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Adapting to a Changing World by Wenda Reed Photo by Ingrid Pape-Sheldon

Linda Filippi had been a paralegal for years when she decided to change careers in her early fifties.

“I felt that God called me to be a nurse. I didn’t know where to go to learn to be a nurse,” she remembers.

She chose Shoreline Community College because it’s close to her Bothell home and the cost was reasonable. Going to a community college, rather than a university, “would get me working as a nurse much quicker,” she says. She points out that those who take a two-year registered nurse (RN) course at a community college must pass the same test as those who earn a bachelor’s degree.

She was able to get her science and math prerequisites at the same community college where she earned her associate degree. When she went back to school she was in cancer treatment and juggling a part-time job in the evening with running a household, so she appreciated the flexibility of class times. Partway through her two-year RN course, she became a caregiver for her husband when he had a bone marrow transplant. “The instructors were flexible and held a spot open for me when I had to take a break,” she says. “They were gracious to let me take two quarters to finish my last quarter of instruction.”

Filippi received some financial aid, including three scholarships posted by instructors. At the end of the course, students were required to write a résumé and instructors critiqued it. She soon found a position on the oncology ward, and later the medical surgery ward, at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. “I love it. I absolutely love it,” she says.

The hospital encourages its nurses to take another year of training, which earns them a bachelor’s degree (the RN training counts as three years toward the four-year degree). Filippi says she’d like to go back to school at some point.

GETTING ON A CAREER PATHWAY

Filippi’s plan of earning a two-year degree, getting right to work, and then planning to get further training later is typical for community college students. This may be especially true for women, who make up 55 to 60 percent of the student population at local community and technical colleges.

The new buzzword is “career pathways.”

“We’ve designed career pathways — students can work for a while and then go back to school or work part-time when they’re going to school, so that people are not stuck in dead-end jobs,” elaborates Dr. Paula Boyum, vice president for workforce development at Bellevue College (formerly Bellevue Community College).

“The general thinking today is pathways,” agrees Dr. Ron Hamberg, vice president for instruction at Seattle Central Community College. “Our focus is on getting people started so that they can go to work, and can come back later and add on (more training). “This is especially true in the health field.” Speaking from a perspective of 35 years at SCCC, Hamberg says this trend translates into more short-term certificate programs, from one quarter to one year in length, in addition to the traditional two-year Associate of Applied Science Degree.

“Students may not have the time or finances to go as long as two years,” Hamberg adds. “We can offer certificates within existing programs; for example, we just added a roofing certificate in our Wood Construction program.”

The trend toward more certificate programs is also evident at Shoreline Community College and Bellevue College. “In our biotechnology program, you can get a lab technician certificate or earn a two-year degree or decide to transfer to a four-year college,” says Jim Hills, Shoreline’s public information and marketing director. At Bellevue College, a student in the medical imaging program can get a short-term certificate to be an aide in a radiology department, a two-year degree or the college’s recently added Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Radiation and Imaging.

Flexibility and accommodation of students’ study/work/family schedules has led to an explosion in the number of online and hybrid (partly online and partly classroom-based) courses. “We’ve added tons,” Hills says of Shoreline. “We’re the number three provider of online classes behind Bellevue College and Edmonds Community College.” Some classes, such as a new health care information certificate, are completely online.

Bellevue College, where more than 64 percent of students are employed while enrolled, touts its “flexible options for busy people,” including distance (online) learning, evening and once-a-week classes and a new format that condenses regular 10-week credit courses into seven weeks. Boyum also mentions noncredit workforce programs that help people who already have a degree to fill gaps in their career training. The I-BEST (Integrated Basic Education Skills Training) program combines English-as-a-Second Language and basic skills training with the technical program so that students can get a job when they finish school.

“We take you from where you are to where you want to be,” declares the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC).

TRACKING THE JOB MARKET

Most students want to be where the jobs are, and community colleges are adept at adjusting to the changing market.

One of the megatrends in the next decade will be a growing demand for health care workers, according to US News and World Report’s 2009 report on best careers. This includes nurses and biomedical equipment technicians — two of the magazine’s “30 Best Careers for 2009” — and others who offer direct care to an aging population. It also includes emerging careers as patient advocates, wellness coaches and experts in genetics, as well as “health informatics,” which involves computerizing health records, a key component in President Obama’s health care reform agenda and the object of federal stimulus funds.

