Community colleges are kind of underrated

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Community colleges are kind of underrated"

Podcast: The Indicator from Planet Money (NPR)
Date: June 15, 2026
Hosts: Robert Smith, Adrian Ma
Guest: Eric Garcia Luna (Minneapolis Fed), Tim Lapan (Normandale Community College), William Lightsman (student)

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Overview

This episode of The Indicator dives into how workers are coping with economic anxieties and an unpredictable job market by turning to community colleges, particularly in Minnesota. Hosts Robert Smith and Adrian Ma use the “Beige Book Awards” framework to highlight compelling economic anecdotes from the Federal Reserve’s latest regional report. The main focus is on the surge in adult learners, especially in health sciences, as people look for job security, fulfillment, and affordability. The episode features direct perspectives from economists, college staff, and returning students.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Beige Book Awards and the State of the Economy

• The opening frames the episode as a playful “Beige Book” awards show, with anecdotes from the Federal Reserve regions.
• Construction industry struggles due to high interest rates — leading to reduced demand for new homes and worried workers.
  • Quote (Cleveland Fed): “One construction contact noted that employees were nervous and stressed.” (04:13)

2. Labor Market Uncertainties: Turning to Community Colleges

• Economic instability and anxieties over automation and global shifts (AI, tariffs) drive workers to seek job security.
• Beige Award Winner: Minneapolis Fed
  • Eric Garcia Luna shares: “A community college contact noted that older adults were coming back to get a second credential to better compete for jobs.” (05:33)
  • This is a recurring trend during recessions or job market stress.

3. The Minnesota Community College Boom

• Focus on Minnesota reveals that community colleges outpace four-year college enrollment growth nationwide.
  • Health care fields are hot: Driven by local investments and vacancies in healthcare — a sector needing urgent staffing.
• Tim Lapan, Normandale Community College:
  • “We've seen a pretty significant increase in adult students coming back to school.” (06:50)
  • “A 44% increase over three years… and we've seen a lot of that in our health science cohorts. So our nursing, dental hygiene and CNA programs.” (06:55-07:04)

4. Student Perspective: Seeking Security, Meaning, and Affordability

• William Lightsman (Student, age 39):
  • Moved from teaching English in South Korea to pursue a nursing degree for stability and personal fulfillment.
  • “I looked this up and it was like nursing is one of the top fields. So I just thought, this seems smart. Okay? This seems logical. It feels right in my heart.” (07:39)
  • Points out that an associate’s degree is cost-effective: “An associate's degree is not that expensive.” (07:46)
  • Challenges: “It's really hard. Nursing school is very, very difficult.” (08:00)
  • On being an older student: “I was a bit nervous, but honestly, everybody was really cool.” (08:13)
  • On the practicality and reputation of community college:
    “Let's say you have a mortgage or you're raising a family or something like this. I would imagine it's really hard to rationalize spending tens of thousands of dollars...I especially think nursing is becoming really hot right now. It’s kind of like the new tech degree. People might not agree with that.” (08:49)

5. Broader Takeaways

• Community colleges offer:
  • Affordability for career changers/adults
  • Flexibility and shorter paths to credentials
  • Entry into stable, “automation-proof” sectors like healthcare
  • Growing social acceptance and status compared to four-year routes

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the broader purpose of community colleges:

  • “We find a magical place where some job seekers are finding all three: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It’s a community college.”
    (B, 01:27)

• On construction industry woes:

  • “Even at lower price points they can’t give a house away.”
    (C, quoting Atlanta Fed, 03:54)

• On returning to school as an adult:

  • “We've seen a pretty significant increase in adult students coming back to school.”
    (Tim Lapan, 06:50)
  • “It's really hard. Nursing school is very, very difficult.”
    (William Lightsman, 08:00)

• On new community college prestige:

