I recently decided to go back to school to get my associate's in graphic design. I'm only taking two classes my first semester, one of which is an online course. I go and buy the book, return home, and take it out of the shrink-wrap to do the first week's assignments ... and discover that it's nothing more than unbound black-and-white printouts of the online material from blackboard. There are even marks on the corners of some of the pages from where they used to be stapled together.
THIS COST ME $168.
I'd *really* like to get my money back, but I don't see how. Clearly the professor, the bookstore, the school administration, or some combination are screwing me over, and since they already have my money they have no incentive to return it. Any advice for who I could talk to about this?
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I recently decided to go back to school to get my associate's in graphic design. I'm only taking two classes my first semester, one of which is an online course. I go and buy the book, return home, and take it out of the shrink-wrap to do the first week's assignments ... and discover that it's nothing more than unbound black-and-white printouts of the online material from blackboard. There are even marks on the corners of some of the pages from where they used to be stapled together.
THIS COST ME $168.
I'd *really* like to get my money back, but I don't see how. Clearly the professor, the bookstore, the school administration, or some combination are screwing me over, and since they already have my money they have no incentive to return it. Any advice for who I could talk to about this?
Aren't stores legally required to have a return policy?
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We have laboured long to build a heaven, only to find it populated with horrors.
Maybe, but I took it out of the shrink-wrap. If I hadn't I wouldn't have known how they'd ripped me off.
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Jodah, Archmage Eternal
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Gix, Phyrexian Praetor
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Elspeth Returned
Crucius the Mad
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Go back to the store to try to return it.
If you don't mind lying, say you got the wrong book if it makes you feel better.
You can rent books off amazon or couresmart
With college bookstores they generally pay less than 30% of the sales price when they buy it back from you
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pucatrade
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beta time walk
4 goyfs received
3 liliana of the veil
4 karn liberated
3 force of will
4 grove of the burnwillows
snapcaster mage
3 horizon canopy
2 full art damnation
I feel you brother. Education is valuable, but like any human endeavor it is prone to being corrupted by greedy people. Texts for college courses in general are an extreme rip off. There are basically NO regulations of any kind in the area. While I've never had this particular problem happen to me I have payed huge amounts of cash for books that I could buy off Amazon for 1/4 the total price. However, from my experience if you go back to the bookstore and put on your angry face you can usually make them submit and give you back your money. Obviously don't threaten or use violence (I'm not advocating that) against anyone, but have some composure stand tall and speak very clearly and make your aggravation known and they will usually cave and refund you all or part of the cost.
I guess I would say, "Welcome to the racket that is higher education textbooks!"
Go to the bookstore and try to get your money back, so far it seems like you haven't even tried this yet. When I was in college, the bookstore would give full refund for the first couple of weeks, up until the last day the school allowed people to drop classes without penalty. Your school's bookstore's policy may vary, but you could do some research on what exactly their policy is, then exploit it to get as much back as possible.
As for other advice, make friends in the classes you are in, and form a study group. You can potentially bum off of them for a while, or in the future possibly split the cost of the text. Again, your experience may vary, but I would often wait a while before getting the "assigned" reading as there were plenty of professors that never or seldom actually used the text (some professors assign texts that they actually wrote, so you are just padding their sales figures).
That's seriously low rent, take it back to the bookstore and complain until they refund it.
And as a side note: the quality of graphic design programs varies pretty greatly. If you're going to go in to the field, you need to make sure you're in a good program where you'll have a chance to create seriously impressive portfolio pieces.
I also highly recommend taking a look into the job market for graphic designers in your area before continuing with this program. In my area, schools are pumping out thousands of graphic designs a year for maybe a few hundred total positions. Because the market is flooded with them, the wages are low and there are very few good salaried positions. Make sure this is really what you want before going forward.
the way to beat the system is to pool your money with class mates and buy the book then copy it page for page, then each person gets a page for page copy who put money in on buying it.
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That's seriously low rent, take it back to the bookstore and complain until they refund it.
And as a side note: the quality of graphic design programs varies pretty greatly. If you're going to go in to the field, you need to make sure you're in a good program where you'll have a chance to create seriously impressive portfolio pieces.
I also highly recommend taking a look into the job market for graphic designers in your area before continuing with this program. In my area, schools are pumping out thousands of graphic designs a year for maybe a few hundred total positions. Because the market is flooded with them, the wages are low and there are very few good salaried positions. Make sure this is really what you want before going forward.
It's not, to be blunt. I got my bachelor's in fine art several years ago, and immediately discovered that the only thing I was qualified for were low-wage service jobs. My parents and my boyfriend have been trying to get me to go back to school and get another degree, and I finally caved in. I'm going to a local community college - I have no idea how its graphic design program is ranked, all that matters is that I can afford it. I'm honestly skeptical of this entire venture. It feels like at best I'll end up working in a cubicle making pie charts, and at worst I'll just end up right back where I started in the service industry. But if I'm going to hate my job anyway, I might as well make a living wage for it, and I have friends in the field who assure me it's not so bad.
