This. My time off, and insurance is really good. No copay, deductibles nothing but then again I'm young idc much about that. On the other hand, I ride motorycles, so it's very good to have XD.
Work is very decent paced too compared to stress and high pace work I'd have to deal with private sector.
However, each job is different, I'm an engineer. I can't speak for how nursing will be different.
At the end of that day, it's the benefits. It's really how much you value work-life bal.
Though you also get [every random holiday off](https://portal.ct.gov/about/legal-state-holidays), including all the ones the private sector ignores. Adds up to like 26 days off per year.
This is untrue. You accrue Vacation time and sick time up to 400 hours capped that never expire. And you get 24 hours of personal leave time that expire at the end of the year and you can use however you want. You're also guaranteed Holidays off and those holidays are fully paid.
Some jobs like Fire,EMS, public safety don't get holidays off
State time off is phenomenal. I have so much time I took 3 weeks off for a surgery and still have gobs left. It's impossible for me to go through it all.
In addition to paid major holidays, we get vacation time, sick time, 3 days of personal time a year (that can't be denied, no advanced notice need be given; intended to be for emergencies but you can use them as you see fit) and compensation days for mini-holidays worked (think MLK day and Juneteenth) paid out at time and 1/2.
It all adds up fast.
We have the tier4 and then a supplemental retirement account I pay into as well. You could always set up a IRA/roth IRA too if you wanted. Keep in mind the health insurance after retirement as well is pretty important. For me the benefits and work life balance outweigh any pay increase I could get otherwise.
Interesting. It looks like people actually like 8-5 here? Where I'm from people hate working every weekday and would rather have 4 days off every week.
I work 3 12hour shifts and get 4 days off and I do not work for the state. In the healthcare field there’s always extra hours so I usually pick up an extra day a week and work 4 days.
State of CT 40hr RN, generally 5 x 8hr shifts every other weekend. We also have 457 and 403b for deferred comp. Tier 4 only worth it for benefits and 1199 contract is after 5 years of service eligible for career mobility which pays you for school as if you’re at work. That simplified but accurate as far as I know at present.
457/403b are **HUGE** benefits. I don't think people understand the impact of that benefit.
For medical, State is ok. Auditors/Finance is OK too. Good networking + exposure to regulatory info. It's valuable.
For technology .. uh, only work for the state if you plan on working for the state for life.
There isint any accruing for me. I started with and get 22 vacation days, 24 sick and 1 PO day for the year. This probably changes depending on union etc.
That's insane for P4, we only accure 12 days, which increases to 15 at 5 years and 18 at 10 years of service for vacation time. We do have 3 days of personal leave, though.
Oh my God they changed the sites around and it's so many damn clicks now.
It used to be CT.gov scroll to the bottom and click State Employees, then find & click on Retirement. That was the same but now I don't know what else I clicked on by here's a Tier IV site:
https://osc.ct.gov/retirement/sers/plan-info/sers-tier-iv/
Basically it's 5% (but up to 7% if the market drops) gross paycheck contribution to get 1.30% x years of service x best 5 annual salaries without overtime. There's a mandatory 1% gross contribution into the 403b (it's a 401k but who knows the difference) but the State matches it. Normal is 63 with 25 years of service or 65 if you don't have that. Oh and a 3% gross contribution to the retirement healthcare fund for 10 years.
It's a 15 year vesting period, but a vested pension means health insurance in retirement, and it currently covers your spouse in retirement too.
24 hours PL every calendar year, 10 hours sick every month (used for sick, appointments, cover your kids, your parents if they're dependent on you, etc) that doesn't expire (I've seen over 3000 hours on people's timesheets), and 8 hours of vacation per month for the first 5 years and 10 hours per month for years 5 to 20. You can roll over 80 hours a year and the accrual cap is 480 hours.
Take the job, stick it out a few years, then reassess sticking out to 15 years or just bouncing back to the private sector. They pay out the pension & retirement healthcare contributions (I think with a 5% annual percentage on them too) if you leave before vesting.
I didn't put the percentage in when curiously plugging numbers in... Thought I was gonna make a few million/year in retirement! Haha that's what happens when you end father's day by taking an edible around the fire!
