Columbus State Community College (2024)

Employers demand skills beyond the basics.

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers work on heating, ventilation, cooling, and refrigeration systems that control the temperature and air quality in buildings. Candidates familiar with computers and electronics and those with good troubleshooting skills — important skillsets emphasized in Columbus State’s HVAC program — will have the best job opportunities as employers continue to have difficulty finding qualified technicians to install, maintain, and repair complex new systems.

As environmental awareness grows, so do career opportunities.

Environmental and safety technicians apply the principles of science, engineering, communication, and economics to protect and enhance the safety and health of humans and of our natural resources. Job opportunities are very diverse with many graduates of the program being employed with environmental consulting firms, water and wastewater treatment plants, industrial facilities, construction companies, and governmental agencies. Careers opportunities in this field are growing faster than average and expected to continue growing through 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

3D Visualization

Columbus State helped Shaun Barber visualize a great career. Barber earned an associate degree in Construction Management, which helped him land a job as a project estimator. There, he uses his skills in 3D modeling to bring his clients' dreams to life. Accurate renderings help the business estimate costs and ensures clients get exactly what they're looking for.

"Columbus State gave me the knowledge to take my career to the next level," Barber says. "By learning 3D modeling and how to write a good business plan, I have been able to assist my company succeed in the digital age."

Landscape students pitch in at the Columbus Zoo

In the spring of 2019, Columbus State established a collaboration with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to provide horticulture support to the zoo while giving students a valuable hands-on learning opportunity.

Landscape Design and Management students meet regularly at the zoo throughout the semester, where they perform important horticulture tasks such as seasonal cleanup, corrective pruning, as well as edging landscape beds and mulching. Students put the concepts they learn in class into practice, and the Columbus Zoo benefits from the students’ work. In the spring 2019 semester, Columbus State students were largely responsible for planting new landscaping around Conservation Lake, a main focal point when guests walk into the zoo.

Columbus State costs just $4,000 a year, offering an affordable path to earning your degree

The structure of society is shaped by welders

Welding is a skilled trade that, when mastered, transforms the student from rod burner to skilled artisan. From the metal beams that support skyscrapers to rods that power automobiles to the puddle that shapes a child’s toy, welders’ work is an essential part of creating all aspects of modern existence.

Students in the Skilled Trades Associate Degree Program in Welding acquire knowledge and skills that qualify them for commercial, industrial, and manufacturing jobs in the welding industry. Students successfully completing their degree will also have the opportunity to earn up to a LEVEL II Advanced Welder Certification through the American Welding Society.

Construction Manager, Fischer Homes. Adjunct Instructor, Construction Management, Columbus State.

Jez Alogla enrolled at Columbus State to obtain an associate degree in Construction Management. “I’d previously worked in the construction industry for eight years, so I felt that I knew most everything there was to know about construction,” he said. “Boy, was I wrong!”

The Construction Management program helped Alogla become a well-rounded construction manager who understands all facets of a construction project. It helped him solidify skills he already learned on the job, like blue print reading and field management, and taught him new ones, like how to use Timberline estimating software, Auto CAD drafting software, and Primavera scheduling software.

Alogla appreciated that his instructors at Columbus State had backgrounds in the industry, and were able to challenge students at every level of experience. “They had such a huge impact on me that, after I graduated, I came back to Columbus State as adjunct professor in construction sciences,” he said.

Perhaps now more than ever, skilled trades professionals are in high demand

No matter how technical the field, every industry counts on facilities management professionals to keep buildings and equipment up and running. More than just training students for a job, we educate you in preparation for a career in the following skilled trades:

• Carpentry
• Electrical
• Plumbing
• Sheet Metal
• Welding