Adult-Friendly Degree Programs at Community College

The largest community college district in the country recently announced plans to move to the cloud, via Microsoft’s Live@EDU cloud suite. The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) has determined that Microsoft’s package will best meet the needs of its students, staff, and faculty. The rollout is scheduled for the beginning of the upcoming school year.

What the Cloud Can Do

According to a report at PC World, the decision by LACCD to move to the cloud began with a desire to have every student on each of the nine campuses obtain their own email account within the school system. This idea slowly spread beyond email capabilities to include IM, video, and audio conferencing and calendaring. The cloud suite will also allow students to prepare online documents to share, edit, and collaborate with professors and other students.

“Students and faculty, once they start learning all the capabilities, I expect they’ll realize it’s way more than email,” LACCD CIO Jorge Mata told PC World.

Some of the specific features offered with Microsoft’s Live@EDU include:

• Email and calendars with a 10GB inbox
• Additional file storage up to 25GB
• Instant messaging
• Video chat and audio conferencing
• Document sharing
• Mobile email
• Accessible through Web browsers for Mac, Windows, and Linux systems
• Easy to set up and manage

This video explains Microsoft's Cloud Services.

Until now, the nine campuses for the Los Angeles Community College District have determined whether to offer students the option

The recession and subsequent high unemployment rate have led many adults in a search for additional education that would lead to a recession-proof career. Fortunately, community colleges are set to deliver such degree programs, in everything from health care to computers. Consider these seven recession-proof careers you can get into with just a two-year degree under your belt.

Health Care Administration

Healthcare is a booming industry regardless of what the economy is doing since people still get sick and need physicians and other medical staff. For those who like the stability of health care but don’t necessarily want to work directly with patients, healthcare administration might be just the ticket. This position entails handling the administrative duties in a physician’s office, clinic or hospital, such as maintaining patient files, setting appointments and handling insurance issues. Some administrators oversee an entire small office, while others might be responsible for a single department in a larger facility.

According to Yahoo News, the unemployment rate for experienced healthcare administrators between 2009 and 2010 was just 2.9 percent – far below the national unemployment rate of 8.2 percent during the same time frame.

Nursing

For those who prefer to work with patients, the field of nursing is always looking for graduates to man positions. Nurses work in hospitals or clinics, or they may provide care in patients’ homes. This profession can be entered with a two-year degree, although many employers require additional education to advance in

Community colleges have experienced a mixed reputation over their 100-year history. On the one hand, these institutions have been traditionally viewed as the lesser choice in higher education. Other opinions have elevated these schools as the most direct way to train for the job market. Which view is more accurate? Today, the latter appears to be more prevalent, particularly because many four-year schools are now trying to capitalize on the same features community colleges have boasted since the beginning.

Career Training Begins at Community College

Since their inception, community colleges have been focused on vocational training. According to a report in the Times Herald-Record, these schools were originally created in the early part of the 20^th century to get people into the workforce as quickly as possible. Fraternizing with academics and dabbling in philosophical thought processes were seen as counterproductive in this model of higher education.

This video from the Urban Institute discusses advancement along a career pathway at a community college.

While community colleges might have met their goals from a vocational standpoint, their singular focus also may have gained them a reputation as less academic schools than four-year colleges and universities. Those who wanted the true higher education experience would venture into the hallowed halls of those institutions perceived as factories for intellectuals and philosophers. However, when jobs become scarce, and industries begin to fizzle, the practical application of

Whether you need to switch careers to find a more lucrative position or simply want better job stability than your current place of employment, a community college is a good place to start. These two-year schools can help you change career tracks much faster than a traditional four-year school, and many offer career placement services to high-demand industries in the area. Check out these career options that require two years of training or less if you are getting ready to make a big switch.

Paralegal

Those who are fascinated by the field of law, but don’t want to spend the next few years of their life in school, can find their niche as a paralegal. This professional works alongside lawyers, conducting research, writing briefs, and interacting with clients. According to Yahoo Education, those who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field of study may be able to earn a certification to work as a paralegal in as little as a few months. Another option is to pursue an associate degree in paralegal studies, which takes just two years to complete.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics cites the average annual salary for a paralegal in May 2010 as $46,680. Predicted job growth for the industry is estimated to be around 18 percent between 2010 and 2020. This position is typically found in a law firm, corporate legal office, or government agency.

This video explains how to become a paralegal.