Two-year programs available locally

By Jahnavi Pendharkar, Special to the Town Crier

Students talk with Foothill College English as a Second Language Instructor Ali Khejjou.

Many seniors will face the trials of the college application process next year.

However, a growing number of new graduates are not interested in four years of college after high school.

They turn to community colleges as a quicker means to gain the education required for their careers.

Vocational schools offer career-oriented programs not usually available at four-year colleges. They can enable students to join the workforce as soon as two years after high school.

Many adults seeking a career change and re-entry into the workforce take advantage of the two-year courses as well.

Community colleges in the Bay Area provide many programs that train students in specialized professions.

Foothill College has an Allied Health Sciences Department, which offers an Orientation to the Health Care Careers course, intended to prepare “students to differentiate among the health-care professions and to enter the profession of their choice.” The course includes discussion of medical topics such as ethics, death, medical jargon and government-enforced procedures. It is worth three credits of the minimum 90 units required to earn an associate degree in science.

Studies completed by the college indicate that students who earn their associate degree from Foothill raise their earning capacity by 40 percent within three years of graduation.

Students seeking an associate degree in microcomputer business applications at De Anza College in Cupertino can choose from more than 40 courses to fulfill the degree requirement of 90 quarter units. The courses range from word processing through spreadsheet and presentation software. Students acquire general business and communications skills as they earn an associate degree, giving them a greater likelihood of obtaining the job they want.

Another local option is San Jose’s Evergreen Valley College, known for its extensive list of academic programs. Its art department boasts 188 courses, ranging from drawing for beginners to jewelry casting and art as a business. The courses concentrate on the skills in demand in the art profession as well as time management and customer relations. As students decide which type of college is the best route to their final career goal, they have more options today than ever before.

Jahnavi Pendharker, a junior at St. Francis High School, is editor in chief of Mindframes, the school’s literary magazine, and a staff writer for the Lancer, the student newspaper.