Exhibit 24

POWER OF ATTORNEY

Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and
appoints each of Janice L. Block and Patrick K. Pesch, signing singly,
the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:

(1)	prepare, execute in the undersigned's name and on the undersigned's
behalf, and submit to the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission a Form ID, including amendments thereto, and any other
documents necessary or appropriate to obtain codes, passwords, and
passphrases enabling the undersigned to make electronic filings with the
SEC of reports required by Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended, or any rule or regulation of the SEC;

(2)	execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's
capacity as an officer and/or director of Career Education Corporation
("CEC"), Forms 4 and 5 in accordance with Section 16(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules thereunder;

(3)	do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the undersigned
which may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute any such Form
4 or 5, complete and execute any amendment or amendments thereto, and
file such form with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
and any stock exchange or similar authority; and

(4)	take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the
foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of
benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally required by, the
undersigned, it being understood that the documents executed by such
attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this Power of
Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain such terms and
conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in such attorney-in-
fact's discretion.

	The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full
power and authority to do and perform any and every act and thing
whatsoever requisite, necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of
any of the rights and powers herein granted, as fully to all intents and
purposes as the undersigned might or could do if personally present, with
full power of substitution or revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming
all that such attorney-in-fact, or such attorney-in-fact's substitute or
substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of this
power of attorney and the rights and powers herein granted.  The
undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing attorneys-in-fact, in serving
in such capacity at the request of the undersigned, are not assuming any
of the undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

	This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until
the undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 4 and 5 with respect
to the undersigned's holdings of, and transactions in, CEC securities,
unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing delivered
to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to
be executed as of this 28th day of  December, 2005.

/s/ Patrick W. Gross
Signature

Patrick W. Gross
Print Name