Everyone knows somebody who looks down on Community College students. The thought process goes something like this: “Hey…their not mortgaging their future by shelling out tens of thousands of dollars for education each year…that must mean their education is inferior.” There was probably even a time when I was 18 years old and applying to colleges that I felt this way myself.
“No mom and dad,” I remember saying in an exasperated tone. There is no way I’m going to community college! I was in all A.P. classes for goodness sakes!”
But those community college graduates are laughing all the way to the bank at such snobbery. According to this article, the average graduates of community colleges may earn significantly higher starting salaries than graduates of “four year universities.” Sure the data applies to Florida in 2009, but this post shows the average community college student earns approximately $5,000-$6,000 more as a starting salary than the “traditional” college graduate. It’s all enough to make me and my overpriced private undergraduate education cry.
Community College Graduates Earn More? How?
Let’s get a little snobby. How in the world do community college graduates possibly out-earn graduates of four-year colleges and universities? After all, shouldn’t those Ivy leaguers bring up the average enough to make up for the lesser paying liberal arts majors that flood academia? Don’t the “top” students from high school, on average, get scholarships and attend ritzy universities–and shouldn’t those “top students” then go out into the work-force and earn large sums of money? Something’s got to be wrong here, right?
I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the study’s results, because well, I didn’t perform the study. But I can say that community colleges do appear to be more focused on careers rather than “learning for learning’s sake.” While my buddies who attended community college learned practical skills through hands-on experience, I was learning about philosophy–which has yet to earn me a single dollar (so far as I can tell).
The programs and degrees of a community college are just generally more focused on technical skills and trades. Such trade skills are now more in demand than ever since almost every high school graduate today wants a “white collar profession”, regardless of whether it fits their skill level or not. In today’s society almost every high-school student is pushed towards a four-year university or college.
Conclusion
I have to admit that I was a little surprised when I read this article. Perhaps that means I am still a snob, even all these years later. However, the more I think about the issue, the more it makes sense. To counter this, colleges might want to consider providing a little more experience in the practical rather than the theoretical. Even many graduate programs do not leave the “ivory towers” long enough to provide their graduates with a solid clinical experience.
Todays employers are demanding hands-on experience more than ever. In the “new normal,” companies want people who can come right in and be an asset from the very beginning of their tenure. People move from job to job so much today that putting a lot of time and energy into properly training a new employee is no longer seen as a great investment.
All these factors along with the overcrowding of post high-school education show that a new trend may be emerging. The answer for many of us may be to swallow our pride, if we have to, and consider the substantial benefits of community college.
What are your thoughts?
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Have you read the Millionaire Next Door? Most of the millionaires in that book were people who owned their own businesses–like plumbers and contractors. Both are fields that could start with a community college education.
Don’t forget that lots of us with private college degrees major in crazy fields that will never net us high incomes–like history, philosophy, English lit.
Even if you don’t anticipate a high starting salary from a community college degree, there are other good reasons to tamp back the snobbishness.
I saved thousands on my private education by taking advantage of community college classes. Every summer break, I’d take a couple of mandatory classes at the local community college and transfer the credits to my private college. I graduated early and saved big bucks.
I spent 3 years getting my university degree. The job I got? Call centre Rep.
Back to school (college) for 3 years of computer programming and analysis. The job I got? $45k / yr Intern w/ the provincial government. Within 8 years, $80k as a Business Analyst.
You really do need to learn some skills and my degree in Politics and Sociology didn’t give marketable skills. Seems 60-70% of Canadians have a degree these days.
Learning a trade like plumbing or carpentry will probably let you start earning more money right way, but I think the earning potential is more limited than a career in business or other professions that need a college degree. Of course if the tradesman start his own business, then it’s another story.
I took a summer class at a local Community College. I have nothing bad to say about it or the instructor. The instructor of the Calculus I class stated that people generally look down at community colleges, because they give people a chance; they don’t have open admissions. If these people after they come in fail out; they fail out. He said he teaches the same course here as he did at a larger school. He also teaches this course at a local high cost private college. Calc I is Calc I. Every college has its blow off courses, but a substance course is a substance course.
When I took the class the Community College charged $50 cr, my school $150 cr, Penn State $179 cr, and local private $180 cr. I hindsight, I was paying an extra $100 for my schools name. I don’t think it was worth it! Calc is Calc.
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I have an AA from a community college and I make a pretty good living as an IT Manager. I was accepted at Pepperdine and was going to get my BA, but, it didn’t make sense for me to drop $60K and miss more years of my kid’s lives, just to check a box on an application. A Bachelors degree does make it easier to get jobs, especially in larger companies. But, I would make about the same salary either way.
Here are three of my thoughts on the subject:
1) I have a computer science degree, which compliments my career experience and provides skills I use in my job. Whether someone attends community college or a university, the major is important. Skills, such as computer, medical, engineering and hard sciences, pay much better than fine arts, English or history.
2) Many of the teachers in community college work in the industry for the subjects they teach, especially in night school. This was huge for my education, because computer skills aren’t theoretical. Many of the professors in universities went from attending college to teaching it. Or, they learned a profession so long ago, their experience is obsolete.
3) Many of the kids coming out of college today have never held a job, even at Starbucks or McDonalds. I strongly recommend a part-time job or an internship before graduation. The unemployment rate is 25% for that age group and more graduates are chasing fewer jobs. Having work experience gives students a big advantage over those without any.
Statistically, community college offers the best value and return on investment to students. Also, transfer students get better grades than students who start out at a university. So, it’s definitely not something to look down on. On the other hand, if you can get into Harvard, go for it.
Overall, I think this study might be skewed by the fact that four-year-degree holders graduate to entry-level jobs, but community college grads probably already had a job before they went back for more training. That’s just based on my personal observations, but the people I know who went to community college at 19 aren’t doing any better than the people who went to four-year schools.
The people I know who are doing really well just went out and got jobs, didn’t take on debt for school, and pursued further training as necessary. The prejudices against that path might be worth overcoming – because from what I can tell, if you want to be a plumber or join any other trade, direct work experience and apprenticeship training matters more than anything else. Employers in the trades might like to see some certifications, but they really aren’t going to give an applicant credit for coursework in history or theory, whatever the school.
I know that in Ca a AA nursing degree and a BA nursing degree allows you to get the same floor nursing job, the only difference is the BA allows you to manage. However, you have to do floor nursing first. The hospitals prefer hiring AA students because they have more clinical experience (BA’s focus on how to manage). And, you can get your AA, get the job and turn around and take the classes needed for the BA and get it paid by the hospital.
I know community colleges well. I attended three of them before transferring to a 4-yr university for a BS in Bus Admin.
It would be nice to see more hands-on mechanical trades come back as core requirements in a well-rounded education. Learning to read and interpret mechanical drawings is a better life skill than some of the sillier electives in most college curriculums.
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