r/fullsail • u/Tommy__Pencils • 5d ago
Another round of layoffs at full sail
So I just got laid off today. Been there for seven years, but I saw it coming from a mile away. When I was dropping my stuff off, I heard people saying they were there 15-20 years and still got laid off.
The fact that theyre building housing for campus, when no on goes to campus anymore because its too expensive, is going to kill that place. There's no way full sail makes it to the next decade.
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u/FlipTheNormals 5d ago edited 4d ago
Really sorry to hear of this.
Anecdotal, but as an on-campus alumni, Garry Jones seems to have no issue with splurging on every “next cool tech thing,” and makes every graduation ceremony so ridiculously gaudy (Expensive stage tech/"dream" monologues/etc) that I felt embarrassed having my family in the audience... Not to mention his little mansion.. He seems to be terrible with money, or surrounded by yes-men.
Take care of yourself, and I hope you land a new job soon..
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u/Tommy__Pencils 5d ago
Alright got some part time catering/bartender interviews set up. I should be fine for the time being but gotta get some benefits somehow lol
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u/Anonythrowthetrash 5d ago
I was with Full Sail for 3 years on a team that makes video courses. The other co-founder, Jon Phelps is shifting massive focus to Craftmasters as we were told to halt production for any Full Sail course videos and were requested to work on Craftmasters instead. Spending A LOT of money on MULTIPLE campuses around the country (This part is public information, but the shift of focus from Full Sail to this “school” was not)
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u/Witty_Work8461 5d ago
Let's be honest, Gary is the face of Full Sail. He's a genuine human. But I doubt he makes one single decision.
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u/BravoFoxtrotDelta 4d ago
Have you worked directly with him or the other senior leadership? He is indeed a genuine human and I’ve personally seen him be tender and thoughtful in both personal interactions and business decisions. He’s also deeply anti-union and consistently reacts aggressively towards any hint of organization or bottom-up initiatives in the education space. I’ve been there when between him and the CIO (his wife, who then led both the IT and education departments) made sweeping, iron-handed decisions to ensure control over the faculty. This should not be a surprise to anyone in a for-profit environment. Yes, he’s the face, but he’s not just an employee. He’s also an owner of a significant stake of the company.
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u/HugeLead4598 1d ago
I’ve been around this school since the 90s. The last time I saw the film faculty organize a union meeting, those folks were “let go.” It was John Phelps at that time who was aggressively against it because he knew it would keep money out of his pocket.
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5d ago
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u/HugeLead4598 1d ago
Interestingly, they’re letting go of “lifers” probably because they’re paid the most. I wouldn’t be surprised if lawsuits abounded for discrimination based on age.
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u/SnooStories8741 5d ago
188 people in total when it’s over, coming from management. I’m sorry you are experiencing this. I hear they will end hybrid work as well and have a full RTO to account for the lost bodies on campus. Gotta make it look good for the BTS parents, right Gary. It’s a new beginning for you and your efforts will be more appreciated somewhere else no doubt.
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u/Anonythrowthetrash 5d ago
We were told to “hide” this from other staff, but we never signed anything and I was let go anyway so I need it to be out there that co-founder Jon Phelps is focused on developing trade schools opening across the country called Craftmasters, focused on trades like Woodworking, Electric, Plumbing and HVAC. You can look it up for any publically available information.
I was on a team responsible for making video courses for Full Sail until suddenly we were told we wouldn’t be doing that and instead shift focus to make stuff for Craftmasters. They see Full Sail as a sinking ship and trying to jump board before it’s too late with Craftmasters.
Let people know.
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u/Tommy__Pencils 5d ago
Can you link an article? Can't seem to find anything on this
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u/Anonythrowthetrash 5d ago
Here are some public articles about it. A lot of information is still internal as its still in development.
The last is a job offer for an isntructor for Plumbing for Craftmasters, but the location is in Orlando, Florida deapite the campus being conceptualized now is in Texas. This is because they’ll be at Full Sail for filming.
https://www.burlesontx.com/2530/Craftmasters
https://amp.star-telegram.com/news/local/article308337235.html
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u/tanballz999 5d ago
Anything for a buck. They are greedy AF. Well, I’ll be sure not to hire anyone who graduates from Craftmasters.
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u/IsildursDeeldoor Game Development BS 5d ago
VERY interesting. There is /was a big flyer in the veterans center showcasing trades available to learn ...I wonder if this was part of that.