  • “I especially think nursing is becoming really hot right now. It's kind of like the new tech degree. People might not agree with that.”
    (William Lightsman, 09:03)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:22: Beige Book awards explained; regional Fed stories
• 03:54-04:45: Construction sector anecdotes; runner-up awards
• 05:02-05:33: Winning entry from the Minneapolis Fed; introduction to the topic of workers seeking new credentials
• 06:45-07:13: Interview with Tim Lapan on increased adult enrollment in healthcare programs
• 07:25-08:25: Student William Lightsman’s journey, motivations, and experience as an older student
• 08:30-09:07: William on the reasons older workers are choosing community college, and the rise of nursing as a “hot” degree
• 09:09: Hosts wrap-up and celebrate the Minneapolis Fed for highlighting community college trends

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Conclusion

This episode spotlights how economic stress and changing labor market dynamics are driving a surge in community college enrollment, especially among adults seeking new skills and better job prospects. Healthcare fields, affordability, and reputation shifts are central themes, demonstrating that community colleges are becoming “the new tech degree” destination for many Americans.

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Transcript

[A]

Npr.

[B]

Hey Robert, I love these anniversary balloons.

[C]

Thank you.

[B]

Are you celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States?

[C]

Oh no, I totally forgotten about the sester centennial.

[B]

I think they're calling it the semi quincentennial to each his own.

[C]

But no, these balloons are my yearly celebration of the anniversary of of the very first beige book in 1970.

[D]

Mm.

[B]

The beige book, of course, our favorite government document filled with juicy anecdotes about the economy from around the US it

[C]

was just as juicy 56 years ago when it started. Although back in those days it was a secret report that only people at the Federal Reserve got to read. Now of course, everyone can celebrate it.

[B]

And what is the standard way to celebrate the Beige Book? Fireworks. A beige arch in front of the NPR building.

[C]

How about an awards show? It's the Beige Awards, our eight times a year salute to the art and science of telling stories about the economy. I'm Robert Smith.

[B]

I'm Adrian Ma. And eight times a year they call that an octenary.

[C]

Nice.

[B]

Today on the show we look at one way workers are reacting to the nervous job market right now. The Declaration of Independence says we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And we find a magical place where some job seekers are finding all three.

[C]

It's a community college. After the break.

[E]

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[C]

always like to remind everyone how this award show works. There are 12 regional banks in the Federal Reserve System. Each one studies their local economy and brings back these little stories of what they see. They publish them in a document known as the Beige Book and we give awards to the best stories.

[B]

First, the runner ups. Two of the best stories we read in the most recent Beige Book were about the construction industry. High interest rates have been slowing down new home sales in some parts of the country. And so we're giving a shared runner up award to the Atlanta Fed and the Cleveland Fed.

[C]

First, the Atlanta Fed who wrote quote, builders reported sharp traffic declines and growing buyer hesitancy. One builder noted that even at lower price points they can't give a house away.

[B]

Yeesh. This is especially sad for those of us who live in expensive cities where we would like a free house.

[C]

I know New York weeps with jealousy and maybe because of those low sales in some parts of the country, workers in the construction industry are worried about cooling demand for their skills. Our other runner up award goes to this line from the Cleveland Fed. Quote, one construction contact noted that employees were nervous and stressed.

[B]

Yeah, you don't want people with nail guns being stressed and you don't want

[C]

them to leave the industry because housing is cyclical. Places with a slow housing market one year can have a boom in construction the next year.

[B]

And this dilemma faced by workers in an uncertain economy is also the subject of our winning entry from the Beige Book. Envelope please. And the beige goes to the Minneapolis Fed.

[C]

Coming to the stage is Eric Garcia Luna from the Minneapolis Fed. We spoke to him on June 5th. Congratulations, Eric.

[F]

Thank you, Robert. We are glad to be back on this stage. We appreciate it.

[C]

I notice you have a piece of paper in your hand. Did you prepare an acceptance speech? Oh wait, it says disclaimer at the top.

[F]

Disclaimer Is that what I talk about here today is a reflection of my opinions and not those of the Federal Reserve bank of Minneapolis or the Federal

[B]

Reserve board shorter than an acceptance speech.

