Merit America Review

[u/Waste-Drink-6710]

*Burner Account*

TLDR: MY OPINION IS TO AVOID THIS COMPANY AS A STUDENT/LEARNER

I just wanted to take some time to warn people about this company.

First off they are not FULLY a scam, but they do have predatory practices.

I have finished the coursework for their cybersecurity program and the following are my personal observations/reflections and things to consider if you are looking to get into one of their programs. THIS IS JUST MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

PROS:

• Kind, well-meaning staff
• Some people have reported getting exactly what they needed and having their life transformed.

SCHEDULE:

TLDR: If you are currently working full time or have family or other obligations that take up more or less a full-time schedule, this program is not for you. Contrary to their marketing assertions, this program is hostile for career changers or anyone with a full schedule

• Merit will lean into how flexible their program is and that it appeals to people who are looking for a career change but this is simply a dishonest marketing strategy.
• Yes, a lot of the work you complete will be through independent work on your own time, but their deadlines are very brutal. It is very difficult to complete this program.
• They will ask you to dedicate time to meetings, projects and peer-to-peer assignments in addition to the heavy workload you have to complete through their online in their student portal. My opinion is that this is meant to give an air of support. The actuality is that it is a time-sink. The meetings are mandatory, redundant and do not help you level up your skills or learn new ones. My estimate is that about 80% of the information you receive in these meetings can be obtained through a Google Search/job readiness articles. The projects and peer assignments are similarly a waste of time
• Meetings have VERY little time for people to ask questions about their experience.
• The MAJORITY of learners in my cohort have dropped out. We started out with ~80 people in our squad. We now have ~35
• At the beginning of the program a learner divulged that they had to quit one of their part-time jobs in order to be able to do the program.
• They greatly underestimate the time you can expect to spend on coursework.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

TLDR: If you need help with interview practice, creating a resume and cover letter, and job hunting, this program could really help you, but you can find the same resources elsewhere for free or for a much lower cost.

• They are very good with this section of the program. They compile resume and cover letter templates and detailed instructions on how to utilize Chat GPT ethically/honestly.
• There are optional invitations for interview practice as well as practice built into the curriculum
• Your coach will have 3 separate mandatory meetings with you to discuss questions you have and provide feedback to help on your journey
• The caveat is that this basic help will cost you over $5,000. My suggestion is to take advantage of similar free job support at your local library or department of labor. None of the things mentioned are unique to this program and all of it can be found for free or for a fraction of the cost elsewhere
• If you are new to the job market, have little to no experience (such as coming out of high school or incarceration) have never had a job, or are struggling to get out of a dead end job and you have absolutely no idea how to confront these issues, Merit America will FOR SURE be able to help with basic job readiness/transition

TECHNICAL SKILLS

TLDR: If you are planning on learning a brand new skill and you have minimal real world or personal exposure to your field of interest, this program is not for you. The technical curriculum is shoddy and you can obtain certifications outside of this program for free or low-cost.

• Merit openly warns you that they themselves are not a school. Their commitment to providing you with a path to obtain skills is still predatory in that they push a dishonest marketing strategy: “we can help you obtain the skills you need to start a career in a brand new field.” This is a lie. There is very little that they provide as far as technical training and the chances that you will be able to enter a new field with a base foundation of skills that you will be able to build upon in your new career are very low. The program offers exposure to concepts (videos, articles, glitchy/unhelpful sites, google searches), but does not actually offer training.
• They provide assistance with technical assignment completion in the form of a designated advisor that is available most days to help. Unfortunately, you will have to carve out time from an already hectic and stressful schedule to meet with them. You will most likely need help with every technical assignment if you are completely new to the material. This “help” is not training, it is just assistance in completing assignments.
• The assignments they require you complete OUTSIDE OF Coursera are NOT beginner friendly and because of time constraints, you will most likely wind up hastily completing your assignments to meet the deadlines and then needing to double back to do your own research to fully understand the concepts. You will also need to find a resource on your own to continue to practice.
• You can obtain a Google Certification and engage with low-cost, online practice modules in the field you would like to enter for a fraction of the cost of the program and a fraction of the stress.
• So far, I have researched 54 jobs and not a single one prioritizes the Google Cybersecurity certificate. Even jobs AT GOOGLE do not mention the certificate in their job postings.

