Volume 44, Issue 14. Today is
Associate’s degree: platform for future plans
Mesa Community College offers associate’s degree programs that could get a student’s foot in the door of desired jobs post-graduation. Many MCC students wonder if an associate’s degree enough, or if a bachelor’s degree would be more beneficial for job opportunities. Either way, receiving further education beyond high school is a benefit.
College graduates, on average, earn more than high school graduates. According to the Census Bureau, over an adult’s working life, high school graduates earn an average of $1.2 million; associate’s degree holders earn about $1.6 million; bachelor’s degree holders earn about $2.1 million. Because of the inclusion of personal transferable skills and general competencies, an AA degree makes the student more marketable and attractive to employers who often complain of excess specialization from upper secondary school through to university.
In addition, it serves to broaden, expand, and enrich the background of students regardless of their area of specialization. Careers in some of the most vibrant and growing fields today, such as healthcare, are available to those holding a two-year Associate of Applied Science degree. Two popular jobs requiring only an associate degree include physical therapist assistant and dental hygienist, which are projected to be among the top ten fastest-growing jobs in the next decade.
The demand for both occupations is expected to rise more than 40 percent by 2014. In 2004, earning an AA cost $8,839 less than earning a bachelor’s degree at a four year institution.
Grace Chen, a sophomore at MCC said she chose her degree program based on the fact that a community college costs much less than a four-year school. “I chose to go to a 2 year school mainly because it’s a lot cheaper. I’ll go beyond MCC to get my bachelors and maybe even a master’s degree. I want a better life style, a higher paying job, and I want to be more educated.”
MCC student Jaime Crim said, “If I receive an associate’s degree from MCC or not, I’m still going to transfer to a 4 year university. I want to further my studies in school and keep myself in boundaries,” said Crim. “I want to make the most of myself that I possibly can.”
It is more important where a student graduates from rather than where they start off. Students who enroll in a public, two-year college increase the likelihood of attending a four-year institution by 5 to 10 percent.