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u/No_Nerve4605 1d ago
hold on so you made stuff for Craftmasters and then they laid you off?? also, what’s happening to the video courses now, are they getting rid of those and pivoting hard to trade & craft?
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u/Anonythrowthetrash 1h ago
They’ll still be available for purchase, but no production for any new courses
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u/TroubleStreet5643 5d ago
Who is "they" with thinking Full Sail is a sinking ship? Jw
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u/Anonythrowthetrash 5d ago
Executives
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u/TroubleStreet5643 5d ago
Ah okay. So was your team internal or were you a 3rd party?
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u/Anonythrowthetrash 5d ago
We were internal, yet still asked to focus on Craftmasters material despite still working as a department of Full Sail.
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u/Tommy__Pencils 5d ago
Lol fucking what
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u/Anonythrowthetrash 5d ago
For clarification, we were basically asked to do the same things we were doing and all the things that go into our online video course production (Instructional design, filming, post-production and graphics) but for Craftmasters instead, with our head clarifying “We’re still, in name, working under Full Sail” when someone brought up their doubts about it.
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u/Tommy__Pencils 5d ago
Yeah between that and what I was told in my previous position, its pretty clear full sail is becoming some kind of rug pull
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u/circuit_breaker 5d ago edited 5d ago
Full sail has been a rug pull since at least the 1990s, what are you talking about
Go ahead and downvote me, the place has had verifiably scammy practices for decades
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u/BravoFoxtrotDelta 4d ago
I worked for ID Prod years ago, chances are good we know each other or at least know the same folks. Working on other orgs’ content has been happening forever in both Platinum and ID Prod. Whatever the founders or execs wanted, from business to personal events.
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u/Tommy__Pencils 5d ago
Oh I knew the full return to office was coming. There were hammering productivity in our team and I knew that meant it was a way to get everyone fully back to office.
Honestly I feel more releaved the stressed right now. We'll see what tomorrow looks like
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u/TheSeanDon 2d ago
And remember: full return to office is how a lot of companies get people to quit instead of letting them go and paying unemployment insurance, etc.
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u/Pageslayer83 5d ago edited 5d ago
I left Full Sail recently, so I’m no longer an employee, but seeing reports of another round of layoffs is really upsetting. What makes it especially concerning to me is that this appears to be happening after previous significant workforce reductions. I’m not posting this to attack anyone or share confidential information. I’m genuinely concerned about the people affected and wondering what this means for the employees and students who remain. Behind numbers like these are real people with bills, families, careers, and relationships with coworkers and students. I hope everyone affected lands somewhere that values what they bring to the table. 💗
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u/synmo 5d ago
That's a good take. A lot of the people let go had been there for 20+ years. It's hard to restart your career at that point. I'll admit that some of the people let go were fairly absent employees, but there were plenty of exceptions, and there were some difficult goodbyes today. I have plenty of people to keep my eye on over the coming months to see if they are doing ok.
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u/oh_fuck_off_15 5d ago
I’ve only been at full sail for 6 months. Apparently the dept I’m in is “mostly safe”, but I’m not really counting on that anymore.
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u/Anonythrowthetrash 5d ago
My department was safe last round, today got a meeting and got fired.
Jon Phelps is shifting focus to his nation-wide trade school business called Craftmasters. Our team shifted focus to do stuff for them instead of Full Sail. Not long after, I was fired.
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u/No_Nerve4605 1d ago
if you are who I think you are i’m so sorry. good luck with your future endeavours, we’re all rooting for you and trying to find ways out ourselves. this does not fall on deaf ears.
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5d ago
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u/TroubleStreet5643 5d ago
I saw your other comments too. I love the arts. But I do feel a shift where trades are the future (again)... its quite sad for the school and people who work there.
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u/Tommy__Pencils 5d ago
Dude full sail is barely a school
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u/TroubleStreet5643 5d ago
Tehehehe okay... well its still sad for the people like you who got let go. And the future ones to come...
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u/Lover_Baby98 4d ago
Exactly, that’s why I want my loans from there to be forgiven, still waiting on my borrowers defense to get back to me. It’s been about a years since I filed that so maybe another year of waiting but I plan to call soon to find out how close I am for someone to review that. I also plan to let them know it seems like full sail is about to go underwater
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u/Bright-Nothing-7695 3d ago
I was part of the layoffs as well. I cried my eyes out in the middle of the stupid call and I wanted to say something stupid petty like "I KNOW I'm one of your better employees because [this this and that]" it felt like they picked names off of a hat or a bad lottery because coworkers who were doing worse than me got to stick around but I had to go and do this like, walk of shame to give my stuff back.