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Jodah, Archmage Eternal
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Pivlic, Orzhov Informant
Crixizix, Master Engineer
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Marisi Coilbreaker
O-Kagachi
Gix, Phyrexian Praetor
Karn, Father of Machines
Yawgmoth, Father of Machines
Serra, Mother of All Angels
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Leshrac the Nightwalker
Jeska, the Thrice-Touched
Elspeth Returned
Crucius the Mad
Taysir the Infinite
Urza's Head (Unglued!)
Yeah, college textbooks is a big issue right now. It's flying under the radar for the most part but any college student will tel you that it makes a big difference.
I'm not sure if the rules will allow me to suggest Nope, they won't.
It's not, to be blunt. I got my bachelor's in fine art several years ago, and immediately discovered that the only thing I was qualified for were low-wage service jobs. My parents and my boyfriend have been trying to get me to go back to school and get another degree, and I finally caved in. I'm going to a local community college - I have no idea how its graphic design program is ranked, all that matters is that I can afford it. I'm honestly skeptical of this entire venture. It feels like at best I'll end up working in a cubicle making pie charts, and at worst I'll just end up right back where I started in the service industry. But if I'm going to hate my job anyway, I might as well make a living wage for it, and I have friends in the field who assure me it's not so bad.
Can I ask what in? Illustration? Animation?
If that's the case, you might be better served by learning the business side of things. I have a large number of friends and acquaintances in your shoes, and their mistake is always that they're 'artists' and basically ignore good business sense. I'm glad you're looking to branch out, and here is a little bit of advice if you really want to do well.
I never got a graphic design degree, but my portfolio and my experience as an assistant manager meant I was always hired over people with degrees in graphic design. Programs rarely teach the business aspects you need to know to be financially successful, and the real value of a degree in art is the connections it can come with (internships, meet and greets with people in the field, etc). If you've already got a degree in fine art, you'd probably be better served learning the programs on your own and going to school for something that would complement you art side, rather than spending all that money on a new skill. There are plenty of books or courses available to teach you the programs, and you've already got the art background. Besides which, your program will probably be cheap and use an inexpensive program (like Corel or an ancient version of Adobe) which is fine except it's not the industry standard.
If you're halfway intelligent you can learn what all the tools do relatively quickly and easily. I've got an illustrator friend who works on Archer whose wife taught him Adobe over a couple weeks and he got the job with no art degree and no experience in adobe prior to his wife teaching him.
If you're looking at work in graphic design, there are a few options:
Freelance - Which sucks, honestly. And this is the most important place
Sign Design/Web Design - Every sign-a-rama and signs by tomorrow needs one, if not more, graphic designers. But what they also need is for those graphic designers to have business sense and be able to be sales people and good with production as well - especially if you want to make a better income.
In-house Graphic Design - Some companies have a need for an in-house designer for a variety of reasons, but these jobs are relatively rare compared to the first two, and again, it's a buyer's market.
Granted, I got out of the field about 6 or 7 years ago, but as far as I know from my friends it hasn't really changed.
THIS COST ME $168.
I'd *really* like to get my money back, but I don't see how. Clearly the professor, the bookstore, the school administration, or some combination are screwing me over, and since they already have my money they have no incentive to return it. Any advice for who I could talk to about this?
Xantcha, Phyrexian Reject
Jodah, Archmage Eternal
Tovolar, Howlpack Alpha
Pivlic, Orzhov Informant
Crixizix, Master Engineer
Feather, Boros Peacekeeper
Marisi Coilbreaker
O-Kagachi
Gix, Phyrexian Praetor
Karn, Father of Machines
Yawgmoth, Father of Machines
Serra, Mother of All Angels
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
Leshrac the Nightwalker
Jeska, the Thrice-Touched
Elspeth Returned
Crucius the Mad
Taysir the Infinite
Urza's Head (Unglued!)
Aren't stores legally required to have a return policy?
Xantcha, Phyrexian Reject
Jodah, Archmage Eternal
Tovolar, Howlpack Alpha
Pivlic, Orzhov Informant
Crixizix, Master Engineer
Feather, Boros Peacekeeper
Marisi Coilbreaker
O-Kagachi
Gix, Phyrexian Praetor
Karn, Father of Machines
Yawgmoth, Father of Machines
Serra, Mother of All Angels
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
Leshrac the Nightwalker
Jeska, the Thrice-Touched
Elspeth Returned
Crucius the Mad
Taysir the Infinite
Urza's Head (Unglued!)
If you don't mind lying, say you got the wrong book if it makes you feel better.
