EXPANDING EDUCATION DEFINITIONS College Now adds focus on career paths. BY THERESA NEUHOFF
34 COMMUNITY LEADER | FEBRUARY 2022
not for everyone. Some people may prefer to work a trade; others may need a high-quality certification or two-year degree versus a four-year degree. Educational paths are different for everyone, but the end goal is always the same for College Now, a nonprofit, which helps people construct plans that will set them up for success, no matter what career they choose. “Our focus used to be we work with you, and you get to college or get a twoyear degree,” College Now CEO Lee Friedman says. “Now, the focus is education to career, whatever that career may be. The plan is helping people think about where they fit into the big regional economy. We get them to think about what their highest aspiration may be, whether
it’s becoming a doctor, welder, computer technician or customer service worker.” Once a person is aware of all of the tools that may be available, they are better able to make informed decisions about their futures. “A lot of kids don’t know the possibilities available to them,” Friedman says. “Some people fall into their careers, while others plan theirs. No matter what you want to do, we want to provide you with the educational path you need to get to where you want to be.” With 200 staff members in 87 school buildings and community locations in Northeast Ohio, College Now is guided by its mission to “increase post-secondary education attainment through college and career access advising, financial
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IF YOU WERE AWARE of all the career opportunities that lay ahead of you when you were in high school, would you have chosen the same path you are on today? When you have choices, possibilities are endless. If you do not have choices, success may not be easily attainable. College Now Greater Cleveland strives to provide options to everyone, from middle schoolers to adult learners so that they may find the best fit to reach their maximum potential and ensure that they are matching to something that will provide a living wage or better. While obtaining a college education may be the best path for some, College Now knows the traditional journey is
