For-profit School Took $20,000+ For A 7 Month Course. (new Jersey)

I was lead to believe by a local trade school that the line of work I was getting into REQUIRED schooling and no employer would entertain my resumes without said schooling. In turn I joined their Electricians program being told that "Employers would value the education I got here and would account my schooling as hours in the field". This was lie #1. The job i ended up getting told me they'd prefer I had NO prior education, especially that from a "for profit trade school" along with the fact my school hours would never be considered as "in field experience".

Career services told us to list what we had done in school as "6months-1year" experience in said area and that our time in school backs that statement.. This was a MASSIVE lie. Every potential employer i spoke to did not account my schooling to in field experience..

I was told that the education was worth the value of the job we would get. I spent over $20k to work for $16 an hour. I was making more money working the counters at a local pizza shop.

I've been legitimately laughed out of interviews for displaying my "Pennco Tech schooling" as in field experience.

You aren't provided anything upon graduation besides a certificate that says you went to their "x" program and graduated between "y" dates. This was clear to us from the start we weren't earning a license.

The course was 7 months, 3 of which were spent inside a book learning about the heat of the sun and how electrons interact... (I signed up for a residential/commercial electrical program, not a science class).

Inevitably i paid as much as I did to spend 80% of my time inside of an NEC book (of the 150+ codes I was forced to learn, we actively use maybe 15-25 or so on a daily basis in the residential field of work.

I feel like I was blatantly mislead into taking on over 20k in debt (they told me it would be 9-11k) by joining their program, the school has a prior lawsuit from a former employee being fired for not enacting predatory behaviors to get ANYONE who walked in their doors to sign up and take on the debt by going as far to answer admissions questions... I feel these practices have continued and I have become a victim of said practices. Example being I was told I scored in a higher percentile of admissions testing than my peers and they would be ecstatic to have me in their program, come to find out they told the same thing to a kid who scored so low he barely passed admissions testing.

I would of NEVER joined that school had I known entry level work was available regardless of having 0 experience in the field for the line work I was interested in. I would of NEVER joined that school had I known 7 months of my time was going to amount to over $20k when I was lead to believe it was roughly $9k. The school has a career services listing the companies that will hire from their graduation list, of all 9 listed, none of them would entertain my resume, regardless of graduating the highest in my class for grades and attendance.

Instructors also actively caught people cheating that in the end gradated ALONGSIDE me. They are actively pushing ANYONE in the programs through them to insure they can collect their money. The value of my "degree" is diminished beyond all belief when kids cheating their way through the program end out in the field along side me with the same "Pennco Certification".

Admissions itself was predatory as could be too. They show you the "stick houses" where you will be working claiming it's a 70/30 course. 70% hands on, 30% book work. Complete BS. The first 3 months of my time there I don't think I did hands on work but 4-5 times. Which lasted maybe an hour. The first 3 months of schooling have paid 0 value to my work experience as an electrician and I feel I was forced into an extra 3 months of school so they could simply increase my tuition costs.

After more research too I found most 2 year local colleges are roughly 14k in my area, I don't understand how 20k+ for 7 months of education works out, especially when 3 of those months were "filler information" irrelevant to residential and commercial electrical work. Especially when this education is hyper specific to a trade and the credits hold 0 value to any accredited college.

I truly am unsure if I have any leg to stand on in this situation, I was considering go as far to contact current/former students to see if similar experiences are taking place to potentially for a more solid case in regards to their predatory for profit practices, and the end of the day someone more educated on the subject than I with any sound advice to further pursue this or advice to simply "get over it" would both be appreciated.

TLDR: Feel I spent 20k on a barely 7 month education that has resulted in nothing but debt with 0 progression in the field of work I joined. Have found myself to learn more serving 4 months of an apprenticeship (one i was told I couldn't get without their education) than 7 months of 5 days a week at their school. Admissions felt like I was in a used car dealership being shown Corvettes while I was shopping for an old Camry.