“Green jobs” are predictably another megatrend, along with careers tied to the digitized and globalized world, including simulation developers, business development specialists to work with overseas businesses, off-shoring managers and immigration specialists. Careers that cannot be outsourced and require only two-year degrees are also included in the 30 top careers list, including firefighter and hairstylist/cosmetologist.

Local community colleges are on top of it.

Most of them offer a nursing program, and most are full with waiting lists because of the limited number of hospital spots for clinical practice. SCCC added a dental hygiene program last year at the request of the local community, and everyone who graduated from the first class found a job, Hamberg says. Opticianry (learning to assist opticians and grind lenses) and surgical technology (training to work in operating rooms) are top SCCC programs that attract women.

“Health care is very much in demand — people are tired of being laid off,” reports Mary Lockman, worker retraining advisor at SCCC. “Women especially will come in saying ‘I should have gone into nursing.’”

Bellevue College offers a new 18-credit certificate program to IT (information technology) workers who want to get trained in health informatics. Shoreline recently added an online health care information certificate.

In response to calls for green jobs, Shoreline created a new Solar Photovoltaic Designer course last year to train people to specify or certify solar panel systems. A Zero Energy Building Practices certificate or associate degree offers more training in sustainable building design and construction. The college also offers two-year associate degrees in clean energy technologies.

A grant this quarter allowed Shoreline to expand its Computer Numerical Control Machinist program to meet continually growing demands for high-skilled manufacturing jobs, Hills says.
Community college course offerings don’t exactly turn on a dime, according to Hamberg, and big changes happen about every three years as administrators look at enrollment patterns, outcomes and job success. However, course adjustments and curriculum tweaks go on continuously. “One of the hottest areas is information technology; it’s grown four-fold in the last four years,” Hamberg notes. SCCC adds sessions continually to keep up with demand. “We look at our programs annually to see if they meet job demands,” Bellevue College’s Boyum says.

The SBCTC coordinates course offerings and allocates legislative funds and grants. “It prevents overlapping and duplication; you bid to offer a program that’s not offered in the immediate area,” Hills says. Sometimes if budget cuts force elimination of a program — such as cosmetology at Shoreline — the board will make sure it’s offered somewhere else nearby (in this case at Everett, South Seattle and Shoreline Community Colleges).

“In the past, everyone did everything,” Boyum says of her eight years at Bellevue College. “But now we’re collaborating more with other colleges to maximize grants and funding.”

BECOMING A STUDENT

Prospective students have two questions: Can I get in and can I afford it?

By law, community colleges are not allowed to turn away applicants. The reality is that community and technical colleges are “bursting at the seams — which we love,” Hamberg says. As funding from the legislature decreases, SCCC has reduced the number of administrators and support staff, but not faculty or equipment. “We don’t keep long waiting lists,” Hamberg says. “If there isn’t room in a particular program we help students get their prerequisites.”

“We add class sessions as much as we can so that we generally don’t turn people away,” Bellevue College’s Boyum says.

“We’re basically full everywhere,” Hills says of Shoreline. There are always waiting lists for RN and dental hygiene programs, as well as automotive technician classes that include guaranteed job placement. Other programs are more accommodating. “We’ve heard that some colleges are at a point where they allow you to enroll, but classes are full. We’re almost there,” Hills says. “We have levels we haven’t seen before as far as enrollment. My advice is, ‘come early.’”
Financially, community and technical colleges have always been a good deal.

Full-time tuition at Washington public community and technical colleges for the 2009-10 school year, excluding summer quarter, averages $2,925, according to figures provided by the SBCTC. This compares with $4,819 for regional colleges and universities (Western Washington University, Central Washington University and Eastern Washington University), $6,708 at the University of Washington and Washington State University, $24,000 average at private four-year colleges and universities, and $20,750 average at private vocational and career schools. However, short-term certificate programs at four-year colleges can cost just a couple thousand dollars (see below).

As an example, an Associate of Applied Science in Network Services and Computer Systems at Bellevue College costs $5,931 for two years/91 credits ($65.71 per credit). A similar degree at the ITT Technical Institute costs $41,568 for two years/96 credits ($433 per credit).

The accessibility and relatively low cost have swelled the ranks of students starting a new career or getting advanced training for their existing jobs, but has also attracted “unprecedented numbers” of displaced workers, Lockman says.

The majority of women who come to SCCC’s Worker Retraining Program have been laid off, she adds. Although work training programs still use the term “displaced homemakers” for women who are widowed, divorced or suddenly need to enter the job market, only a few of the current applicants fit that description. “The wave (of displaced homemakers) may be in the aftershock to the main wave of unemployment,” she speculates.

