An American invention, community colleges have been putting higher education closer to home for millions of Americans for one hundred years, so if you are looking for more advanced classes, they are a great option. Community colleges are fully inclusive of students regardless of wealth, heritage, or educational background. Classes tend to be a mix of students straight out of high school as well as those who are returning years later to continue their education. There are over 1,000 community colleges across the United States with a combined total of 11.6 million students. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, the average age of the students is 29 years old but fifteen percent of them are over the age of 40.

The clear, and significant, advantage of taking courses at a local college to learn computer skills is the professor. There are few alternatives to having a live person teaching you how to use a computer. Unlike philosophy, there is only one right answer and usually only one way to do things, but human interaction is a very important aspect of learning any subject. Additionally, if taking classes at a college, you do not actually need a computer or any of the software. Buying a computer and paying for an internet connection is not a luxury that everyone can afford, so this can be a very important advantage that the community college classes offer. In most cases, the school will provide all of the equipment necessary for the classes, although they may require that you purchase books. If money is an issue, classes are also less expensive than other options and there is even financial aid available to help subsidize the educational process. According to the AACC, 47 percent of all community college students receive some type of financial aid.

Community colleges often offer a great variety of classes on computer skills, from the very basic to advanced courses in programming. I spent some time living in Sunnyvale, California and while there attended a few courses at a local community college called Foothill College. They offer a huge selection of computer courses such as: Publishing on the Web Using HTML/XHTML, Web Publishing Tools: Dreamweaver Basics, Linux & Unix System Security, Microsoft Windows Vista, Computer Science I: JAVA, and many others. The classes tend to be more advanced and cater to those who have a background in computers, but this is not always the case.

So if you are a looking for a more traditional education, community college may be a great option for you. To find a local school visit this site or simply search on Google.