Regarding the California colleges, whether you are a resident or not, you still have to pay even for the community college. If you have a degree already, you have to pay at least twice more than regular tuition. Things have gone up and have changed a lot. You need to contact your specific school for more info because each school has their own way of running their institution.
What's the story with work-study programs. Are they available at the community college level, or just a major college thing?
joe, depending on your course of study, most Community College programs incorporate practical experience into the cirriculum. In order to graduate with a two year degree in most programs you must participate in a co-op program which comes after the larger portion of your degree requirements have been met. It also varies among programs as far as the amount of "hands on" experience there is to be had in a particular field.