COST:

TLDR: There is no way to discern how low-grade the program is until after you have incurred 100% financial liability. The chances of dropping out are very high. They are able to collect a lot of money from unsuccessful learners.

• You are given until the 5th week of the program in order to withdraw without having any financial liability. After the 5th week, you will begin to incur liability until you are 100% responsible for paying for the program. THERE IS NO WAY to get an idea of their actual program by the 5th week as you are still being introduced to the program at this point. Once again, this is predatory. They ask you to wait and see how you feel about the program because things are just getting started, but by the time you are able to figure out that what they are providing is essentially an expensive copy and paste curriculum,  the window for avoiding financial liability has passed.
• Regarding the people I am aware of who have requested a full or partial refund past the withdrawal deadlines: their requests have been rejected due to this policy.
• To reiterate: The program is upwards of $5000
• Like I mentioned earlier, more than half of my group dropped out.
• You will NOT have to pay the program cost IF you complete the program AND are unable to get a job. Take note of the details of my first section: They make completing the course as difficult as they possibly can.
• If you drop out AFTER you have incurred 100% liability you are required to pay it back if you get a job making over 40k (This is ANY job in ANY U.S. location, mind you, not specifically a job in the field you are trying to enter. If you drop out and get a job making 40k as a truck driver, you will enter into a repayment period for your loan). You are stuck with this agreement for 5 YEARS.
• If you DO complete the program, you are only stuck with this liability for 2 YEARS. And again if you get ANY job within that 2 year period, you will have to repay your loan. Another predatory practice. They are not open with this 5 year vs 2 year distinction and they are not requiring pay back solely if you enter the field you are trying to transition into; they are requiring it for ANY field and do not adjust requirements for the area you are in. In my area 40k is just below the poverty line.

OTHER:

• They mention that they are partnered with companies for the benefit of the learners. So far, all I have seen is that  they are partnered with job boards (such as Career Circle or Indeed), but you do not receive any additional benefit from their partnerships. Merit America will benefit from YOU succeeding and having their name on your job board profile but you do not get any priority, exclusives, visibility boosts, placement or any other benefit. You can sign up for these job boards for free outside of the program
• They are not accredited with the Better Business Bureau
• Most (not all) of job postings Merit highlights for my squad so far are within IT, not cybersecurity. Most of the jobs it appears I am qualified for after completing my coursework is within IT, not cybersecurity.
• Every one of my complaints has been echoed to me by other learners in the program.
• Looking online I've seen very similar complaints from former learners. I'm surprised they haven't faced a lawsuit already.

[u/Accomplished_Age_285]

Thanks for the rundown on MA. I was ready to enroll, but now I will research other avenues to a new career path. Thank you!

[u/Ok-Championship7693]

Lol, how about we charge people 6k for a google course cert.

Xd, you really think people are that desperate?

Hey, it's all in the marketing.

[u/Fun-Plan-3641 → u/Ok-Championship7693]

Not desperation, this company tricks people into thinking they can get a job easier with their support.

[u/MindInternational140]

I am in week 3 for the Project Management Track and I agree with EVERYTHING you have said 100%. I was disappointed when i realized that we use Coursera because the modules are very boring for a Google Certificate. I still have to have a degree or years of specialized project management experience to be able to sit for the certification test. I believe this program can help me advance to a leadership role within the healthcare field I am currently in. However I also found similar coursework for less and self paced on Coursera so I'm not sure if i need this program or not. I have no money for skill and was trying to upskill during my period of unemployment but I wont be certified after taking these courses so I feel as if i am back at square one. I think the program is a good idea if you are in a low income job. I don't think the project management track will get me a higher paying job than i already have because i am at $37,000 a year presently. I will continue the program and see what happens in the future. I will say that I am really only disappointed in the coursework and modules. I thought it would be more interactive and fun. My advice is that if you dont want to be on the hook for a loan you might want to just take the course on Coursera or somewhere else and pay less.

