After studying at Greendale Community College for four years to get back to his law career, Jeff Winger wound up becoming a teacher in Community. The character, played by Joel McHale, served as one of the primary characters on Dan Harmon's NBC comedy. Jeff was one of the founding members of the study group, along with Annie, Shirley, Pierce, Troy, Abed, and Britta. Out of all the main figures, though, Jeff had evolved the most by the time the series ended.
Jeff was forced to enroll at Greendale after he was disbarred and suspended from his law firm due to faking his law degree. In order to get back to his old life as a defense attorney, Jeff had to get a real education. And while at Greendale, he met the study group who wound up becoming more like family. Even though Jeff was overconfident and a manipulator, his time at school gave him a new outlook on life.
By the end of Community season 4, Jeff obtained enough credits to graduate from Greendale. After all of that time wanting to leave the school, the leader of the study group had worries about leaving. Rather than take a job at his old firm, Jeff decided to look elsewhere to stay closer to his friends. A year later, Jeff's new law firm failed but he got a tip on a case against Greendale. While investigating, Jeff was reunited with some of his old pals. When Dean Pelton realized Jeff was in financial trouble, he offered the former graduate a chance to teach law at the school due to his degree in Education. Jeff reluctantly and surprisingly took the gig, remaining at the school he once hated for the longterm.
Jeff Became A Different Person After Attending Greendale
While Jeff's decision to stay at Greendale as a teacher may have come as a shock, it made sense considering how much he evolved as a person. When Jeff first enrolled, he was still a narcissist who would use anyone to get what he wanted. Jeff's only goal was to get out of Greendale as fast as possible to get back to his luxurious life as a big-time lawyer. That changed, however, when he met the study group and did some soul-searching. When Jeff graduated, he was no longer the same person he once was. He had compassion for others and actually cared about the fate of Greendale. Becoming a faculty member allowed Jeff to look out for the campus and its current students, in the way the campus did for him.
Not only did Jeff find out he belonged at Greendale, but it was also a useful plot device to reunite the main characters at the college. Greendale was the central setting of the series, so there needed to be a reason that Jeff returned. Upon getting a teaching gig, Jeff convinced the other members of the study group to re-enroll after initially leaving. This allowed Community to continue well after the characters should have obtained their degrees. It also played into Jeff's struggle in the final season when most of the study group left Greendale though he remained behind.