It’s not exactly stigma, but there is some reality there, in that adults who are not pursuing degrees are prevalent at various community colleges. Somewhat similar to “party schools” - there are many students who do well after getting a “party school” degree, but darn straight there are kids who go there to party and are surprised if they graduate. I would definitely say the proportion of serious students is less at the community colleges I have taught at. That’s why I would suggest that any student with an excellent HS record should look at honors programs at community colleges, of which many are springing up.
Here is some info on community colleges:
https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/Community-College-FAQs.html
What I especially appreciate is how difficult it is for transfer students at the four-year college I work at. That is one reason to go to a four-year college initially - for some students, they need the time to fit in and make the most of their degree.
Conversely, I’ve been looking at job ads and there are quite a few for project management and lab technicians that only require a two-year degree. In that sense, if you can find a two-year college that is affiliated with major corporations, you can really do well without a four-year degree - make the company pay for the other two years!