Heather Shute, 32, is pursuing her license in aircraft maintenance at South Seattle Community College in Seattle, Washington. Although she already has a bachelor's degree from Pacific Lutheran University, and seven years of experience in broadcast journalism, Shute figures she'll earn more in the aircraft industry. The two-year program at South Seattle costs about $15,000, which she's paying with scholarships and money saved. (Ken Lambert/Seattle Times/MCT)
College on the cheap
Katherine Long, The Seattle TimesSEATTLE -- It takes a little pluck and some ingenuity, but it's possible to work the Washington state college system to shave thousands off the cost of a degree or boost a career without drowning in debt.
So say recent and soon-to-be college grads who have used new state programs, or taken full advance of existing ones, to finish their college careers.
Some of the programs are not well known; others are familiar, yet remarkably few students are taking full advantage of them.
A few who have:
--Joseph Nutting ran a small business in Vancouver, Wash., while completing his bachelor's degree at Washington State University, and it didn't require a move to Pullman -- he was able to do all the work online.
--Heather Shute had a college degree but, worried about the shaky economy and uncertain job prospects in her field, did a career pivot and went to community college to study aircraft maintenance -- and got a job at Boeing even before she graduated.
--Elaine Melnik sped her way through college by earning college credits in high school, then signing up for a new Central Washington University program that allowed her to complete all but one course for her bachelor's degree for about $20,000.
Melnik's friends ask: How are you done with your bachelor's already -- is that even possible? "I say, 'Yes, it is,' " said Melnik, who's starting her next degree, a master's, while working full time as an IT analyst for a law firm.
Some strategies come with trade-offs. Finishing a bachelor's degree in fewer than four years means less time spent absorbing the rich intellectual environment of a college campus. Some academics worry that a focus on career skills means shorting students on the type of well-rounded education that allows people to adapt and grow as jobs change.
But equally worrisome is the rising cost of going to college. More than half of Washington's college students borrow money to pay for college, and in 2011, they graduated with an average debt of about $22,244, according to the Project on Student Debt.
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