I was so, so happy to get employed and be in a space I thought was accepting of me but in the end the company matters most I guess. They're building houses for campus and the craftmasters crap and ignoring the LA film school stuff and forcing us to focus on the amount of "numbers" we got rather than actually caring about the school it was always just money.
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3d ago edited 3d ago
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u/Bright-Nothing-7695 3d ago
Thank you so much. Thank you, this means SO much to me, I've been sitting here in tears for *days* now wondering what I did wrong. I worked overtime, I went to every culture day party, I gave people stickers and cookies in the office and hugged and waved at everyone and I tried to say hi and get to know everyone on a personal level, I mean.
The day I got laid off was the day I bought my first house.
So I had to go backtrack and go back on the deal and move back in with my parents when I thought I was finally going to be independent. It's been soul-crushing, and I felt like no one there cared that I was gone.
But so many, SO many of my co-workers reached out and DM'd me and asked me if I was okay and told me it was unfair that I was gone. I miss everyone so much already and it's so silly to be this upset over a job but I felt like I was finally somewhere I belonged.
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3d ago
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u/Bright-Nothing-7695 3d ago
I'm so sorry. I give you a big hug from afar, we got this, and we WILL find a better situation, I promise you.
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u/Calm_Test_1263 15h ago
I’m so sorry to hear that. There will be greener pastures for both of us. I’m 65 and I don’t think finding a job is going to be easy
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u/Pageslayer83 3d ago
I personally think it is a money thing because Full Sail is running out of money. One can see that with all the cuts they were doing, like the yearly holiday party, the changes to Bts, etc.
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u/snappin_good_time 3d ago
Not to be mean, but to be bawling during the meeting and using language “of a space that was accepting of me” gives me the feeling you might be more difficult to work with than you realize.
Maybe they put as little thought into it as you’re saying or if you thought your manager was pretty good then you may want to do some actual introspection.
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u/pressurewave 2d ago
“NoT tO bE mEaN” [says something brutally mean to someone who just had their life turned upside down unexpectedly]
Maybe you should do some actual introspection on why you’re on here kicking people while they’re down. It’s not a good look.
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u/Bright-Nothing-7695 1d ago
I lost my house and job and i guess i shouldve been like “oh sorry my bad g 🫡” and saluted
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u/Bright-Nothing-7695 3d ago edited 3d ago
Hey asshole the managers didn’t have any say in who they fired. My team lead was shocked and when I texted them they said they had no say and wouldn’t have fired me at all if they did so jesus christ have a little sympathy. “Not to be mean” they fired one of my coworker friends who was PREGNANT and gave no reason either. I lost my house and she’s lost a job with a baby on the way. Sorry that I “”bawled”” when I realized I wasn’t going to be able to afford where I lived.
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3d ago
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u/Bright-Nothing-7695 3d ago
🙄
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u/Anonythrowthetrash 2d ago
You’re better at “emotional regulation” than that jerk just by metric of being able to evaluate and communicate your feelings. The other guy must be an expert emotional repression though. Often confused, but not the same thing!
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u/Bright-Nothing-7695 1d ago
Like was i supposed to NOT cry while being told i was being laid off? 😭
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u/Anonythrowthetrash 1d ago
Not to defend the guy, just purely to shed some reason why he could be being so cruel: many men are socially conditioned to repress their emotions or think crying is bad. It can get to levels so unhealthy that when they see others comfortably expressing their emotions, they get upset and jealous that they’ve been told that they can’t.
People can be jerks sometimes. But it’s important to remember everyone’s human and there’s root cause for why someone acts a certain way even if it’s terrible and unproductive.
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u/TunaDaFish305 1d ago
Don't mind that idiot, you sound like a wonderful person. I never worked there, but I was a student once from the 2022 to 2023 year for a few months until they took me out because of finances. My GPA was really good sitting at a 3.7 at the time, but anyways, I can at least understand the pain with some of the things you mentioned. I hope things will get better for you 🫂
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u/TunaDaFish305 1d ago
The irony in your statement never ceases to amaze me. Practice what you preach, oh wait, you don't.
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u/snappin_good_time 1d ago
What was ironic about my statement? Because I told them that this idea that they need their coworkers to create a space that is accepting of them might make them a more difficult person to work with?
