You were probably told growing up that it’s important to get a college education. That’s true, but getting an education isn’t as easy as it used to be.
College tuition costs have increased dramatically over the past few decades. In fact, they’re rising several times faster than the average wage.
This is causing potential students to ask a lot of questions about college and how they can manage it. Is an associate’s degree enough? What kind of benefits does a bachelor’s degree offer that an associate’s degree doesn’t?
We’ll talk more about the associate vs bachelor degree argument in the paragraphs below and help you decide which one works better for you. Keep reading to learn more!
Table of Contents
1. Time
It’s no mystery that earning a college degree takes time. Your choice of degree may be affected by the amount of time you have.
An associate’s degree takes two years to complete, while a bachelor takes four years. You may not notice the difference as much if you’re actually going to a brick and mortar school. But if you’re taking night courses or online classes while trying to hold down a job or take care of a family, it will seem a lot longer.
The good thing about an associate’s degree is that you can always pursue further education if you decide to later on.
2. Money
We’ve already mentioned that the rise in college tuition costs is outpacing the rise of wages. This means that, unfortunately, not everyone can afford to go to college.
Some can afford college, but not enough for a bachelor’s degree. If you’re among those people, don’t feel bad, because college gets less affordable each year. You’re definitely not alone.
College will always be there, so if you can’t afford it now, don’t worry. You can always go back when you’re more settled and have more set aside. The price may have even gone down by then.
3. Direction
Much of the associate vs bachelor degree conflict revolves around prospects for employment and further education. The good news is that they both have a lot to offer.
Some people start preparing for medical degrees during the first few years of college. Some pursue a culinary degree during their first years of college. In fact, many of them can be earned in only two years, the same as the average associate’s degree.
Bachelor’s degrees are required for culinary management careers, but those who don’t have any desire to manage will be fine with just an associate’s.
This is also somewhat true for medicine. Although you can’t be a doctor without an MD, you can be many other things. There are plenty of things you can do with a healthcare associates degree.
4. Employment
Not only will associate’s and bachelor’s degrees take you in different directions, but they may change your employment prospects as well.
As a general rule, a bachelor’s degree makes you more employable than if you only have an associate’s degree. An associate’s degree makes you more employable than a high-school graduate, and so on.
The current unemployment rate is roughly 6.7%. That’s higher than this century’s average, but it’s quite an achievement given the current situation with COVID 19. Earlier this year, unemployment jumped to over 14%, the highest rate since the Great Depression.
Fortunately, the rate fell just as quickly, dropping to less than half of that in less than a year. Still, in times as uncertain as these, it always helps to stack the deck.
5. Salary
When wondering about an associate vs bachelor degree, you need to consider the money you’ll earn in your new career. We’ve already talked about the cost of college, but there’s another aspect to consider.
How much do you stand to earn with a degree? Much like the employment rate, average salaries tend to be higher among those with a degree. This probably has to do with the wider range of specialized jobs that are available with a degree.
For instance, you only need an associate’s degree to be a police officer, a paralegal, or a dental hygienist, all of which pay quite well.
With a bachelor’s degree, you can get into advertising, engineering, architecture, or even become a commercial pilot. Keep in mind that to be a commercial pilot, you’ll also need to know how to fly a plane, which is a very different issue.
6. Goals
One of your biggest motivating factors for choosing which degree to pursue should be you. College is not just about what would benefit you most, but what you actually want out of life.
Engineering might be a lucrative career, but it’s not for everybody. If you don’t like working with numbers, you will not enjoy an engineering career. People are emotional creatures, and we tend to perform best when we enjoy what we’re doing.
Do you want to be a painter, a sculptor, or a musician? Don’t worry about the current demand or practicality. If it’s what you want, do it.
The worst-case scenario is that you take on a day job until you can turn your passion into a career.
Associate vs Bachelor Degree: Which Will You Choose?
There’s no easy answer to the associate vs bachelor degree question, because there are a lot of factors that play into it. We’ve talked about a few of these factors in the paragraphs above, but there may be others to consider.
The thing you should take away from this is that either degree will prepare you to enter the job market, and make your chances of landing a great job that much better. There’s no such thing as a worthless degree.
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