Attending the HVAC program at SJVC was one of the best decisions I have made. I decided to go back to school because I wanted to create a better future for myself and build a successful career. SJVC gave me the knowledge, hands-on training, and confidence I needed to get started in the HVAC industry. I would like to thank Mr. G and Mr. Bernal for their guidance, support, and dedication throughout the program. Their real-world experience and willingness to help students succeed made a big impact on my education. I also want to thank Career Services for working hard to help me find opportunities in the HVAC field. They were always supportive and did their best to connect me with employers and help me start my career. Today, I am proud to be working for Oasis Air and Solar. Being out in the field every day allows me to apply what I learned at SJVC and continue growing as an HVAC technician. I am grateful for the chance that SJVC gave me to pursue a career, improve my life, and achieve my goals. Thank you to everyone at SJVC who helped me along the way. I truly appreciate all the support and encouragement. read more

I dont have a strong opinion about SJVC. My daughter just graduated the respiratory therapist program. Enrolling was pretty easy, maybe it was because I took out parent plus loans for her. What i appreciated was these loans were able to be placed on deferment until she graduated. These loans were disbursed six times throughout the course of 19 months. Although we paid thousands and thousands of dollars, my daughter still had to purchase scrubs out of pocket through SJVC. My daughter said she had multiple teachers for her courses. During her internship, it was very stressful for her! I'm not 100% sure she had the necessary support from the school, the advisor, whoever. That was just my observation although she never complained. She was a real trooper! She attended SJVC for class 3 days out of the week, then interned at the hospital 2 days out of the week and still worked part time. The pinning ceremony was simple and was finished in a little over an hour. She will soon be taking the NBRC exam..... I want to see if the school will be there for support in that and job placement. read more

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Graduated a few months back when they were just starting off with ATI testing. Not sure if they've gotten used to it yet, but I hope so for y'all's sake. It was a bit ridiculous, otherwise the only complaints are scheduling and professionalism. When I attended schedules weren't set until a week before hand and it always felt like the school was scrambling for somewhere to put us. Professionalism wasn't so much the school's fault as it was other students, it felt like high school all over again except these kids were half a decade my senior and allowed sharp objects on school grounds. It's not a very difficult program which was a bit disappointing, some teachers just didn't care if you put effort into clinicals or not and the ones who did were often bad mouthed by a few of my peers who didn't want to make the effort. All in all, 7/10. Maybe don't go into a nursing program if you don't care about the wellbeing of others or the quality of your work. read more

Everything is going great there were some downtime because of instructor changes but since everything has been situated in feel like me and all the class have been learning alot it's alot to take in sometimes but eventually we start to understand it after reviewing some of the modules our instructor Mr.Palmbach is a great teacher and very knowledgeable in the field and is a great help to us as students even if we have questions about something we dont understand I give it a 5 star and would recommend. read more

My wife spent $8000 for a course in medical billing. The school says they will help you find a job. That hasn't happened in a year. They throw a résumé out which makes no sense and you get stupid offers. That's just a way for them to lure you in. Don't go here if you don't have something lined up. This is a waste of money and they do nothing to help you once you're through the course. read more

It's my first module with the school. It's now called Carrington College. My first day we had to go in on a Monday. Our instructor never showed up.... turns out our instructor is on leave and the school forgot to find a replacement. We end up getting a replacement instructor the next day after having to sit in our class for 5 hours doing nothing on Monday and the instructor also teaches the night class!!!! Our poor instructor is so over worked and often gets our assignments confused with the night classes. The module we came in to was pharmacology and injections. WE HAD NO IDEA HOW TO DO ANYTHING. We had to literally start injecting our class mates that day. We weren't given any anatomy courses, no lesson on what angle to inject, no sanitation learning or needle safety. That all came later in the module after we started injecting. It's a freaking mess. Most of our work is online and just feels like we are teaching ourselves. For the amount of money this program is i'm very disappointed. Not a great first month for us. For future reference i hope they don't bring new students in during these modules that include needles. It's not safe for anyone especially when we have to learn injecting our classmates. read more

I recently graduated and landed a job within 3 months with the help of my instructors and the work of the career services team.