State funds to pay for displaced worker training have dried up. Funding is gone at Bellevue and most of the state’s other community colleges and is being strictly rationed at SCCC. However, Lockman says prospective students shouldn’t despair. “We may be able to get them funded through other sources,” she says. “We have less worker retraining funds, but there’s more available in other places.”

For example, federal Pell Grants were adjusted this summer to allow displaced workers to complete a loss of income form quickly, instead of taking a year to “zero out” their past income. This makes them eligible for aid much sooner. There are also programs such as Work First designed to help low-income people pay for college.

Local community college worker retraining, workforce development, career counseling and women’s centers not only help with financial aid, but offer academic advising and career counseling, including advice to women on entering nontraditional careers. Bellevue College has a life and career planning class, originally designed for women in transition, but now open to everyone. Community colleges focus on getting students up to speed if they need help with basic skills or English. Many of the women’s centers, like Shoreline’s, offer help with navigating the system, taking new skills to the market and job placement.

“e’re open to students who need academic, social or language help or help with math,” Hills summarizes. Many of them are in the same boat as Filippi was. “They’re saying, ‘I want to do this; how do I get there?” he says.

Wenda Reed is a Bothell freelance writer and frequent contributor to Seattle Woman.

Professional and Technical Programs at Local Community Colleges

Bellevue College (formerly Bellevue Community College)
3000 Landerholm Circle SE, Bellevue
425-564-1000; www.bellevuecollege.edu
Courses: BC offers 95 professional and technical certificates and degrees. Areas of specialty are informational technology (IT), health and business. Insurance Specialist and Nuclear Medical Technician programs are unique to BC (not offered at any other state community colleges). New and expanded programs include Business Intelligence, Desktop Publishing, Medical Informatics and Medical Imaging. The new Bachelor in Applied Science in Radiation and Imaging Science will be joined by a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Interior Design in January 2010. Job/career assistance: Center for Career Connections, WorkFirst (for low-income parents), Worker Retraining, Women’s Center/Student Access Center; Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST).

Cascadia Community College
18345 Campus Way NE, Bothell
425-352-8000; www.cascadia.edu
Courses: Areas of specialty (career paths) are informational technology, engineering, the green economy and health care. The college offers Associate of Applied Science degrees in Environmental Technologies and Sustainable Practices, Network Technology, and Web Application Programming and Technology, as well as 13 shorter-term technical and professional certificates.
Job/career assistance: Career and Transfer Center, Workforce Resource Center, WorkFirst, Worker Retraining.

Edmonds Community College
20000 68th Avenue W, Lynnwood
425-640-1459; www.edcc.edu
Courses: Edmonds offers 115 associate degrees and certificates in business, health, computers, construction, culinary arts, horticulture, hospitality, social and human services and other fields. Edmonds is the only local or statewide community college offering Greenhouse/Nursery Operations and Management, Construction Management, Energy Management, Geriatric Aid, Horticulture Therapy Aid, Multi-skilled Health Care Technician, Recreational Therapy Technician, Rehabilitation Counseling/Service Worker and Emergency Dispatcher programs. Job/career assistance: Career Action Center (including Worker Retraining and WorkFirst), Workforce Development and Training Office.

Lake Washington Technical College
11605 132nd Avenue NE, Kirkland
425-739-8100; www.lwtc.edu
Courses: Training is available in 41 programs, with more than 100 professional/technical degree and certificate options in information technology, business and service, health and fitness, manufacturing and transportation technologies and arts, language and science. New offerings include a Bachelor of Technology in Applied Design and associate degrees or certificates in Wine Technology, Energy and Science Technician, Massage Therapy, Physical Therapy Assistant, Esthetician and Funeral Services. Lake Washington has the only local or statewide community college program in Floristry Marketing and Management, Electronics Assembly, Industrial Management and Maintenance, Motorcycle Maintenance and Repair and Animation/Video Graphics/Special Effects. Job/career assistance: WorkFirst, Worker Retraining, Employment Resource Center (career planning).

North Seattle Community College
9600 College Way N, Seattle
206-527-3600; www.northseattle.edu
Courses: 65 degree and certificate programs are offered in accounting, business, early childhood education, electronics, engineering technology, health, IT, real estate and watch technology (the only two-year program in the art of Swiss watch making and repair in the Western United States). Programs unique to NSCC are: Apartment and Condominium Onsite Management, and Nanotechnology.
Job/career assistance: Basic Food Employment and Training Program (for state Basic Food recipients), Career Services, Women’s Center, WorkSource Connection, WorkFirst, Worker Retraining, I-BEST.

