As the cost of attending four-year universities continues to rise precipitously (private universities now charge as much as $22,200 for annual tuition), more individuals are exploring non-university options to obtain educations that can ready them for entry into the work force.
Southern California's numerous community colleges offer relatively inexpensive ($13 per unit), two-year vocational certificate programs that prepare students for specific jobs. In many cases, demand for graduates of these programs is extremely high. For example, within Santa Barbara City College's marine diving technology program, which trains students to work on offshore oil rigs, employer demand for marine diving technicians exceeds the school's supply of program graduates.
In other cases, community college vocational graduates can earn as much, if not more, than their four-year university brethren. For example, after graduating from a community college dental technology program, dental technicians who own their own dental prosthetics labs can earn over $100,000 per year. And cosmetology graduates who become makeup artists in the motion picture industry or photo stylists can earn up to $750 per day.
Below is a representative sampling , submitted by college administrators, of the courses offered at community colleges in the Southern California area. Many of the colleges listed offer more than 100 other certificate programs that can lead to lucrative and fulfilling job opportunities.
For more detailed information, brochures, catalogs, and counseling appointment requests, contact the schools directly.
ANTELOPE VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
3041 West Ave. K
Lancaster, CA 93536-5426
(805) 722-6300
Agriculture/park and landscape
Air conditioning/refrigeration
Airframe and power plant technology
Auto body
Automotive technology
Commercial music
Computer graphics
Early childhood education
Electronic publishing
Electronics
Nursing
Office technology
Welding
CERRITOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
11110 Alondra Blvd.
Norwalk, CA 90650-6298
(310) 860-2451
Chrysler apprenticeship program
Computer programming
Court reporting
Culinary arts
Dental assisting
Emergency medical technology
Ford asset program
Furniture manufacturing
General motors ASEP program
Numerical control-computer program
