build a tomorrow on illusions or delusions. If we do not face the reality we are in, we will be like the reflections in carnival mirrors, distorted and grotesque. We are headed for a toxic future, if we do not unravel this nightmare.

My mind is splintered into a million pieces; I will become a splinter in the eye, a thorn in the side, or a seed for solving the riddle of this present world crisis. My soul is set to prime the well of our commitment to become an Army of David’s. We are not in a position to ignore the terror of this night.

I will not reconcile with evil. I will not burden my life with the hate that emanates from many that crown themselves for creating empty promises and legal slipknots for those that do not share their vision. If our morality is not congruent with our labor and our laws, we have entered the darkest part of our human history, where predators attack in the dark.

Unemployment is attacking our nation. It is a war. Many employers have taken advantage of these dark times by instilling fear into their employees. Some employers are monk eying with time clocks, and not abiding by the dictates of their own Employee Handbook. There seems to be no concern for maintaining ethics in today’s workplace.

I am extremely concerned about employers being able to dismiss an employee for no reason, just because they can. At will employment is a means to promote injustice in the work place. The employer can noose an employee for no reason...just because. Just because is not a good reason to destroy a person's ability to earn.

Often an employee may be dismissed for wanting to maintain ethics. Please note that ethics are most often separate from legal in today's world. Would you believe that ethics and legal are like oil and water. Can you see our forefather's spinning in their graves?

Following is a detailed account of how my former employer used very low entry test standards (Wonderlic scores) to attract students into their vocational school and qualify them for government loans/aide.

I am posting my concerns in an effort to demonstrate my freedoms and offer my blog readers an opportunity to offer their comments, concerns, and advice. I can think of no better way to serve my country, than to stand on this soap box and express these serious concerns.

I was employed with an Orange County vocational school for 16 months. I was dismissed on July 24, 2009 with no reason, just boxes to pack and leave. Within the 16 month period I was employed there, I contributed to the growth of all seven of their programs. I defined this position and set the groundwork in place for their new College Success Skills Center. My role was much more than academics.

Please note that although my job description stated I would be working closely with all programs and their staff, I was never part of program meetings. In fact, in my 16 months at this vocational school, I was never part of any discussion on the assessment of students.

This school has adopted an admission test standard that has been questionable since my entry. As a result of my role in the school, I have helped approximately 200 students become eligible for entry in to this College’s programs. I was hired to instruct 5th grade curriculum - that well over 1/3 of the students that come to the college have forgotten how to do (fractions, decimals, percentages, basic language skills).

I am very concerned that many students have become eligible for their vocational programs as the result of this College redefining the methods for using the Wonderlic (12-minute, 50 question) test .

The Wonderlic (12-minute, 50 question) test is typically given to high school graduates, but occasionally non-high school candidates have been admitted into this College programs, as a result of student misinformation.
This Orange County Vocational College does not use the time frame posted on the directions given for this test. They have adopted their own time frame: (Please note that in addition to their own time frame, they allow the student an opportunity to tutor for 1 ½ hours after failing test number one or two, and then allow the student to return to take it two more times – with a total of three tests, and then a six month period to repeat the test cycle).

This is the College time limit(s) and score(s) needed for the student to pass the Wonderlic 12-minute, 50 question test: (This test does not have a proctor; it is distributed and graded by this College’s front desk staff and financial aid)

• L.V.N. (Licensed Vocational Nurse) – one hour (often more)(With a final score of 22 correct out of 50)
• Massage Therapy – unlimited time (With a final score of 14 correct out of 50)
• Medical Billing & Coding – unlimited time (With a final score of 14 correct out of 50)
• Personal Fitness Training – unlimited time (With a final score of 14 correct out of 50)
• Pharmaceutical Technicians – one hour (often more) (With a final score of 22 correct out of 50)
• Surgical Technologists – unlimited time (With a final score of 22 correct out of 50)*

*Please note that approximately 1/3 of the students that become eligible and enter the surgical technology (one year diploma program) at this College, have not graduated from high school or completed a G.E.D. It is also noteworthy to understand that this school markets a free G.E.D. tutor program that does not exist in their school. I was told to tutor G.E.D. and then I was told to stop tutoring G.E.D. Again, no meetings, no questions, no comments, just roll them in to sign the dotted line. Unfortunately, many of these non-high school graduates are not successful in their program and/or have extreme difficulty being placed in a job after training at this College. Other vocational schools in the area offer a 1 ½ year surgical technology degree program that demands they have completed high school. These programs are competing for the same jobs – which one do you think is most likely to get the job? Which program would you choose?

The ATB (Ability to Benefit Test) was administered by a contracted proctor approved by Wonderlic. The time limits varied and exceeded the time limits posted on the test. In addition, the student’s tests were not read by a machine, the proctor had to submit the bubbled answers manually. Please note that the above mentioned proctor lost her ability to proctor with this College on the same week I was terminated.

Because I was never invited to meetings on education or accreditation, I am not aware of the standards set by these assessments and the student’s ability to be granted financial aid and government loans based on their entry scores.

Because of the enormous changes in the economy, this College is having great success in student interest in their college. As a result, they had over 70 students signed up and interested in their L.V.N. program when I was terminated on July 24, 2009. I was told the school was not to have more than 45 in a class, but it seems this College believes in letting them come in because they bank on many of them dropping in the first term. Many of these nursing students do not know they were on a waiting list.

In my last few weeks of employment with this school, the Admissions Director, did not allow me to do tutoring with select students (discriminatory). In addition, the Owners and Admissions Director did not like me to leave a paper trail or e-mail trail of student scores on the entry tests; they told me it was a waste of paper. I was always being directed to stop giving them my stats. Please note they didn’t want them, but I still gave them the statistics by e-mail and on hard-copy. They were well aware of how many students were coming into the school as a result of my excellent tutor skills.

I am equally concerned about data from this College’s (NET testing scores) that suggests many of the students that have entered, or are entering this College’s nursing program are extremely “at risk” for successfully completing their program in the 12 months posted by the school. Please note that many students in the L.V.N. program have taken multiple leaves of absence and have taken up to years to complete their programs (based on data I gathered during a student record search before I was dismissed). The student Net scores given to me on my entry into the school were in the range of 27 – 49 (at risk) – with their College’s posted average reportedly being a 56.

This College’s changes to their entry testing, changes the obvious, the ability to discern student success in some very expensive private college programs.

Please share your point of view with me. I am vested in understanding the peril of this nation’s sliding scale for college admission and the price tag for completing college coursework that leads to unemployment.

It is interesting to note that my former employer told the State of California that the reason for my termination was "It did not work out." Please note that if I helped 200 students become eligible for their college programs - that is approximately: 200 X $20,000 in their private school pocketbook. Does this sound like it didn't work out to you?

The noose swings.