Community Colleges in LA? Is it worth it? (Pasadena: insurance, how much)

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by Hypersion

This is still much cheaper then out of state tuition at a UC or cal state.

And it should be...a community college isn't on the same level as a Cal State or a UC education.

[The Illusive Man]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

And it should be...a community college isn't on the same level as a Cal State or a UC education.

Actually it is, the education is very comparable for the first two years and why it's a good idea to skip the first two years at a university to save money. Why spend all that extra money just for general ed?

[jm1982]

I agree too. Also a lot of the education you get is based on the actually professors . A lot of these CC professors went to the same schools as those teaching at the Cal States and UCs anyways..

There are certain reasons professors choose to work for a Community College.

I agree with Illusive that people could save a ton by going to CC.. When you transfer you get the EXACT same degree anyways.

People want to complain school is expensive which it is, and costs have way exceeded inflation and wages...but they don't want to look for ways to save money out of some sense of 'prestige' or snobbery.

[genjy]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

And it should be...a community college isn't on the same level as a Cal State or a UC education.

Community college professors concentrate on prepping, teaching, and grading... that's their main job. Their careers revolve around developing and fine-tuning their teaching materials.

University professors, particularly UC professors, have to research and publish to keep their jobs and standings in academia. Teaching classes is just what they do to fulfill their minimum workload. Often times, they let TAs and grad students grade, and some classes are even taught by TAs.

[NyWriterdude]

Its very hard to break in as a screenwriter, and most screenwriters I've known do have degrees in something. So basically, I would suggest you do go get a degree, as at some point you'll have to work. I would definitely not recommend moving to LA with no job skills.

Going to college in California would be a way of easy your way into Los Angeles.

The only thing about going to CC is if you don't do very well, you might not be able to transfer in to your school of choice. You might see if you can get into Cal State, or as someone suggested, a state university back home as well . That way, even if you can't transfer, you'll still be able to complete your BA or BS.

[PDF]

Originally Posted by NyWriterdude

Its very hard to break in as a screenwriter, and most screenwriters I've known do have degrees in something. So basically, I would suggest you do go get a degree, as at some point you'll have to work. I would definitely not recommend moving to LA with no job skills.

Going to college in California would be a way of easy your way into Los Angeles.

The only thing about going to CC is if you don't do very well, you might not be able to transfer in to your school of choice. You might see if you can get into Cal State, or as someone suggested, a state university back home as well . That way, even if you can't transfer, you'll still be able to complete your BA or BS.

It is hard to break in as a screenwriter, or as anything else in Hollywood, but you most certainly do not need a degree for it. Some people have a natural talent, I've been doing it for a long time and going to do a screenwriting course would teach me nothing.

Although you definitely do need job skills if you want to make a reasonable salary in LA. So going to community college would be a good idea, just as long as you have a job field other than writing in mind.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by The Illusive Man

Actually it is, the education is very comparable for the first two years and why it's a good idea to skip the first two years at a university to save money.

Have you spent any time in a community college class lately (since the budget cuts)?
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...0,554227.story
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...199,full.story

[The Illusive Man]

I take classes at my local community college every semester (West LA College) and the quality is still as good as it ever was. Sure, the loss of summer semester did hurt for a while, but it came back this summer. The certification programs are amazing and very affordable and I've been beefing up my skills in web design and programming.

Going to CC for the first two years is smart idea, no matter how you slice it. You take virtually the same exact general ed classes at a MUCH lower price. If you do well enough, you can go to whatever 4-year university your heart desires. It's a win-win.

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by PDF

It is hard to break in as a screenwriter, or as anything else in Hollywood, but you most certainly do not need a degree for it. Some people have a natural talent, I've been doing it for a long time and going to do a screenwriting course would teach me nothing.

Although you definitely do need job skills if you want to make a reasonable salary in LA. So going to community college would be a good idea, just as long as you have a job field other than writing in mind.

Good points on the natural talent and screenwriting courses being unnecessary. But I suggested getting a degree might be best as it can take a long time to establish yourself as a screenwriter. So you really do need job skills. No point in coming to LA to STARVE.

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by PDF

It is hard to break in as a screenwriter, or as anything else in Hollywood, but you most certainly do not need a degree for it. Some people have a natural talent, I've been doing it for a long time and going to do a screenwriting course would teach me nothing.

Although you definitely do need job skills if you want to make a reasonable salary in LA. So going to community college would be a good idea, just as long as you have a job field other than writing in mind.

Generally speaking, the people who do break into behind the scenes jobs in Hollywood do have degrees (agent, director, screenwriter, producer, etc.). Very often not in film. It takes a lot of resources to get into the film industry too. Money has to be invested in things like headshots, industry organizations, events, marketing, etc. Its too much go on here because this is not the purpose of this forum.

But someone out of high school who moves to LA to become a screenwriter is very likely to end up in a crappy restaurant job, long term. You don't want that at all. Make sure you have an education, that way you can go out for better day jobs, including some pretty cool day jobs in the industry (and many of these behind the scenes jobs will definitely require degrees.).