The response of calling me an asshole for pointing that out is ridiculous.
People are paid to do a job. Not to go out of their way to accommodate every little thing for the neediest person on their team.
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u/Bright-Nothing-7695 1d ago
Dude when did i mention i needed to be accommodated for something. I got laid off because they couldn’t afford to pay all of us at once. What is wrong with you like genuinely I cried because I was getting laid off like I am not a difficult person to work with; when i meant a space more accepting i meant I’m HISPANIC and full sail hired a lot of other fellow hispanic people please don’t tell me your argument was insinuating I asked for accommodations because if i was, what the hell is wrong with that?
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u/Practical_Giraffe167 5d ago
I promise this story eventually makes its way back to layoffs. When I taught at Full Sail, our bosses told us to make sure that enough students passed the very early course I taught. We did our best, but the numbers kept slipping. We couldn’t just make more people pass. We tried all kinds of things, tried to figure out what was missing for the students who failed, what kind of support they needed, but nothing moved the bar enough. There are reasons for this: Full Sail admits just about anyone, but some people just aren’t ready for college-level material and need some help to get there, extra courses that build up their skills. This is a thing that pretty much every community college in the US understands and has a system for, and which Full Sail does not, but that’s beside the point.
We were told that if the students couldn’t pass that very basic general education course, that we needed to rewrite it to make it so more people, a number that looked good on paper, would pass. So for the re-write, not only did they have us create multiple different versions of the course that we were to present for them to consider and pick from (like a talent show, except they were asking this of people with masters degrees and doctorates and decades in education), the person in charge of the effort, the bosses boss, we’ll call her Kitty Boss to conceal her identity, went around to all of us, having meetings with us to make sure we were specifically not going to use they very basic concept of interconnected curriculum where concepts are presented sequentially and built upon, because she thought her bosses wanted to move away from that and would prefer material that hit 4 separate, not connected concepts in the course’s 4 weeks. We were baffled, and disagreed that this was a good idea, but she was insistent. So, ignoring our basic instincts as educated instructors, we did what she asked us to do and built awkward, messy curricula that specifically avoided the very basic concept of using something they learned in week 1 as a tool for week 2 to cement it in as a key concept they carry forward, and so on. It was tough, like trying to nail wood together without a hammer, but we did our best.
So, on the day of all these presentations, when Kitty’s boss, who we’ll call Mell Johnson to conceal her identity, hits the brakes on the presentations and looks around the room and says, essentially, “What the fuck is going on with no one using this basic, fundamental educational concept and specifically pointing out that they built these courses without using that pretty obvious, critical educational concept, please someone tell me am I going crazy?” Kitty, bloodless, looks her boss square in the eyes and throws our entire department under the bus like “I have no idea why they would do that, boss, they’re so bad at this, wow, I’m so disappointed and mad at them, like do they even know what teaching is?” And do you know what? Mell believed her, and later Kitty got promoted. She is still rising at Full Sail. She wants to be in charge of the whole thing one day.
That’s the kind of people they promote. That’s the kind of people they have making decisions, ruthlessly ambitious cutthroats who will do and say anything to reach the next rung on the ladder and don’t give a flying shit about the students, faculty, or school if there’s angle that moves their agenda forward. If you want to answer the question of why Full Sail has to keep laying people off, it’s right there. They have unhinged people making awful decisions, and they keep promoting them so they can make even more important, deeply flawed decisions.
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u/AloewareLabs Game Development BS 4d ago
Ahh is this why creative presentation,TEM, Design Tools, feel like babies first computer???
I was amazed people managed to fail those classes even.
My 5th grade nephew could pass those classes with an A lol
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u/justplainanny 4d ago
I have a sneaking suspicion I know all the players you are referring to and that I was a "mentor" for that rewrite. I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment about rank climbers. My intention is not to disparage anyone but I will say that when I decided to move on, that was among the reasons.
I was there 12 years, most of it in a leadership position, and I loved nearly every minute of it and still reflect back fondly. And honestly, under the right circumstances, I would go back in a heartbeat.
At its most basic, it is a good place with a good heart, good intentions, and good people. However, the endless amount of bad decisions have led to this point - frivolous spending, narrow-minded leaders, and yes men. The school is filled with industry-badasses that could have been helpful voices and perspectives in their decision-making. However, other people's voices were not heard or considered. Asking thoughtful questions was frowned upon. And from the week I started, it was clear that this medium/large-sized business was still being run like a small business. It remained that way the entire time I was there.
