Houston Community College for me was never considered an option when deciding on what to do for college schooling. Growing up Houston Community College was seen as less than a college degree, that a person cannot go anywhere with an associate degree, and it is not a real college. Even though no one has physically said that word for word, that is how people would project it when mentioning it. Though no one will know the truth of Houston Community College until they experience it themselves, it can be said that HCC has some pros and cons to be distinguished.  

Houston Community College is a public institution that offers higher education that gives the opportunity to choose from a variety of career development paths. One of the biggest pros is that HCC is affordable when purchasing education. Another one is what most people end up doing, taking that basics requirements classes and then transferring to a four-year university. People have different reasons for doing so, but it saves people time and/or money. Students who typically enroll into a community college live in the area, so that provides students with a close distance to home. HCC is also flexible by providing students with options for when they would like to and how they would like to take their classes. 

If a student does not plan on entering a four-year university, the question for them is what their next step is. The assumption would be to get a job, though from firsthand experience it is not easy. From personal experience when applying for jobs most the list of qualifications requires a bachelor’s degree, and if an associate degree is mentioned the application will not be considered. Though a question that has been stuck in my head for a while is, “if a person has two associate degrees will they be considered?” because technically that would be a total of four years.  

I can only speak about my experiences and thought processes when attending HCC. Even though I have more pros and cons, it is about which has the most effect. All I can say is to whoever believes that a community college degree is less than you are wrong, and once I walk across the graduation stage, I will be proof of that.  Thank you, Houston Community College, for providing me with the truth, thank you to the teachers for teaching me so much, and thank you to the students for embarking on this journey with me.