But even granting all of that, most students don't arrive at community college having already produced ample portfolios of work, just looking for a credential to certify what they've already done. Most show up unable to add fractions. Many bring with them long histories of spotty academic performance, undiagnosed learning disabilities, and self-defeating habits that never got corrected. These are not young Steve Jobs-es who are put upon by distribution requirements. Most need help not only in building academic skills, but in navigating the institutions and culture of the professional world.