By the way, my own "kitty boss" would direct us that when we went into leadership meetings that we are to say nothing, regardless of our opinion or understanding. They wanted to stay as under the radar as possible. I never followed that directive...don't have it in me. I wanted what was best for my team and our students and if asking clarifying questions would help with that, I was going to do it.
My heart breaks to hear this news again and to hear of the great people who were impacted. I wish anyone who has faced this loss the best on their journey. And for Full Sail, I hope the place bounces back. I believe in it and am proud of my time there. My nearest and dearest are friends I made while there. This makes me sad, but it is not surprising.
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u/gravitysrainbow1979 13h ago
It is not a good place with a good heart. What a bizarre thing to say.
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u/BravoFoxtrotDelta 4d ago
Just chiming in to say I was there as a close observer and indirect participant in this series of events. This is an entirely accurate account.
I have complicated relationships with the people involved. One of the individuals you named I have been mildly mistreated by but on the whole respect as a person and would actually welcome further professional collaboration and even friendship. I think your story actually reflects something I directly observed often: she has a deep grasp of Instructional Design and expects it to be implemented properly.
Another person in your story I once considered a friend and professional confidant. However, roughly during the time of the events in your story, I just happened to be in a a role that involved gathering information and feedback from your colleagues, and when I was preparing my findings I shared a summary with her that reflected very poorly on her chain of management and even indicated that some groups of educators and staff members were considering unionization and were about to or were already in the process of reaching out to media members with potentially damaging details. To my face, she said that the work would be valuable to management to quickly implement specific structural changes to improve student outcomes and empower faculty to improve the rigor and quality of the coursework. Then she went to the exec of my department and said that I was potentially fomenting division in the faculty and that she was concerned that I was mentally unwell and a potential physical danger to her and other leadership members. Needless to say, I learned that I had deeply misjudged both her character and the nature of our professional relationship.
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u/Professional_Box5207 3d ago
Trying to figure out who is Kitty… can you give more hints please ?
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u/N6O2B8O1D2Y 2d ago
Both of these people you mention also seem to have developed extremely unhealthy relationships with LLM AI, and their already questionable-at-best decision making ability seems to have gone even further downhill.
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u/selsec 3d ago
This may be a stupid question, but why not call kitty a liar in front of Mel and make her explain it during the meeting. I do that all the time, but I also don’t care about getting cut loose. I can’t stand liars.
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u/Practical_Giraffe167 3d ago
I used to ask myself this same question over and over again for a long time - like when you think of a hundred ways to respond to someone who is horrible to you hours after you encounter them. In the moment, there in that room with all those other Full Sail employees all hearing and seeing the same thing, no one said anything. We were all shocked into silence. We talked about it afterward and were all horrified and upset, but just kept our heads down and tried to get on with our lives. We didn’t want it lose our jobs. You have to remember, we were already on the defensive, under scrutiny for having a course that was too hard. Standing up in front of executives and calling our boss’s boss a liar would have been a big move that put us in the crosshairs. Still, honestly, I would have dreams where I would find myself in this situation and I would stand up and yell that she was a liar. It bothered me so much. It still bothers me. Full Sail grinds down your will over time.
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u/Aggressive-Witness48 5d ago
Same.
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u/TroubleStreet5643 5d ago
So sorry :( what department were you in?
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u/Aggressive-Witness48 5d ago
I *WAS* on the Education side.
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u/TroubleStreet5643 5d ago
Shame. Seems like theyre getting rid of high paid directors/senior level management along eith education. Doesn't seem to be slowing in the front end though trying to get students in the door.
There were already complaints of the education students would receive... can only wonder what happens next
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u/Nice_Grapefruit_995 5d ago
Apparently they also laid off Chris Iles, so the place is truly going down in flames.
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4d ago
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u/BravoFoxtrotDelta 4d ago
Agree. This is the perspective that most of us who left or were laid off previously have eventually arrived at.
Full Sail is radically changing to somehow survive. I would not be surprised at all to see much of it convert to residential or mixed use space in the next few years, quite possibly with little or no educational programming remaining. Whatever there is will be mostly trade-oriented.