Everything about this school is a rip off . I did the electrical program and the job placement never happened, student loans are fishy as fuck. Never received my ET card. Instead of having a curriculum where you had to put effort into achieving an academic grade the instructors just gave out the answers. Now the student loan parts. Apparently you're paying Sjvc and ED financial for the loans they received on your behalf. So the up front cost is a lie. I'm paying on "both loans" through two different handlers. read more

The school is now called Carrington College. The Pharmacy Tech Program in the evening needs help. The teacher does not teach. She hands you the assignments for the next week. You are now on your own to teach yourself. I heard the morning program has a great teacher. May want to go to another school. read more

From my personal experience doing the veterinary assistant program. The classes were great teachers were outstanding couldn't ask for better. What was frustrating was I was told multiple times by multiple people I would be helped finding an extern site if I moved out of Bakersfield. When I finally moved they had informed me 3 DAYS before I was to start my extern program that I had to find my own site. I got lucky to get a site so quickly but despite me doo by my full set of hours which I was told was all I needed to do to pass I got failed because of my extern evaluation. I explained to them that the things put on my evaluation were invalid and that those things said never happened. I was still failed and told to redo my extern site. I was placed in an extern course that was already 3 weeks into its 5 week course. I find another site but now I have Covid and can't go to my site to do my hours until I'm better. I was then told I would need to speak to the dean to "get it excused or extended" while being told I would be terminated from the program. I've worked my ass of for 9 months to get this far. This issue remains unresolved as of this post. No support from anyone that isn't your instructor and higher ups telling your instructors not to assist you is beyond crazy to me. You're supposed to be supporting your students not making them jump through hoops just to graduate your program. read more

No help at all. They say they will help you find a job and that's not the truth! Their version of helping you find a job ( especially for the veterinary assistant program ) is giving wherever YOU apply a follow up call. I'm sorry but 22 thousand dollars should get us more than a follow up call. I'm extremely disappointed. Most extern sites won't hire so you are on your own finding a job. Don't waste your time find a school that cares and will stick to what they say. Also they take every bit of financial aide you get ( even when I had a scholarship ) they are money hungry. read more

DO NOT GO TO SJVC!!! 20+thousand dollars down the drain, I graduated the electrical tech program at sjvc in November of 23. I have yet to get a job, the jobs they try and find me aren't even in the field I went to school for. Some of their career advisors don't care about the students at all. Not very much hands on work either mainly book work, the hands on you do get aren't really what you'd do if you were working for a company. read more

I've been here almost 3 months now and have been through 3 instructors, the last 2 that I've had are horrible the instructor that is teaching us now she doesn't teach us anything we sit in class and just work on assignments ourselves, she is to worried about being on her phone, doing her own homework for school that she is going to or kissing other instructors butt's I came here to learn to be taught something I'm paying a lot of money to try and figure things out on my own, myself and other students have talked to the dean and nothing has changed they say the care about your education but they don't it's all a front, if I could get my money back I would most definitely do that and go somewhere else I would not encourage anyone to come here at all save your money and go elsewhere. I regret so bad picking this school. Please go somewhere else. read more

I have an autoimmune disorder that made going to school at times very difficult. It took me two years to finish a 9 month program, but whenever I needed it, SJVC worked with me to ensure that I could take a leave of absence and then come back when I could. I'm very grateful they worked with me because now I'm officially certified! read more

I am currently a student at sjvc and I am deaf. So we're doing classes online due to Covid-19 which I don't mind because I live out of town and I like online classes better for some reason. Those classes are hard, but it's not why I gave 3 stars. The reason I gave 3 stars is because I needed an interpreter for those classes but they never inform the interpreter my schedule and link to online meeting so I had to send them with my personal email. They just don't understand how to inform the interpreter agency or at least communicate with them. read more

