What if you can’t afford it? What if you could afford the costs but can’t afford the time away from your current job and responsibilities? In such cases, there’s a great alternative to furthering your education. One can often increase their salary potential with a two-year degree or Associate’s Degree. This can even be done by going to school part-time at a local community college. This means there will be no need to travel or to give up your current job.

Associate’s Degree Jobs on the Rise

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs that require an Associate’s Degree are expected to see significant growth in the coming years. They are on course to see more job growth than even careers that require a higher educational degree. The average Associate’s Degree holder makes on average $14,631 more per year than those who only hold a High School Diploma. Their average yearly salary sits right at $49,132.

Not only will an Associate’s Degree lead to more pay, but it also opens up job opportunities that would be closed off to you with a lower level of education. An Associate’s Degree can be in a specific field to help you to break into a particular job or career path. It can also be a step on a longer road to furthering your education and career opportunities.

How Long Does it Take?

If you decide to study full-time, then it’s actually possible to get an Associate’s Degree in one year. This will require a lot of work and dedication. Most full-time students require closer to two years for completion of an Associate’s Degree. This is an excellent option for those who know what they want to do. It will allow students to get right into their careers and out into the workforce years ahead of many of their peers.

For those who already work, it can be tough to do school at the same time, but ultimately it will be worth it. It is now possible to do much or even all of your college coursework remotely from home. This allows even more freedom and flexibility for those who can’t really go to school full-time at this point in their lives.

Comparing Costs of Tuition

As of 2018, the average yearly cost of tuition at a four-year private school was $34,740. Public schools came in at a significantly lower cost of just $9,970 per year. Smaller community colleges and online schools may even offer lower costs. With these basic numbers, it’s easy to see how one to two years for an Associate’s Degree can be significantly cheaper than a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree.

It’s important to note that credits from an Associate’s Degree can often be applied to a Bachelor’s Degree later on. This is important for those who need to get into the workforce now but who also may want to further their education later. Even for those who have no plans to do so, life can always take interesting turns. Your chosen career path may present further opportunities with an even higher level of education, causing you to work for that higher degree years down the road.

Examples of Jobs for Associate’s Degrees

For those who aren’t sure what they want to do yet, here is a shortlist of some jobs you can get with an Associate’s Degree. To the right of the career name, it will list the average yearly salary of this position. This will hopefully give you an idea of the possibilities of furthering your education.

• Air Traffic Controller – $130,420 per year
• Information Systems Security Technician – $96,917 per year
• Biomedical Technician – $88,550 per year
• Fashion Designer – $87,610 per year
• Dental Hygienist – $75,500 per year
• Computer Forensics Specialist – $72,869 per year
• Cardiovascular Technologist – $58,730 per year
• Mechanical Drafter – $58,150 per year
• Physical Therapist Assistant – $57,750 per year
• Radiologic Technologist – $61,540 per year

As you can see, there are a wide variety of career paths that will open up to you with just two additional years of education. The Associate’s Degree can be a path to bigger and better things in life. It can increase your pay potential and open up even more doors further down the road. If it’s feasible for you to do so, getting an Associate’s Degree will undoubtedly be worth it.

Benefits of an Associate’s Degree

The benefit of a two-year degree, as mentioned, is that it will cost less and take less time to achieve. Two-year degrees can often be obtained at local community colleges too. This may be preferable for those who don’t wish to travel far or move away for two or more years. Therefore, if you know exactly what you want to do, and it can be done with an Associate’s Degree, then this can be a great option.

Advantages from Bachelor’s Degrees

Even if one doesn’t need a Bachelor’s Degree to break into their chosen career field, it may still be helpful. This is especially true if there’s a lot of competition for your desired job. The more education you get, the more attractive you will be to potential employers. There may also be more opportunities for advancement for those with a four-year degree, even if you can get in at an entry-level with a two-year degree.

The most significant benefit of the extra two years of time and studying is the increase in potential pay that a Bachelor’s Degree brings. In the U.S., the average yearly salary for someone with a two-year degree is $46,126. The average annual salary for those with a four-year degree is $64,896. That’s a significant jump in earning potential. In addition, the number of career paths that will be opened to you is immense when you go for the higher-level degree as well.

