Many unemployed Americans are turning to colleges and universities in order to gain a better position in today’s workforce.   But what do these unemployed people do when they see that the college education they seek will cost them nearly 6 figures?  Of course, they are applying at that prestigious state school with the best programs in the region… or are they?  Community colleges and 2 year schools have always had the reputation of offering an inexpensive, second rate education to second class citizens.  This is not the case anymore.

Community colleges still may have lower tuition than your average state university, but its green curriculum may be blowing universities out of the water.  Two-year schools specifically focus on programs where there is a current labor market demand.  This way, they can get the students through the program quickly in 2 years and have them walking into work right after graduation.  The future labor market consists of positions that are far and few currently.  These positions include bio-fuel production technicians, environmental engineers and eco-activists.  Community colleges are looking ahead and designing programs and degrees that cater to the green market and sustainability.    Because of this, community colleges are starting to partner with large corporations such as GE and IBM to fund and support sustainable degrees.  Many of the Fortune 500 companies are donating materials and electronics in an effort to build these eco-degrees.  These corporations will then hire within these programs, which in a sense, they helped to create themselves.

If you’re one of the many unemployed Americans seeking a higher education, you may want to rethink your choice of schools.  Community college degrees may be a wiser decision in the long run not only financially but sustainability as well.

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Author: John Zinsky