I want to get back to the roots of this blog, which is personal finance for college students and students and new graduates. I want to help you guys make smart decisions, by sharing information and letting you decide for yourselves what would work best.
There are so many magazines listing the best 4 year universities, which can be a bit helpful for some high school seniors. I want to show some solid community colleges as an option to consider too.
Do Community Colleges Help or Hurt Your Career?
I spent some time this weekend comparing notes with other about college choices and outcomes. It’s funny how when you look back on some of your simple choices, that they had a huge effect on matters.
The topic of community college came up. Both my husband and I attended a community college before transferring to a four year university nearby. It has helped us financially and career wise. The community college we attended was in the vicinity of 3 universities. Some of the same professors from my community college also were teaching at the university, so it wasn’t a hard adjustment.
Why Choose Attending a Community College?
Attending a community college can be a smart move for many people looking for better career options.
- Cost: Community colleges cost less than a typical university and they are extremely cheap if you’re an in-state student. Saving money for two years can be a huge boost.
- Flexibility: Many community colleges have non-traditional students and have class schedules designed to accommodate their needs.
- Career training: There are some great certificate and applied associates offered in some community colleges. Not all good paying career require a 4 year degree; you can find solid paying jobs with two year degrees.
List of the Top Community Colleges
Check out the rest of the best community college list at Washington Monthly.
Source: Washington Monthly
As you can see with the list, many community colleges are highly affordable.
Run the Numbers for Community College
Don’t fall into the trap of avoiding a great community college because you think it’ll hurt your career. In actuality, a solid education from a community college can help you get into your career quicker and/or prepare you well for a university without paying the higher tuition for 2 years.
Don’t get yourself into a huge amount of debt. Keep your college expenses as low as possible. If you’re smart, you’ll still seek out as many scholarships as you can and try to earn some money while attending school.
What are your thoughts?
Have you attended a community college? Has it helped or harmed your career? What tips do you have on making the most out of community college?
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I went to community college and I wouldn’t be in the field I am in without community college. I took an intro course in my field and it really helped me decide that it was what I wanted to do, so I got my A.A. and transferred to a university. Once I got my B.S., employers and other schools didn’t really look at my community college stuff and it hasn’t harmed me in applying to grad schools or finding employment in my field.
I really recommend community college as an option to consider. I was a mediocre student in high school, and community college helped me turn that around…I don’t know how successful I would have been at a university without my community college experience. You can take all or most of the gen-ed credits you’ll need at a 4 year university for a much cheaper price as long as the credits will transfer. It was also a great place to experiment with a wide range of electives and majors…if you ended up not liking an elective when you were done or if you take a couple classes in a major and find its not for you then you don’t feel like you flushed as much money away. Beyond the difference in tuition, when I was going to community college I lived at home (free) rather than living in a dorm or apartment ($$). I graduated with no community college debt, and went on to a university for a couple years where I got the full university “experience”.
Thanks Alan for sharing your story and thoughts! Good point about experimenting with some classes. It can sometimes to good insights.
I paid rent while attending community college, so I was getting some experience under my belt while getting an education.
Community college can be great for some. I went to an out of state school but one summer took summer classes at the local community college to gain more college credit and it was a positive experience for me. So a full program I’m sure can benefit a lot.
Yeah, it depends on the quality of education you can get at a community college. There are some really good ones if you look around your state.
I think the concept of community colleges have come a long way. 8 years ago when I graduated high school, community college was for those who people viewed as “not smart enough” for college, but that def is not the case at all. The local community college near my home has totally renovated its campus and looks like a small university. It has top notch assoicate programs that are perfect for those high school grads that are uncertain of what they want to do with their careers. Spend 2 years there getting the BS core courses out of the way then transfer to specialize. Shoulda done that!