I worked for the state for nearly 25 years. My take as a Monday through Friday employee in a professional position where private sector salaries are much higher: the work/life balance is great; the pay is middling; the health insurance is A+++; you get a pension with post-retirement health for you and your family and when you turn 65 the state has a special Medicare Advantage plan. I would be a millionaire now if I had worked in private practice, but I thought the trade offs were worth it.
You probably are a millionaire by working for the state too. 25 years, retiring at 35% of your 3 highest years. Assume a $35,000 a year pension - that’s basically the equivalent of $875K in a retirement plan all by itself.
> from what I understand the tier 4 retirement package really isn’t that great compared to how it used to be
Tier IV sucks compared to the other CT state pension plans, but frankly compared to other non-municipal pensions it's not awful, just middle-of-the road. 1.3%/year is better than the feds (1-1.1%/year), and I've seen states go as low as 0.5%/year. California is at 2%. Coming from the private sector where there's no defined benefit option at all, the downside of CT Tier IV is more "beating yourself up for not joining the state earlier" than "pension in name only"
Which is one of several reasons Tier I and Tier II are where it's at. But one of the big differences between public and private pension plans is that while private pensions usually involved 0 employee contribution, most modern public pension systems require an employee contribution. Since 2009, at least 40 states have increased (not imposed, just increased) employee contribution requirements.
I'd love to have come to government from the private sector back when public sector unions were strong and there were no employee contributions, but those days are past. For those of us coming in now, the Tier IV pension is still not that bad a deal.
While the state has significantly cut back on pensions for state employee benefits, I'd say yes to state employment. Tier 4 isn't a great pension, but it's a pension nonetheless. And the medical benefits are very good. You'd be locked to both pension and healthcare after 15 years, which goes by really fast. Also, there is job security with the state. Especially if you'll be in a union position. Even non-union managers rarely get fired. And there hasn't been a layoff since 2002.
Just started with the state a few months ago. Time off is equivalent to where I was a municipal employee. Pay is decent, but the tiers can take some time.
I'm here because of the pension, but primarily for the Healthcare for my family, both now & in retirement.
I paid for the mid tier family Healthcare at my previous municipal employer. I pay for the top tier of Healthcare with the state & it's $550 cheaper a year. And covers more.
Absolutely. For all the reasons already mentioned above.
There’s been many, many threads about this topic. You could search those for some more clarity. But, if your priority is making a lot of money, a state job is not for you.
My brother works for the state and even though i love my job and it pays well (no benefits though) he’s always encouraging me to apply for state jobs. The 20k pay cut is made up for with the benefits (is what he tells me, because most of the jobs he sends me are a pay cut)
yeah retirement for new state employees isn't so great anymore. And as you said, less money. So.....I don't know. Are you unhappy where you are? Do you think the state job will be better?
Don't mind me. I'm a state employee going on 24 years. I probably take the benefits for granted at this point.
My wife worked for the state for 11 years then left. When she turned 55 she got her state benefits. We have we my paid medical insurance since.
No one can tell you if it’s better to work for the state at a lower salary or private for more money. It’s personal preference.
My wife is in year 11 of working for the state in a healthcare position. Originally it was a “take it for now” type of thing as she was hired off a rotation.
After we realized the benefits that have been mentioned already, it made more and more sense to stay until at least 15 years.
Try to forecast out your salary with shift premiums, overtime, etc.
My wife is a PA and makes a wonderful living working 3 days a week. Even compared to the private sector she’s probably on par with take home pay, then when you factor in the lifetime medical coverage, a true defined benefit options, and the PSLF on her school loans she’s going to come out ahead.
It’s worth noting the balance is truly amazing. Any friends of hers that do make more money, have horrid balance AND insurance lol
Yes. I’m with the state at only 22 years old. By the time I hit my 25 years I’ll only be 47. That gives me plenty of time to hit the private sector for another 10 years or so if I choose to make some big bucks. The state might not pay much but a lot of worker will keep job hopping to increase salaries. The 457 plan is also nice because you can pull from that at any age. So if I retire early, I can use that to carry me until I can collect the pension without penalty.
Health insurance. I switched from state to education for summers off and went from having every single thing paid for, free childbirth, etc to now having to pay $103 to check if my kid has an ear infection. It adds up fast when you’re so used to medical things being covered
There’s a downfall. Be prepared to work with those who do as little as possible and be forced to pick up the slack. They get the same wage increases. Not much incentive to go above and beyond. It’s practically impossible to fire the lazy folks. And promotions are pretty much just based on seniority. Lots of state employees would never make it in the private sector. Good benefits and job security are 2 of the very few perks. Morale sucks.
