Gillian Bunting, Contributor

Community college is a steppingstone, flexible for students with any background and future ambitions. The roads students can take are endless, which is an exciting yet daunting prospect. Learning what plans your fellow peers have post-graduation can help incite ideas and motivate those who are nervous or unsure of their future.

The most common post-graduate plan is to transfer to a four-year institution. Of the 1,135 two-year degrees awarded in 2022, 748 of them were Associate of Arts or Associate of Science transfer degrees, according to the NWACC 2022 Fact Book. Another 171 were two-year transfer degrees in general studies or in fine arts, according to Fact Book data.

In the 2022 graduate survey sent out to those who have already graduated or were about to graduate, the majority planned to attend a four-year university or college. “Sixty-five percent of those that listed a transfer college plan to attend UA Fayetteville,” said Kim Purdy, NWACC’s Director of Institutional Research. Other colleges included University of Arkansas Fort Smith, Missouri Southern State University, Arkansas Tech, and Arkansas State University, as well as cosmetology school or trade school.

If students do not plan to transfer, another common plan is to enter the workforce. From the 2022 graduate survey, 57 of the 145 replies mentioned going to work after graduation, whether their plan was looking for a job, working full-time, or working part-time. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a summary of work activity by recent college graduates in 2021. The data showed that among 20- to 29-year-olds who recently received an associate degree, 76.7% of them were employed.

Adam Bannister is a representative for the vast number of students who have identified future goals but are unsure about their next steps after graduation. “I first went to NWACC to get a two-year in music performance … but I went to a general degree,” Bannister said. “I could go to a four-year. I have some options; I’m looking at going full time or going for music.” Bannister is focusing on finishing his two-year degree so he can have it under his belt in case he doesn’t finish a four-year degree or doesn’t transfer at all. He said that getting his two-year degree helped him as he got to learn a lot about several different fields that he is interested in. “I was able to learn a lot of core skills for a lot of new jobs,” he said.

Colton Cook is an example of a 2023 student utilizing the several pathways one can take after completing their community college career. After his first semester he switched his degree from mechanical engineering to a double major in science and business. “While I’ve been going to college, I created an LLC company, so I’ll probably just be trying to continue that [after graduation],” Cook said. Even before graduating, he put to work what he’s learned throughout his business degree to start a power washing company. He also stated the possibility of transferring to a four-year institution to continue his business education.

No matter what plans a student has, their community is there to help support and guide them to a suitable and exciting path after graduation. Students can contact NWACC’s Transfer Services at transferpathways@nwacc.edu, as well as Career Services at career_services@nwacc.edu, for support and resources.