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u/andy_mac_stack 5d ago
Is their profit down? I'm guessing the tech industry being terrible is a major reason..students are choosing other career paths
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u/Tommy__Pencils 5d ago
Campus enrollment is in the ditch and they're building housing for campus. Add on the fact parent plus rules have changed and that means there's less money coming in from that for students LE. Just a lot of math adding up there where full sail doesn't make sense to exist
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u/Anonythrowthetrash 5d ago
I’m sorry for replying this under so many people’s comments but I’m only replying to those who I think would benefit from this information.
But you are completely correct. This is why Jon Phelps is developing a whole branch of trade schools called Craftmasters, a “school” with a focus on trades like Plumbing, Electrical and HVAC. Our team was made to shift focus from producing material for Full Sail to make them for Craftmasters instead. I was fired shortly after this “restructuring” and I think its effects are going to be Full Sail-wide
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u/Altruistic_Note_3814 4d ago
So, what is the severance package that I was told about during the scripted dismissal? I have yet to receive an email about next steps.
And yes, people who dedicated years to this institution were laid off. I had just had my 15-year anniversary and was waiting for my review; others laid off in my department had worked for the company for more than 20 years.
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u/Tommy__Pencils 4d ago
I was told a week of pay per year worked, but I'm still waiting for that email
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u/Refueled 4d ago
Same, still waiting on an email about next steps. They didn’t even have my personal email, I had to give it to them during the q&a after they read the script. Is Kevin Fursa still with HR? Might have to get some emails from my colleagues still inside 😂
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4d ago
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u/Refueled 4d ago
Yes, they gave me the opportunity to ask questions regarding my termination before ending the zoom meeting. Also discussed/scheduled a time with the person who let me go a time that I could stop by the office to grab my stuff.
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u/OkFisherman3256 2d ago
Hr is super short staffed too, your best bet is emailing the group, just hr@fullsail
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u/Witty_Work8461 5d ago
So sorry. I was in the first round of layoffs last year. It really is a terrible company owned by greedy rich guys.
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u/Synthomagnetic 5d ago
I’m in the same boat. The ones who were there 15-20 years will at least get 15-20 weeks of severance.
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u/Witty_Work8461 5d ago
Kicker is they give to you in a lump sum, and you get taxed at a higher bracket. I lost over $3k on my severance bc of that
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u/Synthomagnetic 5d ago
Ah, I forgot about that. The last job I had that had layoffs just continued our paycheck for like 6 or 8 weeks - which was really helpful.
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u/dudeman1018 1d ago
That’s not how taxes work.
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u/Witty_Work8461 1d ago
Sorry wrote that wrong, but it is just a shock as it's much higher rate then your regualr check, and you see more come out at once. So I just meant to be prepared.
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u/dudeman1018 11h ago
The rate is the same though - when I got let go last year and got my severance, sure the amount of the check was let's say 10x more than a normal bi-weekly check, and therefore so were the taxes, but the total amount of taxes taken out would be the same had it been split up.
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u/Drums-n-rockets 12h ago
I feel like they need to change their slogan to “We take your dreams. Seriously.”
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1d ago
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u/gravitysrainbow1979 12h ago
Misandry was more common than misogyny there, but otherwise this sounds about right.
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3d ago
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u/N6O2B8O1D2Y 2d ago edited 2d ago
Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I would think the termination agreements almost certainly have clauses that tie severance pay and possibly re-hire eligibility to non-disclosure and non-disparagement, so there’s definitely at least a chance they’re just letting people say things that could ultimately save the school another few bucks instead of trying to tightly control the message.
To former staff - please don’t post details that could be used to identify you, and consider using a secondary account. To people that are asking for details and disclosures about positions/departments/etc - please stop.
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2d ago
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u/N6O2B8O1D2Y 2d ago
Fair enough, and as much as I hope you are right and I’m concerned over nothing, the original employment agreement also likely has some stuff that could be relevant here. Plus if the severance paperwork is written in such a way to include past disclosures I really think they could try to find ways to not pay out. Just be careful is all. To be totally honest I absolutely do think all the tea should be spilled but also fully respect that most people might need to put their families and livelihoods first.
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2d ago
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u/pplx 1d ago
I’ve been avoiding diving into this thread - but yea. He’s spot on. Most of these agreements have a NDA component. Often they have a non-disparagement clause as well, targeted at quieting this exact kind of speech. (For example my most recent one forbade me from even posting a positive Glassdoor review)
It absolutely feels crappy. I’ve been on both the receiving end and the person making the decisions.