Renton Technical College
3000 NE 4th Street, Renton
425-235-2352; www.rtc.edu
Courses: RTC offers more than 70 professional and technical programs in the areas of automotives, business technology, construction and building technology, culinary arts, education and human services, health, manufacturing and product service, and technology/computers. Renton has a higher than average number of courses not available at other local or state community and technical colleges, including Banking and Financial Support Services, Vehicle Parts and Accessories Marketing, Surveying, Anesthesia Technician, Optometric Technician, numerous mechanical and electronic courses and Musical Instrument Fabrication and Repair. Job/career assistance: Worker Retraining, new I-BEST/LPN program for non-native English speakers interested in nursing, counseling for low-wage parents, WorkFirst.

Seattle Central Community College
1701 Broadway, Seattle
206-587-3800; www.seattlecentral.edu
Courses: SCCC offers 31 professional and technical programs in a variety of fields. Courses most popular with women in the current economy include Dental Hygiene (college’s newest program), IT, Culinary Arts (including Specialty Desserts and Breads), Nursing, Apparel Design, Opticianry, Business Information Technology, Wood Construction, Boatbuilding, Web Design and Development and courses in the medical and human services fields. SCCC programs not offered elsewhere in the region or state include Respiratory Therapy, Opticianry, Cabinet Making and Millwork, Commercial and Advertising Art, Custom Apparel Design and Construction, Marine Carpentry/Boatbuilding and Sign Language Interpretation. Job/career assistance: Worker Retraining, Career Services Center, Women’s Programs (including support to low-income women, career exploration in science and technology).

Seattle Vocational Institute
(SVI is part of the Seattle Community College District, along with Seattle Central, North Seattle and South Seattle Community Colleges)
2120 S Jackson Street, Seattle
206-587-4950; http://sviweb.sccd.ctc.edu
Courses: The institute provides basic skills and vocational/workforce training through 11 short-term, self-contained programs in the medical, dental, business/computer, construction and cosmetology industries. Students take any necessary basic skills, English as a Second Language or GED prep courses along with the vocational training. Job/career assistance: Jobs Resource Center, SVI Employment Resources online links, Workforce Development Office (including Worker Retraining and WorkFirst).

Shoreline Community College
16101 Greenwood Avenue N, Seattle
206-546-4101; www.shoreline.edu
Courses: Shoreline offers more than 50 professional and technical career training programs with an emphasis on business, marketing and administrative services, education, health and IT. New programs include solar energy technology and health care information. Shoreline offers programs in Purchasing/Logistics Management, Biological Lab Tech, Home Health Aide, Beauty Salon Management, Sheet Metal Tech, Zero Energy Building Technology, Music Management and Merchandising, Recording Arts Tech, and Security and Loss Prevention Services, not otherwise available locally. Job/career assistance: Women’s Center, Jobs Connections Center, WorkSource Connection (including Worker Retraining and WorkFirst).

South Seattle Community College
6000 16th Avenue SW, Seattle
206-764-5300; www.southseattle.edu
Courses: SSCC offers a Bachelor of Applied Science in Hospitality Management (not offered at other state community colleges), along with certificate and/or associate degrees in 30 different areas, including automotive, aviation, business, computing, culinary arts, health care, horticulture, transportation and welding. Restaurant, Culinary and Catering Management and Banquet Operations are not offered elsewhere in the state system, and Aircraft Mechanics is not otherwise offered locally.
Job/career assistance: Worker Retraining (including programs at the NewHolly site in Southeast Seattle), WorkFirst, WorkSource Affiliate Site, Women’s Center.

In addition to the technical and professional two-year associate degrees and shorter-term certificate programs mentioned above, community colleges offer college transfer programs, noncredit continuing education courses and apprenticeships, which can all apply to job training. Information on programs offered exclusively at different community colleges comes from the extremely helpful State Board for Community and Technical Colleges Web site (www.sbctc.ctc.edu). Their matrix shows general program areas and not the specific titles used by the colleges, so check with individual colleges for detailed and updated information. The SBCTC’s sub-site, www.checkoutacollege.com, has tools for career assessment, information on different careers and how much they pay, tools for matching state community colleges with your areas of interest, and tips on enrolling and paying for college.

More Options for Career Advancement

The Seattle area is home to numerous four-year colleges and universities that offer certificates and workshops for individuals who want to expand their career possibilities. Here are seven schools that welcome short-term students in a variety of work-related programs.

