Certificate Programs At Community Colleges Offer Employment Opportunities

Tom Snyder, President of Ivy Tech

If you are a recent college graduate and haven’t found a job, perhaps it’s time to think about going back to school and getting trained in a field that is actually hiring.

The best way to do so may be with a specialized certificate programs now offered by all community colleges.

You may have not thought of going to a community college when you finished high school.  But the reality is that community colleges now offer a better return on investment than many four year institutions.  If you were liberal arts major, you probably don’t have the kind of skills that employers are looking for in industries that are hiring.

A certificate program at a community college is probably your best bet to get the specialized training that leads directly to a relatively well-paying job.  These programs often entail only a year of study.  The best news is that these programs sometimes can cost less than $2,000. Many certificate programs also prepare you for a national accreditation exam, which means that you will be certified in a particular field anywhere in the country.

There are numerous examples of certificate programs.  Some of them include court reporting, computer support specialist, emergency medical technician, computer-based drafting and design, culinary arts, and web development.

The best effective way to find a certificate program that’s right for you is to visit the website of your community college. Determine if this institution has any certificate programs that it has set up with a local business.  You may never have considered becoming a wind turbine technician, but if that’s where the jobs are in your community the certificate would be worth the monetary investment.

If you live in an area with a high concentration of manufacturing companies, chances are good that some of these companies are looking for skilled workers and have set up certificate programs with the community college.

All community colleges have academic advisors.  Try to arrange an appointment to explore your options. What are your interests and how can they translate into an actual job.  Who’s hiring in your community and what kind of training do you need?

If you have an open mind about becoming trained, for example, as an automotive technician even if you majored in art history, a community college certificate program could open up a new world.

Recent graduates from four-year colleges need to re-evaluate their career path during these tough economic times.  Rather than taking just any job, consider getting training for a well-paying job that could wind up becoming a career.

Tom Snyder is the President of Ivy Tech, the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system.  He is also the author of “The Community College Career Track: How to Achieve the American Dream without a Mountain of Debt” (John Wiley & Sons) 

http://www.ivytech.edu/about/snyder-bio.html