Interested in Community College Careers? The MLA Has Resources for That

Nearly 40% of all college students in the United States attend a community college. Two-year institutions are critical to the landscape of higher education, and they are especially important in making education accessible for a diverse range of students.

Many graduate students find themselves drawn to the mission of community colleges and to the educational accessibility that they promote––and yet, graduate students are often unprepared for and uncertain about applying to jobs at two-year institutions. They find themselves wondering if their graduate education has prepared them for life at a community college, how they might prepare themselves better, and how they might market themselves appropriately for these positions.

In a new set of resources, the MLA hopes to address a few of the questions graduate students have about community college careers. Advice from community college veterans is juxtaposed with advice from a current graduate student who is preparing to apply for community college positions and an early-career community college instructor. The advice is candid about both the work involved––there is a lot of teaching involved in teaching at a community college!––and about the rewards of working with a diverse and often underserved student population.

To learn more about careers in community colleges, please visit “Preparing for a Career at a Community College.”