Community college isn't bad per se, but it's not as easy as people make it out to be as far as the bargain it is. Yes, it's cheaper than regular college and often you get financial benefits, but if you're already reasonably intelligent it's a waste of time and money, imo.SilverEnergy wrote:If you just have to go to college, community colleges have 2 year programs that will pretty much get you working right after you get your Associate's Degree.
I agree for those who are getting impatient and suffering, a university might not be the best thing for you unless you go into a study abroad program.
What I plan on doing, and I have a friend that did this for some of his stuff. CLEP. College Level Examination Program. https://clep.collegeboard.org/ Theoretically you can get enough credits for a BA in sheer number on just CLEP tests alone. I think from what I calculated, you're good for 130 credits based on the numbers on their site. Not all colleges except CLEP credits, but many do. Generally private colleges don't, but public colleges will. You have to check. Each test is $100ish dollars to take. When you're ready, you send the transfer for like $30ish to whatever college and the college awards the credit. If you look on the site and figure out things you're reasonably versed in, buy some study books or get them from the library, then go for the test, few hour test for 3 college credits. THEN after you've exhausted CLEP, you go to college for your major requirement classes and don't just spend years f***ing around getting your gen ed requirements in.
http://joshkaufman.net/hacking-higher-education-clep/
I mean if you wanna go to college for the experience so you can relive high school and pretend you're on Degrassi or something, or to meet chicks (which you'd probably be better off going to a ballroom dance class for that....) then do it, but yes, there is a better way. Theoretically, there are colleges like Thomas Edison and Excelsior University that are distance learning only and do either CLEP or their own testing for credits, and you can do that, too, but you can transfer CLEP credits to numerous real 4 year colleges.
Most kids take FOREVER in community college, as they don't place into high enough classes because of shitty high school either because their teachers were waiting on a pension or the students didn't care or both. So most of the time it's taking on average, for students starting fulltime, 3 years to get an associates even.
