Some technology companies are helping by providing curriculum assistance as well as equipment. Microsoft Corp., for example, provides lesson plans and instructional resources at an online site for community colleges. Three years ago, the company launched a mentor program to train community college faculty in teaching Microsoft software skills. Cisco Systems Inc., Novell Inc. and Oracle Corp. also have strong relationships with two-year schools. Community college instructors often come directly from the workplace.
Community colleges can also change curricula faster than universities.
For Jones, at least, his mother's advice to switch to community college worked out for the best. She had a feeling it would she had earned an associate's degree in mainframe programming herself two years earlier. Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Computerworld, Inc. is prohibited.