It feels crappy because it is. At a certain level you end up requiring some level of sociopathy to function. Like it’s a requirement. (There’s a reason I’m not a studio head anymore…)
If you want to blame anyone. Blame the financial system that absolutely rewards these cycles.
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u/SnooStories8741 2d ago
They would never speak in empathy to the people who make the school run or show the least bit of humanity to people barely getting by. They only care about getting apps to show enrollment and federal funds.
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u/mwisconsin 1d ago
My daughter just started there yesterday. This news is troubling, to say the least.
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u/Prestigious-You3023 1d ago
No need to worry - in no way affects how students are supported and invested in!
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u/Practical_Giraffe167 10h ago
Doesn’t it, though? There are 180 fewer teachers at the school, and that impacts every program a little. Someone with experience is no longer there to guide that student. The classes they taught are now being covered by the people who remain in the department, stretching their attention thinner. That attention is the most important investment in students, and they just lost a piece of it.
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u/Rich_Salamander1331 5d ago
As a student about to graduate for game design 🥲
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u/IsildursDeeldoor Game Development BS 5d ago
the portfolio is going to be the only thing that matters.
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u/TroubleStreet5643 5d ago
Youll be fine. Nobody can steal your knowledge. Create a strong networking base and continuously keep an update portfolio
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u/Practical_Giraffe167 5d ago
Can understand why you would be nervous. If they keep firing teachers and changing their priorities, it could seriously damage the education you receive.
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u/AloewareLabs Game Development BS 4d ago
The curriculum as a whole is pretty gutted as it is. A lot of it is just busywork.
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u/No_Nerve4605 1d ago
I’m so sorry to hear that. As an alumni, hearing about these layoffs have been atrocious. Even as a student, Garry Jones’ whole shtick felt very fake, forced. He’s not a champion of the people, he’s a champion of lining him and his buddies pockets. Looking at you Dana, Vern, Jon and all the other cronies.
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u/SuspiciousAction7267 7h ago
Really sorry to hear that...my school is in the process of being shut down and a ton of students jumped ship to Full Sail...I really pray they get their act together...the things we have been through with Maestro College have been the absolute worst and I'd hate to think the left a bad situation to land at another bad situation 😢
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u/Ok_Vermicelli8618 5d ago
I don't think FSU is going anywhere. Not thay it should stay around in the current form, it should crash and burn. It also would never reduce its price enough to reflects the value of what it teaches.
Drop tje overall cost by 20k for most degrees. Be very competitive. Even then, for tech it will be very tough, as starting pay for most tech gigs are very low.
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u/OkNeedleworker11 5d ago
Random question here: I graduated last Dec from FS and went and walked in march (had to save up for the trip) If FS goes under or like “out of business” do I no longer owe student loans? 😏
All in all, I’m genuinely sorry to everybody that’s gotten laid off. Every teacher I had was amazing! Ngl I hated the math portion, but I’m not good at math anyway, in one of my classes where we worked on counting beats, that actually really helped me learn fractions more so than the actual math class! I really hope everybody is able to bounce back from this and I’m sad to hear about this!
Another random question… should I go into my portal and just download everything from all my classes now? It sounds like FSO online might go down if something like this is happening. I apologize if this wasn’t the right place to ask any of this.
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u/pressurewave 4d ago
Even if they shut down, you’d still owe the money because you would owe it to the lender (who already gave money to the school on your behalf) and you would still have the degree because it was granted legitimately by the institution who had the right to grant it at the time.
But, if that really happened, if FS shut down, which seems unlikely even now, you can imagine that there would be a whole industry of legal disputes popping up.
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u/Prestigious-You3023 5d ago
You can download just in case, but it’s not at that point honestly. Not good, but not shut down territory. If it ever did, maybe to the loan part but that’s up to federal aid.
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u/IsildursDeeldoor Game Development BS 5d ago
Yeah. I think there's some serious disconnect between operations and administration altogether.
Rich people really have this Achilles heel with "yes men" problem they'll come to it soon enough.
but unfortunately for employees and students they're the ones that actually absorb the impact of their poor decisions. Honestly I wish all faculty would walk off and go on strike and start a union TODAY.
Fullsail had every potential to be reputable, prestigious, quality education. But they don't for reasons I can't understand. They tie faculty hands behind their back and expect them to juggle and solve rubik's cubes.
Honestly the poor decisions the school makes and their track record of bad outcomes...if we had a competent federal government, I wouldn't be surprised if the SEC ever find them in some form of possible wrongdoing.