I recently read an article which affirms that “Community Colleges Are Surprisingly Useful.” Those of us who attend or work for community colleges already know they can be a great place for people to start a career, transfer to a four-year institution, or develop workplace skills. The recession catapulted community colleges into the spotlight due to cheaper tuition rates; some attention from President Obama also helped. However, it still feels good to know that the general public is beginning to see community colleges as a viable option for life after high school.
When I was in high school, a two-year school wasn’t on my radar; I wanted to go to Sarah Lawrence College and become a writer or editor. Of course that didn’t happen because I didn’t have the grades (thanks to a constantly disrupted education), but I am happy with the choice I did make, which was to attend Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. Having worked for community colleges for over three years, I’ve seen firsthand how they can be useful. Of course, community colleges face challenges such as students being unprepared for college-level work, working within limited funding, ensuring that students are able to transition to the workforce or to a four-year college or university, and so on. However, knowing that my work supports student success makes it easier to deal with these issues.
If I could go back in time with the knowledge that I have now, I would consider a community college, but I would still need to find a way to relocate because my younger self did NOT want to stay in Wisconsin after high school!