Antioch University, Seattle
2326 6th Avenue, Seattle
206-268-4202 or 888-268-4477;
www.antiochseattle.edu
The University’s Extension & Continuing Education Department offers short-term courses and workshops in the areas of education, nonprofits, business, psychology and mediation. Examples include Writing a Successful Grant Proposal, Design Your Own Professional Development (self-initiated learning for teachers), Art Therapy: Addressing Anxiety and Depression, and Family Mediation Training. Six certificate programs include Coaching, Case Management, and Ensemble Training for Actors. The Centerpoint Institute for Life and Career Renewal offers services on campus.

Argosy University, Seattle
2601-A Elliott Avenue, Seattle
880-897-7119; www.argosytoday.com
Argosy’s College of Business offers Professional Graduate Business Certificates for professionals with a bachelor’s or master’s degree who desire additional knowledge in one of seven specialty areas: Corporate Compliance, Finance, Healthcare Administration, Information Systems Management, International Business, Management or Marketing. Advanced Professional Graduate Business Certificates in Accounting, Information Systems, International Business, Management and Marketing are designed for who desire additional doctoral-level knowledge, but do not need to complete a full doctrinal degree. All certificate programs require four courses (12 credit hours). Many classes combine online and face-to-face learning to accommodate working schedules.

The Art Institute of Seattle
2323 Elliott Avenue, Seattle
206-448-6600 or 800-275-2471; www.artinstitutes.edu/seattle
The Art Institute of Seattle provides two- and four-year degrees along with some certificates in culinary arts, media arts, fashion and design. Students who don’t have time to complete a full degree can take classes earning certificates of completion in Digital Audio, Digital Photography, European Baking & Pastry, Northwest Cuisine and Web Site Design — all are five-week, all-day Saturday classes.

Bastyr University
14500 Juanita Drive NE, Kenmore
425-602-3152;
www.bastyr.edu/continuinged
Bastyr offers a variety of continuing education seminars and courses to health care professionals who wish to expand their knowledge and skills. Examples include Legal and Ethical Issues Relating to Acupuncture and Treatment of Common Dermatological Diseases with Chinese Medicine. Home study certificates (on audio CDs or DVDs, followed by a quiz) are available to naturopaths and acupuncturists. The Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations now offers courses at Bastyr, including workshops in Professional Education in Breastfeeding and Lactation, and Postpartum Doula Training.

City University of Seattle
11900 NE 1st Street, Bellevue
425-637-1010 or 888-422-4898;
www.cityu.edu
If you already have a college degree in education or you are working in the field, City University offers a variety of endorsements, which show special training in specific areas, including elementary or special education or teaching English language learners. The university offers several certificate programs at the undergraduate and graduate level. Business certificates include Academic ESL, Accounting, Marketing and Project Management. Education Certificates include alternative routes to teacher certification and Professional Certification for Principals and Program Administrators. Undergraduate certificates in the Department of Arts and Sciences are Child and Adolescent Services and Gerontology. The onsite Career Center offers free services for students.

Northwest University
5520 108th Avenue NE, Kirkland
425-889-5268; www.northwestu.edu
This Christian university offers certification preparation programs in Project Management and in Quality and Business Project Management. Evening degree programs are open to adult working professionals age 25 and older.

Seattle Pacific University
3307 3rd Avenue W, Seattle
206-281-2000; www.spu.edu
SPU offers the following certifications through the Continuing Professional Education Department of its School of Education: School Principal, School Counseling, Program Administrator, School Superintendent, Professional Certificate and Residency Teacher Certification. Endorsements build on teaching degrees in subjects including Special Education, Library Media, Health Fitness, Reading and Math; they require 22 to 32 credits to meet state competencies. Distance and online learning is available for many programs.

UW Extension
University of Washington Professional & Continuing Education
Classes offered at different sites in Seattle and Bellevue
206-685-8936 or 888-469-6499; www.extension.washington.edu
UW Extension offers more than 100 certificate programs, including many that require minimal or no prior professional experience in the field and can be completed in six to nine months. Here’s a sampling: Natural Science Illustration, Human Resources Management, 3D Animation for Games and Digital Media, Editing, Wetland Science and Management, Paralegal Studies, Decision Making for Climate Change, Urban Green Infrastructure, Health Informatics, iPhone and Cocoa Development, and Fundraising Management. Most are scheduled in the evening or on the weekend and many are available online.

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