In the high-pressure hallways of many high schools, a persistent myth refuses to die. It is the idea that community college is effectively “13th grade”—a consolation prize for those who couldn’t get into a “selective” school, or a social dead end that looks “uncool” on a LinkedIn profile. While students stress over which prestige sticker to slap on their parents' SUV, and parents worry about the social optics of the local junior college, the corporate world is looking at a co