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At only 21, Brad Richardson is an electronics engineering technician in South Carolina, and he’s already been promoted. It’s hardly surprising: He was a strong student in high school, graduated with a good GPA, and scored well on the S.A.T. “But," he recalls, "I didn’t really know what I wanted to do."
Like many of his peers, Brad wanted to go to college, but he wasn’t sure what he wanted to study. On top of that, he was worried about the high cost of tuition. The nearest university cost more than $10,000 a year, even for in-state residents. And although he had received an annual $2,000 college scholarship from the state of South Carolina because he'd graduated with at least a 3.0 and scored higher than 1,100 on the S.A.T., that scholarship would cover only a fraction of the projected cost.
Brad decided to start by taking classes at nearby Florence-Darlington Community College. “It was a way to buy time while I decided what I wanted to do. I had taken an electronics class in high school, and I knew they had a strong engineering technology program. Plus, the $2,000 scholarship covered the cost of tuition as long as I kept my grades up. I didn’t have to pay anything.”
In two years, Brad graduated with his Associate’s degree in electronics engineering technology and got a job working for Tupperware. “The career counseling center helped me every step of the way, from résumé and interview tips to submitting my résumé when local businesses had openings. I didn’t call Tupperware; they called me. And if I ever need another job, the career counseling center will help, even though I’ve graduated!”
Looking back, Brad admits that he’s surprised by how things turned out. “I thought I had to go to a four-year school, but here I am: I’ve got a great job, I’m learning a lot, and I just got a promotion. The way I see it, I’m in a win-win situation. I can always go back to school if I want to, but I don’t have to. Best of all, I don’t have any school loans. Community college is a great value.”