Fay graduated from Porter Ridge in 2008. He chose SPCC because many of his friends went to Central Piedmont Community College, and he didn't want distractions.

Fay registered for class the first day available, but tried to switch one later and couldn't because it was full.

RECOVERY
"Yes, the lines are long, and yes, the classes are full, but it's worth the wait to get in and get it done now before the jobs show up and you say, "Oh, so I need a degree,'" Gene Loflin, vice president of student learning, said.

The economy is slowly recovering from a major slump. Reports project a two-year economic turnaround, he said.

"The key to it turning around is having qualified individuals who are trained and ready to take the jobs when they pop in or when a company shows up," Loflin said.

Chris Stewart didn't go to college after high school. He helped with the family business until it closed, then found a job as a shipping clerk until that position, too, dissolved.

"I was 42 years old," Stewart said. "I didn't know what I was going to do."

Through the Workforce Investment Act, Stewart's two-year education at SPCC is paid for. He studies human services and, as a recovering alcoholic, wants to counsel teens through their own addictions. He already has his foot in the door with some volunteer and intern work.

"Those folks who were optimistic when things went awry in 2008 now are saying, "Well, it doesn't look like it's going to be looking any better soon, so I might as well ... go back to school for when it does turn around,'" Loflin said.

CROWDS
Union County Early College students also meet at SPCC, about 500 on each campus, John DeVitto, vice president of finance and administrative services, said.

"Classroom space is chock-a-block full," DeVitto said. Monroe has six trailers, five with two classrooms each, and a modular unit in Polkton that holds three classes, offices and bathrooms.

Science classes are some of the fullest.

"I can't just decide tomorrow to add a biology class and then go to a classroom and say, "Presto, science lab,'" Loflin said.

SPCC would like to eliminate the waiting lists, but needs the facilities and materials first.

The school hired eight full-time instructors and some adjunct professors this year, Loflin said. It was a challenge to find qualified math and science professors, especially for daytime slots, he said.

Some classes hold 10 students, others 35, but 20 is an average. Many are at maximum capacity.

The school could add more evening slots, McKay said, but most students need daytime courses to accommodate work and child care.

Nicole Boyle graduated from Parkwood in 2008 and went to the University of Greensboro. No one taught her how to study, she said, and her grades suffered.

SPCC students don't always get much face time with professors, she said, but the professors at least know their names and hold regular office hours. It was SPCC professors who taught her good study habits.

Boyle also takes online medical classes to avoid interfering with her work schedule.

"The economic decline has inspired people ... to reinvent and retool themselves," Stuart Wasilowski, vice president of Workforce Development and Continuing Education, said.

SPCC is already expanding mechatronics, industrial maintenance and machining operations, Wasilowski said, so students can better serve local businesses.

It's also cheaper to attend SPCC before a four-year university, Fay said.

Stewart plans to transfer to East Carolina University and graduate with his daughter.

"I know that both counties are giving us all that they can," DeVitto said, "but we need more space, especially in Monroe."