If you pursue a career, you'll constantly make decisions about it. Is this the right job for me? Am I feeling fulfilled and challenged? Does this job enable me to have the lifestyle I want? We want to set you up for success by asking you to consider these kinds of questions now, whether you're just graduating from high school or college, or returning to school after working for a while.

All types of students come to community colleges, but no matter what brought you here, you'll get ahead if you develop and stick to an "Education Plan." What is an Education Plan? An Education Plan is a plan that you will develop alongside your college counselor based on your goals and interests, and it basically lays out which kinds of classes you need to take, and when. All students benefit from creating their personal Education Plan, no matter what has brought them to community college and where they see themselves going after.

Have you ever had personal problems negatively affect your academic performance? Have you ever felt overwhelmed or in over your head, like you were treading water, unable to get where you wanted to go? If only you had an opportunity to pause, take a deep breath, and start again... Your community college counseling staff can offer you support if you find yourself struggling with schoolwork. In fact, you’re not as alone as you might think: chances are that many of your peers struggle with similar challenges.

Every California community college has a Learning Center, Tutorial Center, or Writing Center that hires instructors and qualified students to provide academic support. The tutoring is free, but the strategies and knowledge you gain will be invaluable. Your tutors have taken the class you are currently enrolled in, and they are trained to get the best out of you.

When it comes to college, is it all about the money? One of the biggest reasons students don't complete their academic goals is that they spend too much time and energy at work. But if you take advantage of the various kinds of financial help that California Community Colleges offer, you can make the most of your time as a student and save money at the same time.

You've decided to investigate online learning as an alternative to a traditional classroom. But what will this really mean for you as a student? Click on the link to the right for an introduction to the world of online learning: we will show you how it works, debunk a few common misconceptions about online learning environments, and explore some differences you will encounter when taking courses online rather than in a traditional classroom.

You probably already know that taking an online course will require some basic technological skills. And while you don't need to be a computer scientist to take a class online, it would be good for you to have a really solid understanding of the basic technical skills you'll need to succeed.Click on the link to the right for an overview of the technical skills you'll need as online student. This includes becoming familiar with the hardware and software requirements of most online courses, the value of a fast Internet connection,and how to locate and download the free plugins that your course might require the basics of email how to obtain tech support when you need it.

The Computer Readiness Test will test your current browser for plugins and versions to help you better navigate our site.

If you're taking a course on campus, you'll meet with your instructor and the other students in your class at least once a week. In this traditional environment, you will be reminded multiple times when assignments are due. In an online environment, however, it's up to you to remind yourself. Luckily, there are a lot of tools out there to help you get started.First it's important to get organized. Click on the link to the right for guidance toorganize your physical study space,organize your course materials, and develop a scheduling system that will help you turn all of your coursework in on time.

Good Communication skills are essential in your online course. There are many different ways you'll communicate with your instructor and other students in your class, so we've created this module to introduce you to common terms you'll need to know and familiarize you with some concepts that we hope will lead you to success in your class.Our job in this module is to teach you:the vocabulary that may be used to describe communication in your online class,how communication is different for you as a student when you're learning online,some of the advantages and disadvantages of academic online communication, and how to become an effective communicator in your online course.