November 22nd, 2010 by Kristin
Why Choose a Two Year College for Digital Media?
As Web Evangelist at Tribeca Flashpoint, one question I’m frequently asked is, “Why should I choose your 2-year program over a 4 year college?”
While four year schools bring a lot to the table for traditional programs like liberal arts and sciences, there are many reasons why our two year program is better suited to digital media education. Here are the top 4:
Reason #1: Comparable number of contact hours, quicker time to completion.
At a traditional 4-year college, students typically get about 600 contact hours (that is, hours spent in class or in labs) per year. In Tribeca Flashpoint’s full-time, 40-hour-per-week program, students can expect to get between 1,100 and 1,264 contact hours per year. This means that Tribeca Flashpoint students get just as much hands-on and in-class experience as those in 4-year schools; it simply takes our students less time.
Reason #2: More bang for your buck.
Today, four years at a private university typically costs upwards of $100,000. But at Tribeca Flashpoint, students get a comparable number of contact hours in half the time. As a result, students at Tribeca Flashpoint pay about half as much per contact hour than their friends at 4-year schools. How’s that for value? Plus, our students have the opportunity to enter the working world two years before their friends at 4-year schools, allowing them to start earning a paycheck and climbing the corporate ladder while their friends are still taking out loans.
Reason #3: Technology doesn’t outpace our program.
Think of the media devices you use on a regular basis: computers, televisions, mobile phones, game consoles, portable music players. Are you still using the same equipment you used four years ago? Well, neither are the digital media industries. At Tribeca Flashpoint, we minimize the risk of technology outpacing your education by teaching you the latest tools and trends in just two years, not four. This way, you can be confident that the skills you learn throughout your time in college will still be applicable once you enter the workforce.
Reason #4: Employers care about what you can do and how well you can do it; not how long you were in school.
Reasons 1-3 sound great, but what do employers think? Don’t they prefer to hire people with a four-year degree? The truth is, employers in the digital media industries care far more about what you’ve accomplished than how long it took you to accomplish it. If you have an outstanding resume and portfolio, demonstrable professional skills like communication and problem solving, a working knowledge of the latest tools and technologies, and a great attitude, you have everything you need to wow employers.
Would you like to learn more about what Tribeca Flashpoint’s two-year program can do for you? Give us a call at 312-332-0707, or let us answer your questions in person at an upcoming Group Tour.