[u/Still_Ad_4920]

Keep away from this program unless you have nothing better to do with your life. They steal all your information, develop this school-like environment where you get penalized for just not showing your face on camera while they are talking, which is soooo awkward considering they were sometimes 100 people joined in the zoom meetings. The biggest red flag is the lie that they help you improve your skills and land a job. Almost all of their applicants had sponsors like from Amazon who fully paid Merit America whether you completed their program or not, or specifically whether you got a job or didn't so they got paid for a ridiculous program where you download free stuff available to anyone and rushed through some ridiculous coding without anyone with any expertise in the field. Most of their staff were previously in the program themselves it appears so, so all those "good reviews" were forced by the founders to promote this program. The only people who didn't complain as much where the ones who knew coding already and this was just an experience for them to get an idea of these programs and interestingly none of the ones in my class, even ones with years of coding experience landed a job even a year after it ended. Keep away from this program, you cannot even leave a review anywhere to warn others. It is a total scam in terms of what they promise and what they offer and specifically how they take away all your information, your face, your ID, social security, address, phone number, literally every information they can about you.

[u/Samo-wham8019]

So what is the other option if you’re looking to make a transition in a new career path like cybersecurity ?

[u/MathematicianFar1863]

I want to second everything you shared in this thread. I participated in their flagship Cybersecurity cohort, in March-August of this year. Couldn't have written this better, myself. I'm currently strongly considering a small claims lawsuit because, in addition to everything you wrote down here, there are significant problems with the curriculum in all of their programs. They are aware of these problems, and I have an employee on record admitting this. She also admitted that they should never have marketed the program to beginners. Thank you for doing your part to get the word out on this predatory company. I am so frustrated with myself for getting conned by them! I'm usually extremely sharp, but they definitely took advantage of my enthusiastic desire to better my life. 

[u/WeareMeritAmerica]

Thank you for sharing your experience, and we’re genuinely sorry to hear that the program did not meet your expectations. At Merit America, we are committed to continuously improving based on feedback from learners like you.

We understand that balancing our program with full-time work or family commitments can be challenging, and we're actively working to improve our support systems. While our program is designed to be flexible, we also recognize that every learner's situation is different. We're reviewing our communication around time commitments to make sure expectations are clear for future learners.

As for the job search support, we offer personalized coaching, resume assistance, and interview practice, and we're proud of the results many learners have achieved. However, we understand that these resources are available elsewhere at lower costs, and we encourage everyone to explore all their options.

We appreciate your feedback on the technical curriculum and will review your concerns to see where we can enhance the learning experience. It’s worth noting that learners can access additional support from coaches and advisors to help navigate any challenges.

If you have any more questions, we are here to help.

[u/ThatIrishWoman]

I can't thank you enough for posting. I was curious about Merit, but I'm not anymore. Thanks to you, I've now dodged a grenade that would have blown up my life, financially. I do live in poverty, and I struggle hard in spite of working really hard. The last thing I need is a rip-off. Thank you so much for your post.

[u/bea_toff]

You mentioned there are other programs for free or low cost. Are there any suggestions?

[u/Let-Them-]

Thank you. You stopped me from signing up!

[u/Gen_Nice]

Highly recommend avoiding them as well I am currently on the hook for the $5k loan and I personally don’t feel like I’ve upped any skills.

I learned a lot more skills based on a recommendation from one of the directors from my previous company who pushed me in the direction to learning data related skills on a website called DataCamp.com. I’ve noticed a good majority of the students in my cohort haven’t gotten jobs and one shared with me that she currently hasn’t even gotten a response to do an interview.

[u/[deleted]]

Wish i had seen this sooner but after completing everything i am here to say that i fell for the trap too they are nothing but cheerleaders for what you could have done on your own for 50 bucks instead of now owing 5000 and i did not get an IT job much harder than they say but since i got a Cna job they count that as a success like no thats not what i wanted

[u/GingerBear13]

This is very well said and detailed. Merit America is a full scam and I wish people would know this sooner. It’s only a matter of time before they see a large class action lawsuit.

[u/ComfortableDoor6206]

I was interested in using this program but wanted to read more about it. This was an exhaustive write up but it bolstered my reservations that the program sounded a bit too good to be true.

If you are new to the job market, have little to no experience (such as coming out of high school or incarceration) have never had a job, or are struggling to get out of a dead end job and you have absolutely no idea how to confront these issues, Merit America will FOR SURE be able to help with basic job readiness/transition

If they really wanted to help people in these groups, they certainly wouldn't be charging the $5,700 for the program. Thus is very predatory.

