Yes, community colleges are a good option for many students. They may even seem like the only option for some students. For others, the question becomes more complex, and yet simpler too: should "everyone" go to college?

This is a good article. The author does not have all the answers (none of us do), but she does make a lot of good points. I tend to agree with her, for the most part. I also ask what it does to the value of a degree to "help" some students "finish" with untold amounts of support, only to have them graduate unable to do the job they are "trained" for. Would you hire someone with a two-year degree for a job that requires a specific certification, if they finished school because they had hand-holding help the whole time, and still came out with a 2.5 GPA? I know, it depends on the area of specialization. But in many areas (nursing, medical administration, basic accounting, etc.), I bet someone who takes four or more years to graduate with a "two-year" degree, and then barely finishes, is going to have a hard time finding work in that area. And if it isn't to work in that specialization, what was the point of the time and money spent getting the degree.

I think we are kidding ourselves as a country, if we think that "anyone" (or "everyone", if that makes more sense) can retrain (or get their first degree) if they can't find a decent job or if they get laid off. That same mythical "anyone" can then come out of community college or the like (maybe years later) with a degree that will help them get a high-paying, stable career going? Not necessarily. Then again, am I just feeling cynical right now?