Page A5
May 14. 2008
C ascade C onnection
Finding Opportunity
during Economic Slump
It’s no secret - we are living
in hard economic times. Unem­
ployment is on the rise, eco­
nomic growth has all but ground
to a halt. Even in Portland, hous­
ing prices - for so long a major
repository of American wealth
- a r e losing value. And the long
departure of good blue-collar
jobs to foreign shores contin­
ues.
What is a hard-working per­
son todo in such circumstances?
It is easy to feel defeated, to
look for some subsistence job
(or more than one) and ride out
the storm. It is easy to think that
you don’t have any power over
the situation.
in good times or bad, than com ­
munity college. It is a much
less expensive option than at­
tending a four-year college or
university, and a far more flex­
ible one in terms of scheduling
and location. And even more
importantly, comm unity col­
lege allows you to choose from
a broad array o f fields for
which demand for skilled pro­
fessionals will only grow in
the years to come.
Take health care, for ex­
ample. The elderly are the fast­
est-growing age group in the
nation, and we are entering
the leading edge of the Baby
Boom ers’ retirement. All of
Police officer, medical labora­
tory tech n ician , fo ren sics,
opthalmic laboratory technician
- all these careers are as close
as two years away, maybe even
closer if you' ve already got some
college studies under your belt.
And it doesn’t stop there.
Growing fields such as multi-
media, video production and
website design are also repre­
sented at Cascade Cam pus,
as are skilled trades such as
facilities m aintenance and fi­
ber optics technology. Many
of our graduates with two-
year degrees in these fields -
and a range of other types of
degrees - earn good salaries
with excellent benefits.
If you ’ re looking for a
more advanced degree,
Cascade Cam pus is a
wonderful place to start.
Lots of our graduates
go on to earn baccalau­
reate and graduate de­
grees from prestigious
four-year institutions.
Yes, times are lean, and the
expense of furthering your edu­
cation can seem like something
that has to be put off. I think
that’s a mistaken attitude. Fur­
thering your education is some­
thing that cannot be put off,
especially in tough economic
times.
So open that door. Take con­
trol. Register for the Summer
Term at Cascade Campus, and
put yourself in a position to suc­
ceed - not only now, but for the
rest of your life.
Algie C. Gatewood, Ed.D.,
is president o f Portland Com­
m unity C o lle g e ’s C ascade
Campus.
roots
What better time to take
control o f your situation, to
begin a change o f career.
But like my daddy used to tel I
me back in North Carolina,
when one door closes, another
opens. Instead of a time of des­
peration, an economic slumpcan
be a time of opportunity. What
better time to take control of
your situation, to begin achange
of career, to place yourself in a
position where you can more
easily make it through the next
round of lean times?
And what better place to do it
than community college? Going
back to school in times 1 ike these
is like buying insurance for the
next economic downturn.
One of the best educational
resources for working people,
these people will need increas­
ing levels of care as they age,
and the people who provide
that care will find their ser­
vices increasingly in demand.
Law enforcement is another
good e x a m p le. T he sam e
wave of Baby Boomer retire­
ments is hitting the Portland
Police Bureau and a new gen­
eration of officers is needed.
How does community col­
lege fit into this picture? Well,
two-year degree programs for
many careers in the fields I just
mentioned - health care and
law enforcement - are avail­
able at Portland Community
C ollege’s Cascade Campus.
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