From College to Career: the Employment Experiences of Low-income Community College Graduates

From College to Career examines the lives of poor mothers who completed community college degrees and entered the workforce during a major shift in American social welfare policy. With the passage of federal welfare reform a lot more attention was focused on helping low-income mothers enter and make progress in the labor market. Policies that encouraged education and training as a means to securing stable employment received less emphasis in this new policy environment. Using a combination of data from a survey of a community college cohort and interviews with low-income mothers who received public assistance while they were enrolled in college, this study documents the college and employment experiences of 30 low-income single mothers who earned associate's degrees and entered the workforce. Findings from this study suggest that good employment outcomes can only be partially explained by increases in formal education. Although higher education plays a key role in the employment success of low-income mothers, growing up in poverty, leaving high school early, and having few social contacts beyond one's family and neighborhood all conspire to restrict a women's earnings potential.