Career in Medical Coding?

I've been thinking about signing up for an online Medical Coding training program at a local community college (Everett Community College). The program does not guarantee job placement and you still have to pass the CPC exam to become certified. I've heard that getting a medical coding job is somewhat difficult if you don't have any experience. I think I remember a few folks in this community saying that they work in the medical coding/transcribing field. Would you recommend signing up for a medical coding program through a communtiy college or just pay for the exam courses that are offered by AAPC? Can you give me some insight on finding a job after becomming certified? Did you have to work your way up in a hospital or did you do an internship to gain experience? I've also heard some horror stories about many insurance companies/hospitals outsourcing medical coding jobs, resulting in a lot of lay offs. What is your take on this?

Don't Know/Care: Are you currently in school? What are you studying? What type of job are you hoping to get after graduating?