Saint Louis Community College Rankings by Salary Score™

While I took this over a decade ago, I wanted to write a review as I saw there were only two--one good and one bad. I went to the Meramec campus but also had some courses in Web Design at the Forest Park campus. My fundamentals as well as my design ethics are extremely strong in large part from the quality of education I gained here. I am serious when I say the majority of my teachers were either part time teachers and part time creative directors in the real world OR part time teaching at the community college... Read More and part time at one of the nearby universities. Many of my teachers would tell us that the design classes were the exact same curriculum as what they taught in their four year universities. Many boasted that were getting an bachelor level education at the price of an associates degree. I've also found that in the then plus years as designer (in St. Louis and another major city) my opportunities were NOT diminished by "only having an associates degree". My pay has been equal or higher as my bachelor degree co-workers and I've found that what really only mattered was talent and experience to get the next position up in my career. I highly recommend the St. Louis Community College Fine Arts and Graphic Design program. It literally is or was the best thing that ever in getting an education. My only regret was no taking MORE classes. There were a few that weren't required, for example I never took any of the animation courses as they were not required for the graphic design degree I was seeking--it was another entirely different degree. Had I taken that core as well, even more opportunity would be open to me. Working full time for ten plus years, that is my only regret of the school and that is more of my regret than their failing--I was advised to take those courses too and wish I had listened. My only 'not stellar' comment about the college was the post degree experience. The college had no real idea how to help students get their real first job of value. I was being steered by the career center into applying jobs that would have limited my chances in the areas I wished to be put into. I aimed for marketing teams and design teams at universities and a lot of printers back then were lobbying for designers to work there--which is a dead end career path. Luckily my excellent teachers, who taught in the industries I wanted to be in, and guided us into our opportunities. Make sure you soak as much of the knowledge of the teachers experience in their field as possible and have them as mentors and investors in your education and you wont go down the rabbit hole of a dead-end position. I have seen a few of my fellow students end up no longer in the design field because they never had that relationship with a teacher to guide them in getting good jobs and not 'design sweat shops' and 'dead end career killing jobs'... Thank you STLCC - Meramec and Forest Park (I took four courses there and it was a good experience too).