| For at least four decades the conventional wisdom | | | | for additional training at the same college. A program |
| has been that as many high school graduates as | | | | preparing a student for work as a physical therapy or |
| possible should go on to earn a bachelor's degree at a | | | | occupational therapy assistant may also offer |
| four-year college. A bachelor's degree has been the | | | | advanced programs leading to qualification as a |
| ticket to entry into high-paying professional careers, | | | | licensed physical therapist. It's also possible in many |
| and many corporations haven't allowed workers onto | | | | cases to transfer credits from the two-year college to |
| the first rung of their professional ladder without that | | | | a four-year college. |
| degree. Two-year colleges are often looked upon | | | | One- and two-year technical schools, many of them |
| more as vocational schools, and have traditionally been | | | | private, for-profit institutions, have sprung up all over |
| considered the stepsister of four-year institutions, | | | | country offering training for a long list of different |
| suitable for those without the academic record to get | | | | careers. Some caution is encouraged here: Many of |
| into a "regular" college. | | | | the for-profit schools promise career placement after |
| A lot has changed. As college tuition costs have | | | | graduation, and fail to follow through. The curriculum |
| spiked, many students leave a four-year college with a | | | | can vary from school to school as well; before a |
| bachelor's degree and a whopping student loan debt, | | | | student decides on a particular school which promises |
| often in excess of $50,000. And with the realization | | | | to prepare for a specific career, it's advisable to |
| that a four-year degree is no guarantee of a job | | | | research the educational requirement of that particular |
| related to their field of study, many students are opting | | | | position and then make sure that the school's |
| out of the four-year school and into a two-year | | | | curriculum offers all the training needed. |
| program. | | | | Of course, a public, state-supported, nonprofit two-year |
| Two-year colleges require students to complete | | | | college or vocational school is a pretty safe bet. It has |
| certain general requirements, including English and math | | | | the advantages of stability, community involvement, |
| courses, just like their four-year counterparts, but the | | | | and most likely a good sense of what kinds of training |
| emphasis in a two-year college is work-oriented | | | | are needed in the surrounding business environment. A |
| knowledge and the development of practical skills. | | | | community college can probably also offer trustworthy |
| Participants can earn Associate Degrees in a wide | | | | advice on the availability of scholarships, loans, and |
| range of majors including accounting, business | | | | other types of student aid. |
| management, communications, information technology, | | | | For prospective students with a clear idea of the |
| and programs to prepare students for a variety of | | | | career they want to pursue, two-year colleges offer a |
| medically related professions. | | | | relatively fast, and often less expensive, alternative to |
| Many programs, while set up to be completed in two | | | | a four-year program. No longer considered "Plan B" for |
| years, can also be extended in a three-year timeline, | | | | students not able to swing a bachelor's degree |
| allowing students to work part- or fulltime and pursue | | | | program, they're becoming a savvy alternative for |
| their education. There's also a clear path to | | | | anyone seeking professional education. |
| advancement with some programs; students can opt | | | | |