Former Criminal Needs College, Job Advice

Every once in a while I receive a question from someone for which there is no immediate answer.  Today I received a message from a young man who has done jail time, but who wants very much to get his life together.  I called him, and he seems quite sincere.  He gave me his permission to share the question with you.

My hope–and his– is that you will share your advice.  While I pride myself on delivering great college advice, sometimes I think collective wisdom can be more helpful.

Please take the time to read this and to comment.  He will be reading your responses and is eager for your advice.

Thanks.

******************

Hi. Just to let you know, i really appreciate your website. I don’t have any else where to go to for advice on how or what i should do with my life. Here it goes though:

When I was younger, I had some problems dealing with drugs. I dropped out of high school in 10th grade. After that, my life just went downhill. I’ve been in jail. I’ve had 1 strike and about 5 felonies.. I regret everything.
As of now, I am currently 21 years old. I’m a changed man. I’m sober and is trying to get my life back on track. I’m trying to get my diploma at a local college called Rancho Santiago.

The thing is that, I’ve tried looking for jobs everywhere. They won’t accept me due to my history. I mean, how am I suppose to change my life around if I can’t even get a job to support myself and my parents? I feel like my life can’t progress.

Another thing is that I’m also trying to get into a college because my dream job is to become a mechanic one day. That’s my goal. I’ve tried getting into some colleges, mostly the ones that accept one without a diploma. Well, some have called me back.. Everything went well. They said that I could get in. But then, they asked me about my history.. When i told them, they said sorry and that i could’nt get in. I’m feeling hopeless. I can’t get a job or even apply for college..

I know i’ve done some bad life decisions. But I’m hoping, I’m really hoping that I can have a second chance to have a rewarding life. Can you please recommend me in to what I should do? Either in job or education wise? or possibly both? Thankyou.

Oh, and also that if I do get a chance to get into college, do you think that somewhere out there, I can get to be a mechanic? Thankyou very much in advance. I really hope that you would help me out in this one. I really do.

Thanks again.

************

Please  leave your comments.

A Cubist's View of US Community Colleges: Different Aspects Viewed Simultaneously

Two recent articles from education sections of two different publications paint different aspects of our community colleges. If we put the two together, we get an interesting sort of reality.
Picasso would have loved this. We can develop a composite picture of a single entity by looking at it from different angles…and then reconstructing the whole with an entirely new understanding.
Anyway, the art lover digresses. Back to the point.
The first article is from the Chronicle of Higher Education (registration required):
Community College Enrollments Are Up, but Institutions Struggle to Pay for Them.
The gist is that the sour economy will likely boost enrollments at community colleges at a time that state funding for those institutions has declined. For example, Florida, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Tennessee have all cut funding for community colleges by 5% this year, and both Alabama and South Carolina have axed 10% of their community college budgets.
So the ironic thing is that even as enrollments may shoot up in the next couple of years (Connecticut is planning for a 13% increase this year over last), students will perhaps find fewer courses (even fewer departments), larger class sizes, and fewer degree or certificate programs, as community college administrators will be forced to shed staff and eliminate courses.
Community college leaders are lobbying state legislatures to increase funding, or at least give the two-year colleges a budget reprieve from the chopping block. But what nobody wants (and the article conspicuously does not even mention) is tuition increases.
The other article comes from US News & World Report: Community Colleges: Cheaper but Not Necessarily Better.
This article raises the question whether even the lower tuition costs of a community college are really worth the money. Here’s a snippet:

Choosing a two-year college could actually harm students’ long-term prospects. Research has shown that community colleges, overall, do a poor job of getting students into four-year schools. In a 2008 paper, Harvard professor Bridget Terry Long found that, among similar students, those who chose two-year colleges were less likely to get a bachelor’s degree than those who went straight to a four-year college. Since employers tend to pay those who actually earn a degree more than those who’ve had only a few years of college, saving a few thousand dollars on tuition when you are 18 might end up costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars over your lifetime if you get discouraged in community college and don’t persevere to a bachelor’s.

As the article points out, however, that we shouldn’t paint all community colleges with the same brush (back to the artistic analogy). There is a surprising amount of variation in the quality of two-year colleges. Some are good at preparing students to transfer to four-year institutions, while others are better at conferring certificates upon fire fighters and EMTs.
So how to pick a community college? The same way you pick a four-year school. You have to know first what you hope to achieve by obtaining an education. Then you have to find the right institutions that will best help you achieve those goals. The community college in your area may not be as good for you as the one in the next county.
The fact is that the answer to the question about whether a community college is “worth it” is exactly the same as the question whether an expensive, private, four-year college is “worth it.”  It depends on your perspective.  It’s both worth it, and it’s not, depending on who you are, what you want to focus upon, and how you integrate those differing perspective into your own mind and your own life.  Picasso, Brach, and the other Cubists were onto something.
So mapping your educational path boils down to this:
Know thyself.
Shop wisely.
Isn’t that what was printed above the entrance to the Oracle at Delphi? Something like that….
Mark Montgomery
The Oracle of College Counselling
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The Economy Affects College Enrollments and Admissions Strategies

An excellent article from the Baltimore Sun analyzes the way in which colleges are reacting to the economic downturn.  Here are some of the trends.

  • More private colleges are turning to their waiting lists to fill their classes.
  • More families are making deposits accepting admission to more then one institution, then bargaining hard for financial aid, pitting one school against the other.
  • More students are questioning the value of a private education in a time of economic uncertainty.
  • Enrollments at community colleges seem to be increasing.

 Mark Montgomery
College Admission Counselor

Failing Grades at Community College: Will They Kill Me?

help text written on notebook

Sometimes people write with personal questions, seeking advice for their particular situation.

I received one today from a student at a community college who had a couple of failing grades.  Clearly, the student had finally woken up and figured out that getting Fs was not such a great idea.  But with that new understanding, what is a student to do about those Fs?

Here’s the student’s question:

I have 2 Fs in Math 090. This happened when i first started school at a community college. I didnt know how dropping classes worked and i got overwhelmed. Can i still graduate? Can i still go to a university?  Should i start over at another community college, and if i do is it possible that those two Fs will be discovered? 

And here is my response: 

Hi, and thanks for your inquiry.

With regard to graduating from your community college, you need to speak with a student advisor there.  I am sure they have academic counselors, and you should make an appointment with one to discuss your Fs.  The advisor can tell you what you need to do to graduate, as each college has its own rules.  You will likely have to retake the classes to make up the credit (if you haven’t already).  Do not be embarrassed.  What is, is.  You need to know how to proceed from here.

With regard to transferring to another community college, if you plan on transferring any of your current credits to that new college, your Fs will follow you. Unless you start completely over at square one, and do not divulge that you have already attended a college, your Fs will follow you.
I do not recommend this option for ethical reasons.  While it’s not good to fail, it’s worse to lie about it.  Fortunately, you live in the land of Second Chances.

From this point forward, what counts is how you respond to this mistake. If you retake Math 090 and get a good grade–maybe even an A (because you take advantage of every tutoring service and academic support system at your junior college, and you study like crazy)–then four-year colleges may be inclined to overlook your mistakes.  Now, you may not get into Stanford. But with good recommendations, a solid record of success since those dreaded Fs, and other good works in other aspects of your life, you can make a convincing case that you have matured, that you have learned the required mathematics, and that you have made up for your youthful transgressions of the past.

I hope this is helpful.

Regards,
Mark Montgomery
Montgomery Educational Consulting