Tips From A College Graduate
By: Erin Butts
Photo credit: Amber Butts
When it comes to work ethic, determination and overall knowledge about the college experience, there is no one else I know that can speak better on this topic than my sister, Amber Butts.
Combining both community college and university, my sister was in school for over five years, and experienced the ups and downs of college life and the differences between commuting to school from home and living in a dorm. Amber is 29-years-old now, and she graduated from a four year university with a B.S. in general management as well as a B.S. in international studies, with an emphasis on international business.
Her college education started right here at Chaffey. She commuted from home to Chaffey, sometimes using her car, but other times having to take the bus. Later on, she left home to attend Job Corps, a residential training program that helps young people finish their schooling and find jobs. During her time at Job Corps, she also attended Valley College and received her transfer AA (AA-T) in business management, also known as business administration. Then she transferred to California State University, East Bay.
Each school, combined with the season of life that she was in, brought its own set of difficulties.
"When I was at Chaffey, the hardest thing was dealing with personal issues and just commuting. For Valley, I was at Job Corps, so the hardest thing was balancing school, but then once I left Job Corps I ended up working two jobs and going to school, so...that balance was difficult. When I was at East Bay, I was away from family...dealing with isolation in a new environment. I just started getting involved the last two years...or a year and a half of me being there, so again balancing all my duties with school work and stuff," she responded.
I was amazed by two things. First, I was amazed that she was working two jobs and going to school. Any college student knows that being a student can often be a job in and of itself.
When I asked her about why she was working two jobs, she explained:
"...I didn't want to have to rely on my parents to pay for it [referring to school] and I did not want to take out any loans, so I worked to pay my way through college."
Certainly, she exceeded in this because she graduated from college debt free!
Second, I was amazed by the fact that academics were not the hard part for Amber.
"I like learning," she laughed, "I like going to classes. I like learning, so I can’t say any of that was difficult."
If Amber had to choose, the most difficult part would be not having a clear direction or a clear plan on what classes to take to ultimately graduate.
"I guess the most difficult thing about being a student is not knowing what to do next," she said, "There's so many people you have to go to...counselors, teachers, and one counselor would tell you one thing and because they're understaffed you get different counselors every time basically...so that was the most, I wouldn't call it difficult, but annoying part. I spent so much time doing classes that meant absolutely nothing for my major. I probably could have finished school faster had I come in with a plan.”
Amber and I both had different paths when it came to college. Amber attended a community college first, while I went straight to a university after high-school. However, after a few years I came back home and decided to attend Chaffey. With 2020 being my first year at a community college, I can not speak on the major differences between community colleges and universities.
Thankfully, Amber could.
The first thing she told me was that she found the quality in community colleges and universities to be the same. This shocked me, because the impression I got in high-school was that community colleges were very different from universities.
I learned from Amber that, in Inland Empire at least, the majority of the professors are adjunct professors.
"They're not tenured...so they're not on a permanent teaching position. They work at the university and the community college," Amber explained, "I really felt like the quality as far as the schools I went to...it was pretty much the same because it’s the same teachers."
Regarding community, universities and community colleges both have their strengths. Amber explains that while in a community college you get more one-on-one time with your teachers, and are likely to see the same people if they have the same major as you, at a university people are living in dorms and there are more organizations to join.
Amber and I both lived in dorms during our time at universities. We lived a comfortable driving distance from each other and would see each other face-to-face, as well as have conversations over the phone. In our phone calls she often mentioned her struggles with finding connection and getting involved on her campus. Still, from my observations, Amber has always been very independent. So, it surprised me to hear her say that having community in college is important.
On a scale of zero to ten, Amber said that the importance of community in college would be a seven and a half or eight.
"Can you do it alone? Yes. Why would you want to though?" she said, "You’re going to need someone whether it’s...a mentor...a good counselor, a good teacher you can relate to...You’re going to definitely need somebody.”
With the interview coming to an end, I wanted to ask what I would consider the most important question for college students. Is it worth it? Does college actually set you up for success?
For all of my anticipation, Amber responded quickly with a yes.
I learned from Amber that it is not just one thing in college that sets you up for success, but all of the little things that you learn along the way. Amber learned strategies and tips for the real world while taking business classes. By living in a dorm she learned how to be responsible and inventive with her finances. Because she was active on her campus, serving as Club President for the International Studies Club, she learned important communication and leadership skills.
College is a place where you can grow, and as Amber said, "find yourself." You cannot expect your experience to look exactly the same as someone else's, but you can create a plan so you can be on track in school. You can work hard to have the finances you need for college, if that is what you want to do. You can invest in community instead of doing it alone.
For anyone in college and wondering if they will ever graduate, know that it is not impossible. Amber did it. So can you.