[C]

We'll take it, Eric. The Minneapolis Fed won for a very interesting anecdote that I think tells us something about the labor market. There's lots of nervousness out there because of the future of the job market, because of, well, you know the list AI tariffs. And you notice that workers are doing something about it here. Let me read from the beige book entry. Quote. A community college contact noted that over older adults were coming back to get a second credential to better compete for jobs. I will say this is something you often see during recessions or other times of job stress. People going back to community college. Do we know what they're going to study?

[F]

Where this anecdote particularly came from? In this region you're seeing all this investment in healthcare infrastructure and there is a lot of hiring going on in that sector. There are jobs that need to be filled. Not enough people to fill those jobs. And older workers are not in that.

[B]

Community colleges are hot right now, growing faster nationwide than four year colleges. So we decided to call a few of them in Minnesota and see if this checks out. And we ended up at Normandale Community College south of Minneapolis.

[C]

And we went right to the source, the new student enrollment coordinator, Tim Lapan.

[G]

So we've seen a pretty significant increase in adult students coming back to school.

[B]

A 44% increase over three years.

[G]

And we've seen a lot of that in our health science cohorts. So our nursing, dental hygiene and CNA programs.

[C]

CNA is certified nursing assistant. I looked it up. Tim says some of that is people who feel underemployed and are looking for better paying professions.

[G]

But we've also seen a lot of students being in jobs that weren't fulfilling for them and wanting to kind of come back to a career and find a space that is meaningful for them in some way.

[B]

And then there are some students who are going back to school for both economic and emotional reasons, like William Lightsman. He's 39 years old, taught English in South Korea for 15 years, and he was looking for a big change.

[D]

I looked this up and it was like nursing is one of the top fields. So I just thought, this seems smart. Okay? This seems logical. It feels right in my heart. And you know, honestly, an associate's degree is not that expensive.

[C]

William discovered that he could get a nursing degree, pass a test and become a registered nurse for $12,000 total. Very affordable, but not easy.

[D]

It's really hard. Nursing school is very, very difficult.

[B]

Plus William did have to get used to being an older student. Most of the students at Normandale Community College are under 25 and William was arriving in his upper 30s.

[D]

So I was a bit nervous, but honestly, everybody was really cool.

[C]

Did you get invited to the parties?

[D]

Yeah, some of them. I don't know if I got invited to all the parties.

[B]

Not the youngest.

[D]

There's probably some I didn't know about. Yeah.

[B]

This is giving me flashbacks of my college experience.

[C]

No, we totally didn't have parties without you, Adrian.

[D]

Okay.

[B]

All right.

[C]

We asked William why he thought more older workers are coming back to community college. He did mention AI and thought some of it might be workers seeking an automation proof job. But he also said that community college is just getting a better reputation these days and it's becoming harder to justify the expense of a four year college,

[D]

especially if you're trying to change careers. Let's say you have a mortgage or you're raising a family or something like this. I would imagine it's really hard to rationalize spending tens of thousands of dollars. I especially think nursing is becoming really hot right now. It's kind of like the new tech degree. People might not agree with that.

[B]

I think that's a solid take. I like it.

[C]

Me too. Congratulations again to the Minneapolis Fed and Eric Garcia Luna, who alerted us to the community college boom in Minnesota. Eric, you gave your disclaimer and I should give mine. My gratitude does indeed reflect the views of npr, the indicator and the listeners. Thanks so much.

[F]

Thank you. Thank you for making sure we repeated that disclaimer.

[B]

This episode was produced by Corey Bridges and Emma Ferrara and engineered by Jimmy Keeley. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez. Cait Concannon is our editor and the indicators of production of npr.

[H]

This message comes from Mint Mobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees and free perks, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop [e-mail] Switch taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. This message comes from NPR sponsor Charles Schwab with its original podcast on Investing. Each week you'll get thoughtful, in depth analysis of both the stock and the bond markets. Listen today and [e-mail] oninvesting or wherever you get your podcasts.