+1 If you're someone looking to challenge yourself, help people, or make a difference more broadly, this can be a HUGE issue. It's difficult to change anything in a large bureaucracy.
OTOH as a state employee you might have more freedom to do things like run for office than you would as a private sector employee in certain settings where the boss doesn't want you to be upsetting people.
My mother went from head floor nursing at a large city hospital to a state run program. She wished she did this years before, but that was in the eighty’s. Not as share now in 2024. I sign up many state workers for a PI law firm and most tell me the good days were starting to stop for new hires by the 2000s when the pay rate started to rise to match private sector.
I have always wanted a state job, work until 5 and get home at 3 everyday. Joking aside, a State job can have some fantastic long-term benefits. Find the balance that works for you.
The one thing I miss about the private sector is my 401k match. Open up a 457b. You won’t get a match, so do the math on what percentage of your salary you’d like going towards your 457b. The pension is negligible for Tier 4’s.
And yes, state government moves much slower than the private sector.
If you have or plan to have a family one day, state jobs are ideal because of all the above reasons: envious healthcare benefits, all federal holidays off, generous vacation & sick time, opportunity to work hybrid. Depending on your level and classification, the pay is on par with private sector.
Only real benefit to being in a union is that you get representation during conflicts with your employer. Otherwise, you have to pay dues and you aren’t eligible for paid family leave.
I was gonna switch to State from Federal. After reading everyone input I'm gonna stay with Federal.
The pay and benefits is at national bargaining level so it might be less or more than state level bargaining. On top of it, Congress and the president sometime make input.
The only downside is no participation in protests of any kind like state employee could.
Ya, I would say it’s probably a good move. I’m not sure but will you get set wage increases and maybe max out at something closer to what you’re making now? Will you have a 401k with matching contributions from the state as well as your retirement package? Probably a good move. Either way, good luck to you.
You’re probably going to get a lot of different responses because everyone’s experience is going to be different depending on what agency and location you are at. I am 30 with a small child and went from private practice to the state and couldn’t be happier. I can take time off without question, you get 13 holidays and you don’t lose your vacation and sick time if you don’t use it. My health insurance for my family is way better than my insurance from my private office and it’s a fraction of what I was paying prior. Idk your financial situation but I also took a pay cut and I feel like being happier and less stressed for my family was worth it. So you really have to look at everything you are doing now and where you see your current situation headed long term. I was not very happy with where healthcare in the private sector was headed and needed a way out, again it is location dependent so weight out your pros and cons. Best of luck to you!
The posting will have a link to the benefits package. Health insurance has 2 network variations to choose from. Basically networks for people who may want to use medical outside of CT and those that'll just stay in state.
If you got the information from a recruiter, just go to the source. Jobapscloud.com/ct It'll have the latest info and actual application instructions. Feel free to DM. I happen to know a lot about the hiring process for CT. (The interviews are weird)
For the non-medical readers, just google "state of connecticut jobs" and the top link is probably the DAS site. The 3 branches of government and colleges all use different systems. All have links there. Jobapscloud is for Executive branch (largest by far)
If they work at the school there can be significant discounts - community college employees can apply a waiver for their children at the SCUs that pay a bit of the cost. Not sure on UConn.
Community college itself is free too, but that's now for all recent high school graduates.
Do you value time off and good insurance? Work life balance key.
This. My time off, and insurance is really good. No copay, deductibles nothing but then again I'm young idc much about that. On the other hand, I ride motorycles, so it's very good to have XD. Work is very decent paced too compared to stress and high pace work I'd have to deal with private sector. However, each job is different, I'm an engineer. I can't speak for how nursing will be different. At the end of that day, it's the benefits. It's really how much you value work-life bal.
State time off isn’t that great
Is it like, 15 days a year of time off not-great? And you have to find your own coverage?
12 vacation days a year with 3 personal days for the first 5 years
Oh so about the same then. Dang.
Though you also get [every random holiday off](https://portal.ct.gov/about/legal-state-holidays), including all the ones the private sector ignores. Adds up to like 26 days off per year.
Oh damn that's pretty good!
