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5 REASONS WHY: I Wish I Went To Community College

Rebekah Higgs

Disclosure- I have written this blog as a paid partnership with NSCC and opinions are my own.

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the open house at the NSCC Ivany Campus in Dartmouth NS. What a surprise it was to walk into a beautiful new building with state-of-the-art facilities and a gorgeous view of the Halifax waterfront. The open house at NSCC happens once a year, where the general public is invited to roam the college halls and interact with the program classes. NSCC has 130+ career-oriented programs in applied arts, IT, creative fields, trades, technology, business, health care and human services. My main focus at the open house was investigating the applied arts program, and checking out the broadcasting, video and radio editing, music and design class rooms.

My Experience over at NSCC got me thinking about my own education. Straight out of High School I attended Acadian University to achieve my Bachelor of Arts. I majored in Theatre Studies and minored in Music.

Of course I had dreams of being an actress, but after 4 years of University I was so discouraged about any possibility of an acting career that I shifted gears to Music. In the following 10 years (before becoming a mom) I formed several bands, wrote dozens of original songs, recorded 4 albums, toured the country 9 times, performed at music festivals and wrote hundreds of grants. All of the hustle and grind of being a musician, I had to learn in the real world.

After becoming a mom, I changed careers again, entering into the world of video production, commercial writing and marketing. I was lucky enough to land on my feet at the now defunct EGG films, where I was faking it till I make it! I was trying to sponge up everything I would need to know about producing video content and commercials, while working with clients and on film sets. As a single mother with a brand-new lease on life I was determined to rise in the production world. I just needed to learn how to shoot my own content, edit video and mix audio and colour. My ambition could only take me so far and my temporary job at Egg came to an end. That is when I started my personal education in film making by producing my own video content under the name of DIY MOM.

So here I am- Almost 20 years after high school ended. Still learning how to perfect my video craft, design my website, take a great Instagram photo and market my content under DIY MOM. The NSCC open house rubbed it in even more that I wish I had gone to Community College instead of University; and here are 5 reasons why.

 

5 Reasons Why I Wish I Went To Community College

 

1. HANDS ON LEARNING

Community Colleges like NSCC offer hands on learning.

I’ve always been someone who learns by doing. I need to get my hands dirty to really develop a lifelong skill. Classroom education, lectures and reading never seemed to do the trick for me.  One of the reasons I was blown away by NSCC’s applied arts program was because even the new students who had only been there a month were already operating cameras, in the editing room, and monitoring the sound. The NSCC education is so beneficial for those who learn by doing- and isn’t that most of us?

 

2. FACULTY ARE INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS

Your instructors are industry professionals. The NSCC faculty come from occupations and are connected to the industry, they know what will be expected of you when you enter into the job force and how your education can practically influence your future career- ensuring you get the knowledge and skills employers value.

Take the Music studies program for example. When I visited their classroom, they were practicing original composition in a small ensemble. The instructor told me that in the program, students write their own music, do live performances, record and produce music in studio, learn sound mixing, recording engineering and practical applications like grant writing and how to legally protect their work. Wow this sounds exactly how I spent the better part of my 20’s as a professional musician, only I had to struggle on my own to learn all these skills and some of the mistakes I made along the way were detrimental to my music career. Damn, I wish I went to NSCC.

 

3. PRACTICAL EDUCATION

The programs are designed with practical application at the for front. The applied arts program at NSCC is built to get you into the work force quickly not only by fundamental skills you learn, but they connect you with Nova Scotia employers, as 99% of programs include practical work experience in the form of a work term, community service, internship or co-op. A staggering high number of NSCC graduates are employed in their field*.

New programs are developed all the time based on industry desires so there is a very high rate of employment after your program ends. Whether you want to be a graphic designer, broadcaster, radio personality, session musician, recording engineer, editor or journalist, the program makes having a creative career post education, accessible and profitable. I managed to reach success in my career through creativity and hustle, but man do I ever wish I did the applied arts program at NSCC instead of having to struggle my way through a creative life, and waitressing on the side to make ends meet. There is a better way to achieve success in the arts, and these practical courses make so much sense.

 

4. SMALL CLASSES

The classes at NSCC are small- they are intimate, your instructor gets to know you, you’re learning style, and your interests, so you can focus your creative energy in the direction you want your career to go. The environment is welcoming, inclusive and supportive. The NSCC faculty and student advisors are behind you every step of the way. Small class sizes provide you with lots of one-on-one interaction, so that you’ll have plenty of opportunity to apply your learning, ask questions and share.

 My first few years of university I was lost in a sea of foundation year students, large classes and catch all courses like history, biology and political science with hundreds of students in the class. I didn’t go half the time, I crammed for tests, I rushed through my readings. I wanted to get those classes over with. Is the purpose of continued education just to say you were there, that you did it, and that you have a paper to show for your education? Or should my courses excite me, inspire me and challenge me to grow and expand? I don’t know about you, but I want to be inspired, I want to be excited about showing up for work every day, I want to know I can be my own boss and be productively creative.

5. COST

Community College is sooooo much more affordable.

I checked out the number and it’s true. One year at NSCC is $3500 vs a $9800 price tag at Dal or $7600 + For a NS resident going to SMU. With all the conversation around student dept load being such a hot topic right now, Community college seems like a viable alternative to a university education.  The programs are shorter as well – most courses range from 18 months to 2 years. This gets you out into the work force faster, with job-ready skills, and less debt. I’m kicking myself for not having considered NSCC as a viable option 20 years ago when I was deciding on where to spend my post education days. Had I done 2 years at NSCC and decided to continue on to receive a university degree, my credits would have transferred and in 4 years I could have graduated with both a practical arts diploma and a Bachelor of Arts**. I suppose I could go back now for NSCC’s Advanced Diploma programs. BRB googling how to register now. ;)

If you are interested in learning more about some of the programs I visited, you can watch the Applied Arts Program Video here:

 * %88 of NSCC graduates are employed, %92 of employed NSCC graduates live and work in Nova Scotia.

** Over 70 of the NSCC programs include courses that count towards a university degree. A two-year NSCC diploma may be recognized for up to two years of a four-year university

degree.

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