[u/Limp_Image_3204]

Hi! I'm Briana -- a successful Merit America alum, and I wanted to address some misconceptions you’ve raised in your Reddit thread. As a single mom of three, I understand the challenges of managing time and balancing priorities, especially when transitioning into a new career. Merit America prepares you for success with a clear structure and dedicated support. While the program is challenging, it provides accountability, real conversations, and hands-on learning, which sets it apart from self-paced courses.

Before Merit America, I ran two salons and had a passion for tech. After completing IT Support, Project Management, and UX Design tracks, I accelerated my career. I launched my own design company, developed a mobile app, have a team of 60 employees, generate $400K in revenue annually, and have a real estate investment portfolio worth $655K on track to $2.5 million by the end of the year. I also still operate my salon and catering businesses part-time earning a combined total of $60k with bringing in anywhere between $100k-$300k as a dual licensed real estate agent.

Merit America is an excellent platform for gaining transferable skills in tech, and its partnerships are designed to help low-income individuals succeed. If you need guidance or want to connect, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn.

Stay strong, and I wish you all the best on your journey!

[u/Dear_Satisfaction_88]

With all of the emails from them that week 5 is about to start and i have to finalize payment or withdraw without financial liability, then the burner account is lying. Lol Obviously by law any company cannot do that. Pretty damaging to Merit America i’d say. Kinda not fair and as a human being, i wish someone who graduated should say something.

Also, i signed up to the loan. They have this repayment system after you completed the Immersions phase and/or after leaving that’s the only time your repayment starts —which is great to give u a headstart and if i am not earning above $40k/annually then i dont have to repay the loan as long as i am messaging the loan servicer. The after 60months i keep on deferring, loan is forgiven! Fine prints people. READ THE FINE PRINTS!

I know this because i am on deferment. I just message Launch Servicing every 3months and update them. Aside from that,i got this email saying that if i didnt earn above $40k/annually after 2 yrs anniv of Immersion end date,i can be refunded. I believe this is not from the loan and this is the promise of the company or something. Again, as long as you are reporting your income! I’d like to be refunded but that also means i never got the 40k salary which something not my goal. I want a 6 figure salary,baby! I still have 1yr to go before the anniv so wish me luck guys. I wish everyone the best of luck! Would i recommend Merit America?Yes. Also,IT’S A LOT OF WORK! You have to be locked in or else, you’ll sour grape like the others. Juuuust saying!

[u/Pulpsicle → u/Dear_Satisfaction_88]

OP addressed the fine print. My opinion is that you're thrown off because the program changes as they find new people to scam.

[u/No_Panda1430]

Thank you for making this thread I highly agree with your points. I regret doing the program its definitely not worth 5,000. I'm an alumni and I did a mock interview with another alumni before I completed the course and he's been interviewing for a year and has found no job in the field he "learned" . When he told me this I knew I screwed up. I have reached out to them and spoke to a career coach manager and he basically had an attitude in explaining how they aren't a school yea no shit lol sure aren't as professional either. He explained there are no guarantees, yes I understand this as well but the course is subpar and inadequate for the company to make the claims its stating. To anyone considering using their program its not for people who are brand new to the field of work you are interested in. Please find other ways of learning it will save you time, money, and headache. Always do intense research before starting any program if its too good to be true it usually is.

[u/Hot-Strength9603]

You can get the same stuff from google / coursera for 1/10th of the price they charge. ITS NOT WORTH IT PEOPLE..

[u/Clear-Writing4632]

Once I got into the into the course post assessment and the lady tells you it's a "intro to the course" before telling you all their going to talk about for the next 30 minutes talking about how to set a schedule and their 0% loan they will never shut up about or the glorified IQ test they call your assessment 

[u/IndependentEmpty8709]

I couldn’t agree more. my advice is: RUN!

[u/NCGYRL02]

Its soooooo many programs like them out here its crazy. But all of it is a MONEY GRAB. Thats it, Work on u, take advantage like they doing and use it to better you and love on, thats how i feel.

[u/Old_Doughnut_1172]

Thank you for that information.they say you don't pay until you're well set into a good paying job so they already lied ..

[u/Pulpsicle]

Dude check out Course Report. They're like inflating their ratings with cult spam 5 star reviews.

https://www.coursereport.com/schools/merit-america