Can Community Colleges Save the U.S. Economy? – TIME.
There are no dorms, in many cases the students are part-time and the tuition is far less than a four-year school. Community colleges are the rage, as innovative employers in this new economy look to these institutions of higher learning for a quality workers.
As Time magazine reports, community colleges have flexibility — also known as speed boat mentality — to adapt to the changing needs of employers in the “community,” thus producing workers who can hit-the-ground-running, if you will. And with college savings having dwindled by as much as 50%, many parents are looking to community colleges as an alternative to no school at all for their high school graduates.
Community colleges often times get a bad rap but there’s nothing wrong with attending and graduating from a two-year school. I did it and so did both of my children. Long before the recession hit, I found myself having to enroll my daughter in a local community college. A life-changing event forced us to make the decision after her high school graduation. She was a real trooper about it and committed herself to completing the two years of study then enrolled in a four-year institution to complete her undergrad.
My daughter was a lot more focused than my son and I. In fact, my son is back at a local community college in Florida as he is changing careers after having completed an AA degree in computer graphics about five years ago. He followed in the footsteps of his mom by immediately going to work instead of completing his undergrad. After a layoff earlier this year, he is back in school and trying to take care of a family. The difference this time: he wants to make sure he has the education and skills to bring home a sizeable portion of the cheddar.
Me… I waited almost 20 years before completing my undergrad. Now I’m looking for master’s programs — something I am committed to completing within the next two to three years.
So, I am a big fan of community colleges and agree with President Obama that these institutions have the potential to help train and retrain the next generation of workers. Wind farms, green jobs, healthcare and more are bound to come from our local community colleges over the next several years.
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I’ve hired probably 200 people over the years for marketing and advertising jobs, most with college degrees. WHERE they graduated from was never a factor to me. The fact that they had what it took to stick with it and GRADUATE was impressive to me. And my doctors– Never once have I asked where they graduated from or if their education started at a community college. I know many people who started at community colleges for two year before x-ferring to the likes of UCLA or Ohio State. It all adds up to a 4 year degree to me.
Good luck with your Master’s Degree! That’s an impressive goal!!!
It took me five years to earn my 2 year degree in graphic design from a community college. Mostly because I wasn’t fully committed to my education – a nasty character flaw that I’ve since corrected – and the fact that my physiological needs were being met at the time led to my half-hearted effort to complete my associate degree.
Now with my new found commitment to education and much needed job training I am preparing myself for the influx of new tech jobs into this “new economy”. The communitty college has provided me with the necessary recsources to make this transition an easier, more affordable one.
Community colleges really are a better place to start.
@Eric Taylor
There are probably more Americans in our position than we think. Community colleges have help thousands of people advance to higher degrees and higher earning power.
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