Caveat: For-profit, private schools can be expensive — many times more costly than their public counterparts, in some cases. Last fall, the U.S. Senate held hearings on why a large percentage of students attending for-profit colleges took out student loans they were subsequently unable to pay. That’s not to say they’re all out to make a buck (Touro, for instance, is nonprofit), but it’s best to do your homework before school’s in. — H.K.
You’re unemployed or underemployed, and need tools to improve your job prospects. tools. Director Rebecca Metty-Burns says students completing the Patient Care Dialysis Technician and Health Unit Coordinator programs have been especially successful in landing jobs lately. “This training changed my life,” says Derek Solis. “I was an accountant before, and I made more money, but I got laid off. In dialysis, I’m able to help people; the money is less important than that. I wouldn’t go back to accounting now even if I could.”
Caveat: These are non-credit classes created to provide entry-level career training, so don’t expect to walk out with a degree and walk into a management-level job. Not all programs culminate in certification, either; some prepare students for examinations or apprenticeships that, once completed, result in certification. More: Get an overview at www.csn.edu/ workforce — H.K.
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Check out the College of Southern Nevada’s Division of Workforce and Economic Development. Maybe you got laid off after decades in the same position and suddenly found your computer knowledge was outdated. Maybe your entire field became obsolete. With programs such as Computer Skills for the Workplace, Bail Agent PreLicensing and Welding Training, CSN’s workforce division gives people handson exposure to immediately employable
CSN has programs to kick-start the careers of those looking for a job upgrade.