I strongly caution anyone thinking about taking classes at SJVC. Going to SJVC is turning out to be one of the biggest mistakes I've made in my life. I graduated June of this year (2023) from the HVAC program. they sell you on the idea there are jobs out there. (there aren't, not for people fresh out of school) and that the schooling itself is hands on. (it's not, 80% of the program was book work 20% was 25 - 30 dudes crowding around 3 ac units trying to troubleshoot). It's now November and I still don't have a job in the field I went to school for. Even better I have debt. debt I can't afford to pay because I can't find a job in my field. SJVC claims they send your resume out for you. I've received no opportunities so ether there's no jobs or they aren't sending my resume out. I've had better luck on indeed. Remember if you don't find a job SJVC still wants their money and will take you to collections over it. remover you can't file bankruptcy over student loans. really consider going here you can learn 90% on your own. read more

Pretty up set how I'm almost a grad and They change up how MAs are getting diplomas what the hell I'm getting a freaken certificate? You guys should of had the diploma from the getco instead of make us waste the money on a certificate. And saying oh a diploma is better I can't we all worked as hard and we all deserve a diploma we are well deserved read more

I attended SJVC's Respiratory Therapy program. Like any school there was ups and downs. The school always provides me wit a positive learning environment and met my educational needs and goals. After graduation I was able to easily pass the board exams on the first try. I would definitely recommend this school. read more

I started school just as COVID-19 hit so I have been online since March 17th. The professors at SJVC are amazing and have enjoyed my learning with them. I definitely recommend if you want to go to school this is the place to go!!! read more

Very nice community college with excellent supportive and knowledgeable people who can help shape careers . I am not a student but come here often to other related services . I do not the cost of courses etc but see a lot of students so I guess it is good . read more

Instructors are very helpful In person or online. The financial aid staff are not helpful and they are hard to reach when you have an important question only when they need a signature or for exiting counseling they will return your messages. The dean of students was not helpful either during the pandemic when I wanted to get of hold of financial aid or other stuff for graduation requirements. I actually had to reach out to the head quarters in Visalia. read more

I would like to start out by saying how much I love SJVC. I did every ounce of research possible before deciding SJVC was the right choice for me. I met with my advisor Daron, who is by far super amazing! She did everything possible to make becoming a student again possible and easy! She introduced me to my instructors and helped me even get involved in campus. I have had a small variety of teachers here, Mayo, Torres, Ledezma & Martinez along with a few general education teachers. Each one of them have always helped me and made sure I knew what I needed to know by the end of class everyday. I come to school to learn & become better at what I want to do. These teachers are by far SUPER amazing! I wouldn't change them for the world! Each teacher has their own way of teaching however that's what makes learning fun and worth it. I love SJVC so much that I am now even the ASB & MA Club President. I have been at this school for 10 months and still believe I've made the right choice! Just a bit of information to all those who like to give low reviews.. you can only ever get what you give out of anything in life.. this saying is not only true for school but for relationships & life in a whole! Thank you, Brittany M. Wadkins read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. Where do I start??? First of all, what they promise you isn't what it is at the end. They say (career services)that they're going to find you a job by the time you graduate and bull bull bull but guess what? You have to do it. Yeah they're not going to do the work so you can get a job that easily but they said that they were going to help.. they don't help for shit. Then during class time, the MA instructor would just put her personal life out there and talk with other students about it while people actually want to learn. And oh!! Yeah she gave out most of the answers and guess what?? And the end of the MA program when you are going to take the NCCT?? You don't know anything because she gave out the answers and didn't teach anything.. back to career services.. Rubio doesn't do anything at all. She was supposed to send out my externship papers the day she got them so I can be considered a graduate and nope! Barely is going to do it because someone else asked for them.. but if they don't ask for them?? What would she have done.. this school is just wack. Don't waste your money here.. $11,000 for this?? read more

