Posted on 04/16/2019 3:53:11 AM PDT by Kaslin
PITTSBURGH -- When the Pittsburgh Pirates opened their season two weeks ago at PNC Park, Nathan Sibley, a York County, Pennsylvania, kid who struggled in high school and subsequently stood little chance to attend a four-year college had earned the job for the major league club that nearly every fan in the ballpark pays attention to.
"I am the captioner for the Pirates for the JumboTron," Sibley said.
He earned the job after he interned for the Pirates last summer through a program at the community college he attends.
It's a dream come true for a student who did not make great grades in high school but had a real talent he was unsure what to do with: typing very fast.
"I initially thought IT programming might be the way to go, but I found I didn't care for that. Then a teacher suggested court reporting. There weren't many options out there until I saw what CCAC had," Sibley said of Community College of Allegheny County, where he will be graduating early from in May.
Every year, more than 25,000 students enroll at that community college in the greater Pittsburgh area, picking one of more than 150 degree, certificate, diploma or transfer programs. On top of that are the thousands more who take workforce development courses at the school.
In a city that boasts six major universities within its city limits -- University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne, Robert Morris, Chatham, Point Park, and Carlow -- those are impressive numbers.
While enrollment at community colleges is down across the country, despite the dramatic cost savings of beginning there and either transferring or going straight into the workforce with an associate degree, the benefits schools such as Community College of Allegheny County have are immeasurable, not just for the students but also for the communities they serve.
A student pays $110 per credit here at the school, compared to around $800 at University of Pittsburgh or $1,406 at Harvard University. On average, student borrowers in higher learning institutions outside of community colleges owe $28,650, according to the nonprofit research and advocacy group Institute for College Access & Success.
The cost of higher education became a political football in America since 2016, when Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., made free college the core of his Democratic presidential primary campaign. His 2020 rivals have jumped on the bandwagon.
These schools help students such as Sibley find their niche, and they provide opportunity for students who weren't ready to put themselves or their parents in debt.
"I didn't really know what I wanted to do," Alex Lopez, 23, told me. "I was trying to figure out what I actually wanted to do. I'm like, 'Let me go give computer science a try.' Well, I gave it a try, and it really wasn't for me. I had a teacher tell me, 'Why don't you go into teaching?' I'm like, 'Sure, why not?' And I just set it off from there."
It was his parents who urged him to start his journey as a teacher at a community college.
"And I wanted to, to be honest. I didn't want to break their bank," he said of attending a larger university.
Lopez, who is half black and half Latino, decided teaching Spanish would be a natural fit for him. "Half of my family is fluent in Spanish," he said.
There's more. A community college often makes itself an integral part of its community. "We (are) situated inside of a community," Community College of Allegheny County President Dr. Quintin B. Bullock says, "and most of the time individuals who choose the community college as their point of access of higher education and workforce training, they are making a commitment to stay in the community."
Ninety-four percent of that university's students remain, live and work following graduation, Bullock says. "That affirms the importance of the community college."
While the majority of students in the other universities in the city leaves the region after graduation, a system of higher education that is affordable and retains the graduates locally, making the community younger, smarter and stronger, has to be better part of the national conversation as a solution for a variety of societal problems.
I think it would help if states would devise a high-school system, where you could ‘graduate’ by the end of the 11th grade, and proceed onto a local community college. I think 60-percent of kids are ready for it, and that entire last year of high school is worthless.
I agree with you
My kids were told that we would help them if they did the 2+2 approach. My son did his first 2 and got accepted at CNU. He’s finishing his Junior year and is shipping out to the Marine Corps (reserves) for summer boot camp. He then will return for his final year. Upon completion he hopes to apply to OCS. He has worked hard to make this happen!
Yep. Pretty much any young adult can take a job as a burger flipper or latte server, then take two community college classes three times a year while they’re at it. In 28 months they can have a vocational two-year degree.
Or they at that point can be ready to transfer all those credits to their state college — and in 28 more months have a four-year degree by following the same path.
For those of you paying attention, that is a four-year degree in four years and eight months. The standard for measuring graduation with such at a regular vacation-style college now is six years.
I ask you, which young adult is going to be more mature and employable at that point? No reason they couldn’t continue on to graduate school if that were their interest as well.
