This is true. Community Colleges can be a great tool if you know how to use them. The best value is to go two years to a community college that has automatic acceptance to a 4 year state school. You then get to finish your degree at what may be a fairly prestigious state school.

The other way to use Community Colleges is to focus on something that has a very specific certification or outcome just by finishing the certificate or degree program.

An associates degree from a community college by itself has minimal value.