I have to tell you, my self esteem and confidence in myself is not really that great. I am a sheepish, quiet, very polite person that avoids confrontation. I sucked at high school and sucked at Bakersfield College which makes me feel like a dumb dumb. It took a lot of courage for me to go into SJVC and take Medical Assisting classes. Deron was the best admissions advisor, even when her job was done she took time out of her day to talk with student's and check on their wellbeing. The academic dean at the time that I was there was also the best, she helped me in my time of need and took my concerns very seriously. She was the woman who got business done right, with a big pearly smile of course. The Career advisor tried her best to help me get a job as a medical assistant, but I wasn't going to let her do all the work. I got myself a position as a medical assistant at Accelerated Urgent Care. I want to thank SJVC for giving me a little confidence boost and the skills I needed to be the best medical assistant I can be. read more

This school is a joke. I hate that I wasted so much money on this disaster. Yes, I graduated with my degree and certification but not without complications. It seems once they get your money they don't give a crap about any of your concerns. Also we paid about 37,000 dollars each, so you would think the campus would be nicer. Or have more than one student lunch area. They pump you with false promises and never follow through. They lose paperwork ALL the time. It's actually crazy how many times people in my class had to resign documents because of that. It's very unprofessional and I wouldn't recommend this school to anyone! read more

this campus is falling apart. all equipment is outdated, computers not working properly, teachers inexperienced and struggle to explain concepts. This school is unprofessional and waste of time. read more

I am a current student at sjvc and im taking criminal justices best school Im going to everything there is all hands on training and best instructors and good counselors they always keep you on track this school rocks read more

A good college but the industrial technology program was a disaster when I was going in 2010 to 2011. The big problem with that program is that you first start by learning everything you need to work then jumping into general education for a year.. By that time, you already forgot anything important that is needed on the job. I have struggled for several years since 2012 when I graduated. I have even been let go from jobs because I wasn't qualified. read more

A truly great community college. Fosters a healthy and friendly learning environment, and lends hands on teaching and experience to students in their field of choice. Advisors care about your education and success, and have great job placement skills for students after graduating. All instructors have worked professionally in the programs they teach, and are able to offer up to date and pertinent information in your field of study. Very pleased with choosing SJVC! read more

SJVC Bakersfield has changed my life for the better. I started in June not sure of what I was doing in life, but had a passion for helping people. I went with a friend to open house, not attending in joining, and ended up falling for the CAMA program. Now im only 5 months away from graduation. The staff is awesome, friendly, and very helpful. All of my instrustors that Ive had, have been amazing. Each caring for their students, and having experience in the field. The other students here are awesome. No need to feel left out or intimitated. SJVC was the best choice I ever made. =) read more

Ash Carter, admission advisor LeRoy Brown and the two local Deans Rugno and Phillips at the Bakersfield branch are scam artists, They claim to pro-student, But when I asked for them to have the instructors provide the appropriate hands-on education they advertise and promised. They couldn't even provide that for 18k in student loans. As far as the HVAC program it is a 10 month program 5 of those months in the advanced classes, where i should have been learning most of the skills needed in order to get a job in the HVAC industry i get stuck with a clown instructor Greer who gave the class tons of more book work and less real world hands on experience. Bottom line is i don't feel quote " Job ready in as little as 10 months" as advertised, this school was a huge waist of time and money. If your looking for an HVAC program please checkout SBBC first, so these people don't get anymore money from innocent honest and hard working students. read more

i would take back enrolling in this school any day!!! i attended 8 weeks of the rt program and qualified for all financial aid as i have children. the financial aid office required me to provide my tax return which i was fine with, however they requested my 2015 tax return and gave me a number to call to get it but stated in the meantime they would be trying to get it and if they couldnt they would contact me. well about 2 weeks go by they never contacted me and me being a single mother with kids and attending the rt program how was i gonna think that they didnt get it i go there every day why would they not try contacting me again to tell me that they still had not gotten it. ohhh no they never contacted me so when i withdrew 8 weeks into the program for personal issues they first told me that i didnt owe anything as i qualifed for all aid. then a couple weeks later sent me a letter that i owed over 4 thousand dollars for 8 weeks!!! i was furious and they stated that becuase i didnt turn in the 2015 tax return i owe that money.i tried to provide it to remove the balance and the financial aid office stated that it was too late! i would not reccomend anyone to attend this school they just want your money !!! read more