Meredith Vance, Senior editor

I’m the senior editor here, which in practice means I’m the one who keeps asking “says who?” A program page says it’s accredited: I want the accreditor’s name, and then I go and find the program in that accreditor’s own list. A guide says you need a license: I want the state board page that says so.

Most of my week goes to the careers where rules and money matter most. Bookkeeping, tax preparation, insurance, real estate, paralegal work, project management, trucking, electrical exam prep. Requirements change from one state to the next, and the cheapest course is sometimes the one that doesn’t count toward the exam you actually have to sit. I would rather spell that out than have you find out after you’ve paid.

I also read refund policies, all of them. “Full refund within 30 days” and “full refund within 30 days if you’ve opened less than 10% of the lessons” are two very different promises, and that difference goes into the guide.

To be clear about what we don’t do: I haven’t enrolled in these programs. I read what providers, regulators and learners publish, put it side by side and keep the pages current.