Community College: Best ROI Around for Tom Hanks, Craig Venter, Ross Perot

Community college trumps the Ivies in return on investment [ROI]. Called by Barack Obama the "unsung heroes of American education system," the community college gave the start to:

Tom Hanks

Arnold Schwarzenegger

H. Ross Perot

Craig Venter

Jackie Robinson

Eileen Collins

Frank Gehry, and

Gwendolyn Brooks

Students at Sarah Lawrence pay $53,166 a year for tuition and fees. At Bergen County Community College, here is the schedule for tuition and fees:

• $111.60 tuition per credit
• $$22 fee per credit
• $11 tech fee per credit.

Suppose you matriculated at Bergen Community College for 12 credits a semester, with a total of 24 credits for one year. That would add up to about $3470.40 annually. That is $49,695.60 less a year than you would be investing at Sarah Lawrence.

Marketable majors such as health care, including nursing, are usually offered at community colleges. It is also the place for the already-degreed to enhance their skills in technology, project management, and process engineering. In the next decade the dog fight will probably be between the community college and online educational vendors for making sure you have the necessary knowledge base to earn a decent living.

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