Community colleges from coast to coast say classrooms are packed and enrollments are soaring with adults who have lost their jobs and need to learn new skills.  
Some private career colleges are seeing the same trend.  At the Kaplan Career Institute the head count has doubled.  Last year the school had 275 students, this year - more than 650.  NewsChannel 5 follows a mid-life mom, who got laid off from her factory job and decided to become a medical assistant. 
Career colleges offer practical, hands-on training in high-demand fields, with more flexible scheduling for people who are working.  They are usually more expensive than community colleges.  As the McClatchy News Service reports, you should thoroughly check out a for-profit school before investing $10,000 to $20,000 to enroll.