I’m starting to get a little obsessive right now. You see, there are a couple of classes I want to take at the local community college where My Honey teaches. But I can’t register until Sunday morning at 10:00 (online) and I’ve been watching the number of available seats get smaller and smaller.
The Beginning Textiles class only has 4 seats left! Yikes! I figured I wouldn’t have any problems getting into that class because it is being taught on a Friday night. I didn’t know college-aged students attended classes Friday nights! But, I guess at least 21 of them do! This is the class description:
Textile identification, methods, production, historical background, investigation of new fibers, fabric constructions and finishes.
The Fashion Survey class–the one that is a pre-requisite for all of the more advanced sewing courses–is also filling up quickly. The Monday section I am hoping to take only has 6 seats left. The Tuesday section still has 15 seats, but I’m starting to pace back and forth about that one, too.
I learned my lesson about how fast classes fill up when priority registration ended this past summer. I waited a couple of hours past my registration time and only the distance education courses (and advanced computer programming) were still available when I tried to register for classes.
With the current economy, people, like me, are returning to school to learn new skills in droves. And, with California’s crazy education budget that is less than it was 10 years ago but having to serve a lot more students, classes are being cut right and left. In fact, I saw a notice that the “intersession” (January) semester has been canceled. Most community colleges in my area had to cancel their second summer session due to lack of funding.
Now, I opted to attend the community college because it is still an amazing bargain at only $26 per credit hour. But, the option of attending the local Cal State that offers Family and Consumer Science courses (that is what Home Ec is called these days) has been shut out due to the crazy education budget. Cal State has stopped accepting applications for the time being and needs to reduce their student population. Cal State Northridge (that is the one that offers F&CS) has to reduce their student population by 23,000 full-time equivalent students (which they will do by reducing the number of accepted applications, making it harder for out-of-state students to get in, and general attrition).
The irony is not lost on me. Thirty years ago when I wanted to study Home Ec, the programs were being eliminated right and left and I had to find another path. Now that I’m starting over with my life, I’m running into problems with studying “home ec” once again!
Wish me luck!
PS: I want to add that I recognize that it won’t be the end of the world for me if I don’t get the classes. I’m trying to develop new skills, not earn a degree. My heart really goes out to those that are starting college for the first time.
