What state are you in? A lot of community colleges have "articulation agreements" or "guaranteed admissions agreements" with nearby public universities that give you guaranteed transfer admission if you meet the requirements. You may be able to transfer more of those credits than you think if you jump through the right hoops.
Indeed, if you live in a state that has this, it's the bargain of the century. I live in Wisconsin, and the community colleges are coordinated with the state university system.
Also, the CoCo's are really focused on teaching and helping people get an education and make it affordable. The advisers are trying to make it work for you. The teachers are unionized, so it's a sustainable career, and teaching is their top priority. I've known three of those teachers, in electronics, math, and programming, and they were all happy with their jobs. That makes a big difference.
The CoCo's also have trade school programs and 2 year degrees that are not designed for college transfer, but the advisors are there to help you figure out what you want, and what classes you need to take.
Now this is just my personal political take, but I think our society and the press should take a hiatus from devoting such exclusive attention on the "elite" universities, and instead, focus on supporting and broadening the public college and university systems.