Associate degrees allow you to test the waters before committing full-time to a career path
If you’ve just graduated (or are about to graduate) with your associate degree, you will be pleased to know that you have now unlocked the door to a myriad of career opportunities—many of which are lucrative and offer career progression and competitive salaries.
Going to college to pursue a four-year or advanced degree isn’t for everyone. But obtaining relevant certifications, practical experience, and continuously updating your skills are accessible to almost everyone, and you can use your associate degree as a stepping stone to further enhance your job prospects and earning potential.
Why Choose An Associate Degree?
Associate degrees are essential in our economy as they enable aspiring professionals to gain practical, hands-on skills, and are more easily accessible and affordable than further undergraduate or postgraduate education.
This ensures you are not tied down to debt for an extended period of time, and you are able to reap many financial rewards through combining this with top-up certifications and training within your chosen field.
Getting an associate degree also allows you to explore and experiment with different careers, relatively risk-free.
Additionally, associate degrees are skills and employment-oriented, so they get you into the workforce sooner than the conventional educational route, and having one tells employers that you are job-ready. You can also choose, in some cases, to study it part-time, which means you can work and gain hands-on experience at the same time, especially
It also counts towards your bachelor’s degree program (so long as it’s relevant) if you decided that you wish to pursue your undergraduate studies further.
So in summary, some of the advantages of completing your associate degree include:
- Flexibility
- Employment-readiness skills
- The ability to work at the same time as your studies
- Getting propelled into the workforce sooner
- Cost-effectiveness
- You earn almost $8,000 more per year than if you only had a high school diploma
High-Paying Associate Degree Jobs In 2024
So let’s imagine you have an associate degree in a business-related field such as human resources or business administration. What high-paying jobs can you secure with your degree?
The below high-paying associate degree jobs all pay $70,000 or more a year, with most paying more than $100,000 on average, according to salary data from Salary.com:
- Administrative services manager—average salary: $151,390
- Sales manager—average salary: $136,584
- Human resources specialist—average salary: $77,324
- Project manager—average salary: $143,357
- Marketing specialist—average salary: $78,970
- Insurance sales agent—average salary: $93,561
- Real estate broker—average salary: $104,418
- Event planner
- Claims adjuster—average salary: $71,313
- Retail manager—average salary: $77,725
- Property manager—average salary: $111,920
- Compensation and benefits manager—average salary: $135,817
- Customer service manager—average salary: $100,744
- Operations manager—average salary: $121,531
- Sales consultant—average salary: $103,348
- Business analyst (entry-level)—average salary: $105,720
Associate degrees are not only cost-effective, but they enable you to be job-ready sooner than a … [+]
While the above jobs can be secured with your associate degree, it is still essential to look into the specific requirements for each role, and obtain industry and role-specific training, licences, exams, and certifications so that you can be viewed as more highly skilled and qualified for the role by employers. Gaining these extra certifications alongside your associate degree will also help you negotiate for higher pay, so you can make more money.