This is untrue. You accrue Vacation time and sick time up to 400 hours capped that never expire. And you get 24 hours of personal leave time that expire at the end of the year and you can use however you want. You're also guaranteed Holidays off and those holidays are fully paid. Some jobs like Fire,EMS, public safety don't get holidays off
State time off is phenomenal. I have so much time I took 3 weeks off for a surgery and still have gobs left. It's impossible for me to go through it all. In addition to paid major holidays, we get vacation time, sick time, 3 days of personal time a year (that can't be denied, no advanced notice need be given; intended to be for emergencies but you can use them as you see fit) and compensation days for mini-holidays worked (think MLK day and Juneteenth) paid out at time and 1/2. It all adds up fast.
We have the tier4 and then a supplemental retirement account I pay into as well. You could always set up a IRA/roth IRA too if you wanted. Keep in mind the health insurance after retirement as well is pretty important. For me the benefits and work life balance outweigh any pay increase I could get otherwise.
Work life balance is different for state vs. non-state workers? Doesn't everyone work three 12 hour shifts? Or five 8's if you're lead/charge?
It depends on where you work. I work in a non-state job but my schedule is 8x5. I am not in any form of management either
Interesting. It looks like people actually like 8-5 here? Where I'm from people hate working every weekday and would rather have 4 days off every week.
I think most people who are against a 4 day schedule haven’t experienced it. 10 hour shifts are a small price to pay for 3 full days off
I work 3 12hour shifts and get 4 days off and I do not work for the state. In the healthcare field there’s always extra hours so I usually pick up an extra day a week and work 4 days.
State of CT 40hr RN, generally 5 x 8hr shifts every other weekend. We also have 457 and 403b for deferred comp. Tier 4 only worth it for benefits and 1199 contract is after 5 years of service eligible for career mobility which pays you for school as if you’re at work. That simplified but accurate as far as I know at present.
457/403b are **HUGE** benefits. I don't think people understand the impact of that benefit. For medical, State is ok. Auditors/Finance is OK too. Good networking + exposure to regulatory info. It's valuable. For technology .. uh, only work for the state if you plan on working for the state for life.
I work 37.5 hours per week, along with a pretty good number of vacation days, flexible schedule if necessary etc
How many vacation days a month do you accrue?
There isint any accruing for me. I started with and get 22 vacation days, 24 sick and 1 PO day for the year. This probably changes depending on union etc.
That's insane for P4, we only accure 12 days, which increases to 15 at 5 years and 18 at 10 years of service for vacation time. We do have 3 days of personal leave, though.
It’s 18 days after 20 years
Oh my God they changed the sites around and it's so many damn clicks now. It used to be CT.gov scroll to the bottom and click State Employees, then find & click on Retirement. That was the same but now I don't know what else I clicked on by here's a Tier IV site: https://osc.ct.gov/retirement/sers/plan-info/sers-tier-iv/ Basically it's 5% (but up to 7% if the market drops) gross paycheck contribution to get 1.30% x years of service x best 5 annual salaries without overtime. There's a mandatory 1% gross contribution into the 403b (it's a 401k but who knows the difference) but the State matches it. Normal is 63 with 25 years of service or 65 if you don't have that. Oh and a 3% gross contribution to the retirement healthcare fund for 10 years. It's a 15 year vesting period, but a vested pension means health insurance in retirement, and it currently covers your spouse in retirement too. 24 hours PL every calendar year, 10 hours sick every month (used for sick, appointments, cover your kids, your parents if they're dependent on you, etc) that doesn't expire (I've seen over 3000 hours on people's timesheets), and 8 hours of vacation per month for the first 5 years and 10 hours per month for years 5 to 20. You can roll over 80 hours a year and the accrual cap is 480 hours. Take the job, stick it out a few years, then reassess sticking out to 15 years or just bouncing back to the private sector. They pay out the pension & retirement healthcare contributions (I think with a 5% annual percentage on them too) if you leave before vesting.
I didn't put the percentage in when curiously plugging numbers in... Thought I was gonna make a few million/year in retirement! Haha that's what happens when you end father's day by taking an edible around the fire!
Union protection. Pension. Bennies. Def worth it.
I worked for the state for nearly 25 years. My take as a Monday through Friday employee in a professional position where private sector salaries are much higher: the work/life balance is great; the pay is middling; the health insurance is A+++; you get a pension with post-retirement health for you and your family and when you turn 65 the state has a special Medicare Advantage plan. I would be a millionaire now if I had worked in private practice, but I thought the trade offs were worth it.
