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IT grad sues school over failed job hunt

Unemployment rage

A US college graduate is suing her alma mater because she has been unable to find a job.

Trina Thompson, 27, graduated in April from Monroe College in the Bronx, New York with a bachelor's degree in IT. That lofty educational achievement hasn't yet helped her land a job, and so she's suing the college for reimbursement of her tuition - $70,000 - plus an additional $2,000 "for the stress I have been going through looking for a full-time job on my own," according to court documents.

Apparently, Ms. Thompson has been too busy job-hunting to notice that times are tough all over. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment in the US information industry rose from 157,000 in June of 2008 to 347,000 in June of 2009 - that's a jump from 4.7 per cent IT unemployment in 2008 to 11.1 per cent in 2009.

No matter. She wants her money back.

The New York Post quotes the aspiring admin as saying about her former school, "They have not tried hard enough to help me."

Her protective mom told the NYP that "She's angry. She's very angry at her situation. She put all her faith in them, and so did I. They're not making an effort."

Monroe College isn't buying it. The NYP quotes a college spokesperson as saying, "The lawsuit is completely without merit. The college prides itself on the excellent career-development support that we provide to each of our students, and this case does not deserve further consideration."

The UK's TimesOnline adds one detail that neither Ms. Thompson nor her mom emphasized: that her grade-point average was a mere 2.7 - that'd be around a B-, a status in these grade-inflated days that'd hardly put her on the fast track to success.

Excuse us if we're not overflowing with sympathy for yet another unemployed IT worker. ®

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