The Community College Career Track: How to Achieve the American Dream without a Mountain of Debt

Get a good education minus the debt and enter a field that's actually hiring. In coming years, millions of great jobs will be opening up in growth areas like advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, health care, information technology, and sustainable energy. These jobs can pay as well as, or much better than, the average for four-year liberal arts graduates—and offer high levels of career satisfaction. And the path to all of them begins in community college. In The Community College Career Track , Tom Snyder gives young people and midlife career changers a practical guide to taking that path and completing it successfully. You'll learn: Why everyone should consider a science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), or health care related career, and why community college is the best place to start How to use community college as the smart start to a bachelor's degree Great, lucrative careers that only require two-year degrees or one-year professional certificates How to prepare for college level work whether you're in high school or you're changing careers How to thrive in a community college

Part I. The Best Higher Education Value in America Chapter 1. Why Community College Is a Great Choice for Almost Every Student Chapter 2. Affordable for All: Paying for Community College and Lowering Your Total Higher Education Costs Chapter 3. Scholarships and Financial Aid Chapter 4. It’s Not Where You Study, It’s What You Study: Why Everyone Should Consider a STEM–Related or Health Care–Related Career and Why Community College Is the Best Place to Start Part II. Great Community College Options – and You Can Choose More Than One Chapter 5. The Smart Start to a Bachelor’s Degree: How to Use Community College as a Stepping Stone to a Bachelor’s Degree Chapter 6. Two–Year Degrees and One–Year Professional Certificates: Gateways to Great Jobs and Careers Chapter 7. On Campus or Online? Part III. Getting Ready for Community College Chapter 8. What You Should Do to Prepare for College Level Work if You Are Now in High School Chapter 9. What You Should Do to Prepare for College Level Work if You Are a Career Changer Chapter 10. Self–Assessment Tools to Help You Prepare for the Tests That Determine Where You Start in College Part IV. How to Succeed in Community College Chapter 11. If You’re Going to Community College Directly from High School as a Full–Time Student Chapter 12. If You’re Going to Community College as a Part–Time Student or a Career Changer: Juggling Classes, Homework, Your Job, and the Rest of Your Life Conclusion: Achieving the American Dream Appendix: The Higher Education America Needs: Win–Win Partnerships Between Community Colleges and Employers Appendix: Additional Resources Notes Acknowledgments Index

THOMAS J. SNYDER is the President of Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana's statewide community college system and the largest singly accredited community college system in the country. While he was CEO of Delco Remy International, the company grew from $500 million to $1.3 billion in global sales. He has confronted the education-jobs mismatch from both sides, first as a highly successful business executive and now as an award-winning educator.