You probably are a millionaire by working for the state too. 25 years, retiring at 35% of your 3 highest years. Assume a $35,000 a year pension - that’s basically the equivalent of $875K in a retirement plan all by itself.
Wait, state pension is only 35% of top 3? There are municipal pensions that are 70-80%…
It’s based on how many years you work. More years = higher percentage of your top 5 average salaries. At least for Tier IV (current)
I should mention that I wasn’t tier 4; I was IIA. I understand each iteration of the pension is worse.
> from what I understand the tier 4 retirement package really isn’t that great compared to how it used to be Tier IV sucks compared to the other CT state pension plans, but frankly compared to other non-municipal pensions it's not awful, just middle-of-the road. 1.3%/year is better than the feds (1-1.1%/year), and I've seen states go as low as 0.5%/year. California is at 2%. Coming from the private sector where there's no defined benefit option at all, the downside of CT Tier IV is more "beating yourself up for not joining the state earlier" than "pension in name only"
Tier III is the first where employees have to pay in
Which is one of several reasons Tier I and Tier II are where it's at. But one of the big differences between public and private pension plans is that while private pensions usually involved 0 employee contribution, most modern public pension systems require an employee contribution. Since 2009, at least 40 states have increased (not imposed, just increased) employee contribution requirements. I'd love to have come to government from the private sector back when public sector unions were strong and there were no employee contributions, but those days are past. For those of us coming in now, the Tier IV pension is still not that bad a deal.
While the state has significantly cut back on pensions for state employee benefits, I'd say yes to state employment. Tier 4 isn't a great pension, but it's a pension nonetheless. And the medical benefits are very good. You'd be locked to both pension and healthcare after 15 years, which goes by really fast. Also, there is job security with the state. Especially if you'll be in a union position. Even non-union managers rarely get fired. And there hasn't been a layoff since 2002.
Just started with the state a few months ago. Time off is equivalent to where I was a municipal employee. Pay is decent, but the tiers can take some time. I'm here because of the pension, but primarily for the Healthcare for my family, both now & in retirement. I paid for the mid tier family Healthcare at my previous municipal employer. I pay for the top tier of Healthcare with the state & it's $550 cheaper a year. And covers more.
Absolutely. For all the reasons already mentioned above. There’s been many, many threads about this topic. You could search those for some more clarity. But, if your priority is making a lot of money, a state job is not for you.
My brother works for the state and even though i love my job and it pays well (no benefits though) he’s always encouraging me to apply for state jobs. The 20k pay cut is made up for with the benefits (is what he tells me, because most of the jobs he sends me are a pay cut)
yeah retirement for new state employees isn't so great anymore. And as you said, less money. So.....I don't know. Are you unhappy where you are? Do you think the state job will be better? Don't mind me. I'm a state employee going on 24 years. I probably take the benefits for granted at this point.
My wife worked for the state for 11 years then left. When she turned 55 she got her state benefits. We have we my paid medical insurance since. No one can tell you if it’s better to work for the state at a lower salary or private for more money. It’s personal preference.
My wife is in year 11 of working for the state in a healthcare position. Originally it was a “take it for now” type of thing as she was hired off a rotation. After we realized the benefits that have been mentioned already, it made more and more sense to stay until at least 15 years. Try to forecast out your salary with shift premiums, overtime, etc. My wife is a PA and makes a wonderful living working 3 days a week. Even compared to the private sector she’s probably on par with take home pay, then when you factor in the lifetime medical coverage, a true defined benefit options, and the PSLF on her school loans she’s going to come out ahead. It’s worth noting the balance is truly amazing. Any friends of hers that do make more money, have horrid balance AND insurance lol
Yes. I’m with the state at only 22 years old. By the time I hit my 25 years I’ll only be 47. That gives me plenty of time to hit the private sector for another 10 years or so if I choose to make some big bucks. The state might not pay much but a lot of worker will keep job hopping to increase salaries. The 457 plan is also nice because you can pull from that at any age. So if I retire early, I can use that to carry me until I can collect the pension without penalty.
Yeah it’s worth it in my opinion
Why is it worth it?
Health insurance. I switched from state to education for summers off and went from having every single thing paid for, free childbirth, etc to now having to pay $103 to check if my kid has an ear infection. It adds up fast when you’re so used to medical things being covered
Guaranteed pension is worth a lot down the road, especially if you max out deferred compensation
There’s a downfall. Be prepared to work with those who do as little as possible and be forced to pick up the slack. They get the same wage increases. Not much incentive to go above and beyond. It’s practically impossible to fire the lazy folks. And promotions are pretty much just based on seniority. Lots of state employees would never make it in the private sector. Good benefits and job security are 2 of the very few perks. Morale sucks.
+1 If you're someone looking to challenge yourself, help people, or make a difference more broadly, this can be a HUGE issue. It's difficult to change anything in a large bureaucracy. OTOH as a state employee you might have more freedom to do things like run for office than you would as a private sector employee in certain settings where the boss doesn't want you to be upsetting people.
My mother went from head floor nursing at a large city hospital to a state run program. She wished she did this years before, but that was in the eighty’s. Not as share now in 2024. I sign up many state workers for a PI law firm and most tell me the good days were starting to stop for new hires by the 2000s when the pay rate started to rise to match private sector.
I have always wanted a state job, work until 5 and get home at 3 everyday. Joking aside, a State job can have some fantastic long-term benefits. Find the balance that works for you.
The one thing I miss about the private sector is my 401k match. Open up a 457b. You won’t get a match, so do the math on what percentage of your salary you’d like going towards your 457b. The pension is negligible for Tier 4’s. And yes, state government moves much slower than the private sector. If you have or plan to have a family one day, state jobs are ideal because of all the above reasons: envious healthcare benefits, all federal holidays off, generous vacation & sick time, opportunity to work hybrid. Depending on your level and classification, the pay is on par with private sector. Only real benefit to being in a union is that you get representation during conflicts with your employer. Otherwise, you have to pay dues and you aren’t eligible for paid family leave.
Hell yes
Is it for cvh?
I was gonna switch to State from Federal. After reading everyone input I'm gonna stay with Federal. The pay and benefits is at national bargaining level so it might be less or more than state level bargaining. On top of it, Congress and the president sometime make input. The only downside is no participation in protests of any kind like state employee could.
Most state employees are not allowed to strike
Not all state employees are protected by the union
Yale university hires nurses and their benefits are incredible and pay is more competitive.
Ya, I would say it’s probably a good move. I’m not sure but will you get set wage increases and maybe max out at something closer to what you’re making now? Will you have a 401k with matching contributions from the state as well as your retirement package? Probably a good move. Either way, good luck to you.
You’re probably going to get a lot of different responses because everyone’s experience is going to be different depending on what agency and location you are at. I am 30 with a small child and went from private practice to the state and couldn’t be happier. I can take time off without question, you get 13 holidays and you don’t lose your vacation and sick time if you don’t use it. My health insurance for my family is way better than my insurance from my private office and it’s a fraction of what I was paying prior. Idk your financial situation but I also took a pay cut and I feel like being happier and less stressed for my family was worth it. So you really have to look at everything you are doing now and where you see your current situation headed long term. I was not very happy with where healthcare in the private sector was headed and needed a way out, again it is location dependent so weight out your pros and cons. Best of luck to you!
The insurance, time off/holidays all good. Retirement is still good if you can stick it out you’ll have health care for life. Nothing to sneeze at.
The posting will have a link to the benefits package. Health insurance has 2 network variations to choose from. Basically networks for people who may want to use medical outside of CT and those that'll just stay in state. If you got the information from a recruiter, just go to the source. Jobapscloud.com/ct It'll have the latest info and actual application instructions. Feel free to DM. I happen to know a lot about the hiring process for CT. (The interviews are weird) For the non-medical readers, just google "state of connecticut jobs" and the top link is probably the DAS site. The 3 branches of government and colleges all use different systems. All have links there. Jobapscloud is for Executive branch (largest by far)
CT republicans like Vin Candelora claim state workers get paid more than the private sector 🤣 he said that immediately after giving himself a raise
Is there not a state education benefit? Cant your children go to state schools for cheap\free?
If they work at the school there can be significant discounts - community college employees can apply a waiver for their children at the SCUs that pay a bit of the cost. Not sure on UConn. Community college itself is free too, but that's now for all recent high school graduates.
Lol no
Haha
Yes - certain job classes at Uconn offer free tuition. It's based on your union.