You can rent books off amazon or couresmart
With college bookstores they generally pay less than 30% of the sales price when they buy it back from you
pucatrade
big receipts
alpha mox emerald
beta time walk
4 goyfs received
3 liliana of the veil
4 karn liberated
3 force of will
4 grove of the burnwillows
snapcaster mage
3 horizon canopy
2 full art damnation
Go to the bookstore and try to get your money back, so far it seems like you haven't even tried this yet. When I was in college, the bookstore would give full refund for the first couple of weeks, up until the last day the school allowed people to drop classes without penalty. Your school's bookstore's policy may vary, but you could do some research on what exactly their policy is, then exploit it to get as much back as possible.
As for other advice, make friends in the classes you are in, and form a study group. You can potentially bum off of them for a while, or in the future possibly split the cost of the text. Again, your experience may vary, but I would often wait a while before getting the "assigned" reading as there were plenty of professors that never or seldom actually used the text (some professors assign texts that they actually wrote, so you are just padding their sales figures).
And as a side note: the quality of graphic design programs varies pretty greatly. If you're going to go in to the field, you need to make sure you're in a good program where you'll have a chance to create seriously impressive portfolio pieces.
I also highly recommend taking a look into the job market for graphic designers in your area before continuing with this program. In my area, schools are pumping out thousands of graphic designs a year for maybe a few hundred total positions. Because the market is flooded with them, the wages are low and there are very few good salaried positions. Make sure this is really what you want before going forward.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
Twitter- RogueSource.
Decks: "Name one! I probably got it built In one of these boxes."
---------------------------------------------------
Vintage will rise again! Buy a Mox today!
---------------------------------------------------
[I]Some call it dig through time, when really your digging through CRAP!
Merfolk! showing magic players what a shower is since Lorwyn!
It's not, to be blunt. I got my bachelor's in fine art several years ago, and immediately discovered that the only thing I was qualified for were low-wage service jobs. My parents and my boyfriend have been trying to get me to go back to school and get another degree, and I finally caved in. I'm going to a local community college - I have no idea how its graphic design program is ranked, all that matters is that I can afford it. I'm honestly skeptical of this entire venture. It feels like at best I'll end up working in a cubicle making pie charts, and at worst I'll just end up right back where I started in the service industry. But if I'm going to hate my job anyway, I might as well make a living wage for it, and I have friends in the field who assure me it's not so bad.
Xantcha, Phyrexian Reject
Jodah, Archmage Eternal
Tovolar, Howlpack Alpha
Pivlic, Orzhov Informant
Crixizix, Master Engineer
Feather, Boros Peacekeeper
Marisi Coilbreaker
O-Kagachi
Gix, Phyrexian Praetor
Karn, Father of Machines
Yawgmoth, Father of Machines
Serra, Mother of All Angels
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
Leshrac the Nightwalker
Jeska, the Thrice-Touched
Elspeth Returned
Crucius the Mad
Taysir the Infinite
Urza's Head (Unglued!)
I'm not sure if the rules will allow me to suggest Nope, they won't.
Can I ask what in? Illustration? Animation?
If that's the case, you might be better served by learning the business side of things. I have a large number of friends and acquaintances in your shoes, and their mistake is always that they're 'artists' and basically ignore good business sense. I'm glad you're looking to branch out, and here is a little bit of advice if you really want to do well.
I never got a graphic design degree, but my portfolio and my experience as an assistant manager meant I was always hired over people with degrees in graphic design. Programs rarely teach the business aspects you need to know to be financially successful, and the real value of a degree in art is the connections it can come with (internships, meet and greets with people in the field, etc). If you've already got a degree in fine art, you'd probably be better served learning the programs on your own and going to school for something that would complement you art side, rather than spending all that money on a new skill. There are plenty of books or courses available to teach you the programs, and you've already got the art background. Besides which, your program will probably be cheap and use an inexpensive program (like Corel or an ancient version of Adobe) which is fine except it's not the industry standard.
If you're halfway intelligent you can learn what all the tools do relatively quickly and easily. I've got an illustrator friend who works on Archer whose wife taught him Adobe over a couple weeks and he got the job with no art degree and no experience in adobe prior to his wife teaching him.
If you're looking at work in graphic design, there are a few options:
Freelance - Which sucks, honestly. And this is the most important place
Sign Design/Web Design - Every sign-a-rama and signs by tomorrow needs one, if not more, graphic designers. But what they also need is for those graphic designers to have business sense and be able to be sales people and good with production as well - especially if you want to make a better income.
In-house Graphic Design - Some companies have a need for an in-house designer for a variety of reasons, but these jobs are relatively rare compared to the first two, and again, it's a buyer's market.
Granted, I got out of the field about 6 or 7 years ago, but as far as I know from my friends it hasn't really changed.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath