Career education helps students advance career dreams

By Xong Her, Registered Nurse, Sacramento City College Graduate

When I was in high school, I didn’t think attending college was going to be possible. Not only was the high cost of going away to college intimidating, I knew I wanted to stay close to home to work and help my parents. I also didn’t want to take out massive student loans for a degree that may or may not help me find a job. Thanks to my local California community college, I was able to earn a college degree and nursing license and begin a career as a registered nurse while staying close to home.

Like many immigrant families, my parents worked hard to earn enough
money to support me and my family. To lessen their burden, my siblings
and I helped where and when we could. Since my parents spoke little
English, they earned money by doing what they knew best—farming. That meant that we woke up early to help our parents get ready to farm before heading to school and went back to the farm to help after school or to begin chores in our home. Weekends were spent picking and packaging the produce to sell
at the market.

While I felt like no one could be working harder than me at the time, I know my story isn’t unique; long days of hard work are a reality for many families. With my grades, I could have gone away to a four-year college, but I knew that it wasn’t the best option for me. Instead, I chose to attend my local community
college because that meant that I could complete my first two years and earn my associates degree for little to no money out of pocket, and continue to live at home, work and help my parents, giving me the best of both worlds.

After my first year at Sacramento City College, I knew I made the right choice. I liked the small class sizes and being able to take all the classes I needed without debt because all of my courses and books were covered through financial aid. My experience was so positive that I knew I didn’t want to transfer to a four-year college but instead complete Sacramento City College’s nursing program through career education.

Career education is a program that provides students with the education, skills and certification or license needed to begin a career in a trade or vocation. These are specialized jobs like nursing, mechanics, technology and more. California’s community colleges offer more than 200 career education programs taught by experts who are already in the field, so students like me are getting training from people who are actually working in the career we want to be in. Best of all, many of the career education programs can be completed within two years.
No matter where you are or what your age, if you want to make more money and get certified or licensed in a specific trade or vocation, there is probably a California community college that can help.

Learn more about the career opportunities available at a community college near you by visiting ICanGoToCollege.com.

(This story is made possible by the support of the California Community College District)