If they wanted to build something of a financial cushion, they could stay home through their community college period, at least, though pairing up in a modest apartment near their college should work as well.
We have all we need for closing down the taxpayer grants and lending spigot now, and ending the student loan “crisis” immediately. Likewise, we have available to students what they need as a foot in the door for skilled employment, without having Ivanka and Ross line up loads of bogus new-hiring and apprenticeship claims from big corporations. And yes, big corps are perfectly capable of communicating their hiring priorities to said community colleges on their own, too.
Congrats to you and your son—that’s the way to do it!
Cheaper crap is still crap.
A lot of kids here in Kansas City start community college when they are juniors and graduate with two degrees when they graduate high school.
I have one kid that quit community college, one that went through and is now set to graduate as an aerospace engineer from a four year (or five or six year) university, and one that went all four years to a four year university also set to graduate. The one who went to community college is the most grounded, has the most money (he is a saver) and has the most hours too.
We have Dual enrollment here in Tennessee. High School kids can take some classes at the Community college starting in jr year. Their math, English, History classes, etc count for both High school and college credit. Then they can work on career classes or general ed college classes.
I have three friends whose sons are doing that. They all took Electronic engineering Tech classes. 2 have the credits for the associates degree and are going on for their Bachelor’s. The other one will finish his associates in December and has a job offer for when he does.
It’s been a god-send for boy #3. He hated High School and was beginning to head down a bad path. He gets all A’s in college classes and works on state the art equipment. He’s the best student in the tech classes because he “gets” it. He has found his niche.
I’m not one to harp on a whole group of people and characterize them all a certain way but I guess I’m going to do it this time. I hear way too much whining from younger people about ‘the cost of college’. It’s obviously not anecdotal either because so many Presidential candidates are responding to it.
AOC said in one interview that her generation (the millennials) have never known prosperity in their lifetime. When I heard this clip I was flabbergasted. If you are under 30 and live in America, all you have known in your lifetime is prosperity. This type of whining really turns me off.
Back to the college, there are so many ways to go to college and not accrue tremendous debt. You can join the military. The benefits of the New GI Bill is so much more than the pittance they used to offer 35 - 40 years ago (after Vietnam and that GI Bill was over with) it is like night and day. After four years of active service, your GI Bill benefits will practically pay for most major colleges, plus give you a stipend while you’re going.
There is going to a community college as the article suggests. In my state (Pennsylvania) you can transfer up to 60 credits from a community college to any of the state schools. That is usually half of the credits you need as it usually takes 120 - 125 credits to graduate most majors. The community college also may get you into the workforce without going to a major university. I’m not talking about a burger flipper job, I’m talking about a career.
Last but certainly not least, there are the trades. We have a shortage of HVAC Techs, plasterers, carpenters, mechanics, plumbers etc... Companies are dying to hire guys/gals with the right credentials to do this work. It’s a career that you can build around and make good money and raise a family.
In short, the best thing the Marine Corps ever did for me was to take me to so many of the worlds $hitholes so I can be truly thankful for how good I have it in America.
Agree ~ the last year is often filled with frivolous fun stuff, and these kids are allowed to vote or go off to war, time to grow up ~
When I was a child, I behaved like a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things....
The AA should be the required track to getting a B.A. The 4 year schools could start conferring them as part of the pathway.
Online courses can also help. My daughter saved a lot of money by taking them. No expensive facilities needed. Less room for leftist extra-curricular propaganda when communications must be in writing. The prof doesn’t even need to know what the student looks like or whose paper is being graded.
Some states have PSEO programs. I’m glad our state is one of them.
It’s a smart move. Get the required bs oit if the way and transfer when you’re ready. Why pay a big University for humanities classes?
So what is your solution?
I have a former colleague who earned his Bachelors Degree at the University of Wisconsin, and then went back for some professional development classes at CCAC.
He told me that the quality of the instruction at CCAC was better than Wisconsin, and he actually learned more.
2 years at CC reduces many expenses, especially if you're still living at home.
It also reduces the party environment and affords an opportunity for full or part time work.
Then when you've grown up a bit, you're more likely to take years 3 and 4 more seriously.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.