Types of Jobs You Can Expect

Associate’s Degrees are often technical degrees or occupation degrees. They are designed for specific jobs or job types. Courses will typically be focused specifically on the job and the skills you will need to be successful. Students will usually still be completing general studies during these two years. Credits earned towards an Associate’s Degree can often be applied to a Bachelor’s Degree. This is useful if you wish to go back and get a higher education later while jumping into the workforce right away.

A Bachelor’s Degree opens up whole fields of career paths to choose from. Fields such as healthcare, chemistry, science, and mathematics often require a four-year degree to break into. Most four-year degrees require a minimum of 120 credit hours to obtain. A Bachelor’s Degree often requires even more general education classes than an Associate’s Degree. These courses will include studies in English, math, science, history, and more.

Choosing the Right College Experience

If school isn’t your strong suit and you know what you want to be, then the two-year degree can serve you well. If you choose a field such as cyber security, for instance, this typically only requires an Associate’s Degree. This will allow you to get right into the workforce and build experience. Experience can significantly increase your earning potential, sometimes as much or more so than the extra education.

On the other hand, there really is no option if you want to be a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or engineer. You’re going to need that Bachelor’s Degree at a minimum, and usually, you will need more education after you achieve that degree for some of those professions. It may seem like a lot of extra work, time, and money, but it really will pay off in the end. You will end up with a successful job, a set of skills that will mean job security and higher pay over your lifetime.

Consider Your Budget and Other Factors

There’s another angle to consider when deciding whether to go for a two or four-year degree. Some young, potential students will simply be on a tighter budget. Getting a two-year degree will cost much less, and as previously stated, it can be done at a nearby community college. These institutions often have much lower tuition too. By getting a two-year degree, the student can move into the workforce, earn more than someone without a degree, and potentially save up for further education down the road.

Whether you decide on a two-year degree or a four-year degree, the importance of further education after high school cannot be overstated. Just like the wage jump for those who get a four-year degree over those with a two-year degree, there’s also a significant increase in earning potential for those with an Associate’s Degree over those who only have a high-school diploma or GED equivalent. The average high-school grad with no further education only makes $38,792 per year, on average.

Many of those jobs have evaporated due to outsourcing work to cheaper employees overseas or because advanced technologies have eliminated lots of job positions at the entry-level.

The Job Competition Is Fierce, & Higher-Paying Jobs Require Degrees

There are two schools of thought right now in the workforce. Some job experts believe high-school students should get more vocational training to enter various trades like plumbers, welders, automotive repair technicians, and so forth.

Other job specialists caution that job competition today is fierce, and this trend is likely to continue for many years into the future.

These job experts strongly urge individuals to get a college degree in a field that is expected to need more degreed job candidates. The higher-paying job positions are more likely to require a college education.

However, it is essential to study the future predictions on the job market & job competition before making your final degree decision.

Choose a College Degree Program That Meets Future Job Position Requirements

Many college students make the mistake of not homing in on one area of study focus. Making your educational background too vague could lower your chances of landing that dream job after your educational training is complete.

While the job competition is going to be tough for most entry-level decent-paying job positions, the true moneymaking jobs are more apt to require higher and more specialized degrees.

What Types of Jobs Can One Get with an Associate Degree?

Some individuals do not have the time, money, or motivation to attend a traditional 4-year degree program at the college of their choice. Many people are unaware that they can find good-paying jobs with an 18 month to a 2-year associate degree.

Some of these jobs include:

• Air Traffic Controller – $132, 000+
• Biomedical Technician – $90,000
• Radiation Therapist – $88,000+
• Information Systems Security Technician – $98,000
• Fashion Design Artist – $90,000+

Other job positions requiring an associate’s degree include court reporters, some registered nurse programs, data scientists, robotics engineers, and cybersecurity specialists, and many others. Healthcare-related jobs are also expected to increase job positions over the next several decades.

Consider These Additional Jobs Requiring a Degree Expected to Rise

If you wish to work in the healthcare arena but want more autonomy than most nurses and are not interested in pursuing a medical degree, then pursuing your physician assistant or nurse practitioner degree training may be ideal for you. Both of these job positions start out at around $110,000 to $113,000, with most making more on average.

Go for a Higher Degree if Planning to Land Leadership Jobs

It is wise to determine if you will want to pursue leadership job positions in your chosen study field. If so, it is usually best to pursue a higher degree. A bachelor’s degree may get you in the door, but a master’s degree typically nets the highest-ranking jobs.