Why get an Associates degree?

[andy3000]

I've noticed may here have an Associates degree, and plan to continue on towards a Bachelors. I am curious why people decided to do this since it costs more money.

[rebel100]

I got mine because I found that after bouncing around 4 different schools I was suddenly only 1 course from my AS. Since you have to get all those undergrade credits it makes sense to gain the recognition even if it is a 2 year degree.

I also feel that many of the posters here are looking for a leg up in employment prospects. If a 2 year degree makes me that much more marketable then a thousand or so bucks is really money well spent.

[Maniac Craniac]

-I have recently taken the huge leap from having no degree at all to having some degree in something.

-That degree will stay with me for life, even if everything else crumbles around me.

-I can not be sure that I will finish my Bachelor's in my expected time frame.

-It marks my halfway point... YAY! There is certainly an emotional factor to it. I might not be at my goal yet, but this shows that I am at least making progress.

-It will likely lead to a pay increase that I can enjoy during my trek to a Bachelor's, which will likely lead to an even further pay increase.

-It qualifies me for jobs that require one.

-It makes me stand out, at the very least, amongst those who have no degree.

-It makes me comparable to others that have Associate's degrees and at least puts me on better footing in comparison to those with Bachelor's and above.

-My original plan for by BA was more streamlined than my current one. An AA would simply have been just another fee to pay to Excelsior while my path would not have been delayed nor hampered at all.

[rebeccal]

I've made the decision to get my associate's degree first for the following reasons:

1. When I mapped out what I needed to do for my associate's degree, I did not feel overwhelmed like I do with the bachelor's degree. That smaller goal gives me an "I can do this!" feeling. It's very motivating!

2. My husband is unemployed and in addition to working full time, I do freelance writing and editing. The freelance work pays for my schooling. However, freelance work is unstable and could end sooner rather than later. I could potentially run out of freelance work and thus money before I complete my bachelor's degree. If I run out of money and have to quit, I'll have nothing to show for all my efforts. Who cares if I completed 90% of a bachelor's degree -- without the piece of paper, I can't put it on my resume no matter how close I am to it. I want to finish at least SOMETHING. I'm working hard on saving up enough money freelancing by the end of this year to have what I need in the bank to pay for my associate's degree, which I plan to complete in May or June 2011. My "gut" tells me to be prepared for the bottom to fall out when it comes to my top freelance client.

3. In addition to my degree, I'm working on job-specific certification. My company is paying for the certification. An associate's degree plus certification plus experience qualifies me for a better position at my current job and could potentially open doors other places. This is especially true for jobs in my field (administrative/executive assistant) that have a "bachelor's degree or equivalent" as a requirement. An associate's degree coupled with the other things helps to make up the "equivalent."

I debated about whether or not to do this because of the additional cost, but I think it's really important at this point in life (I'm 49) to finish something. I'm all too familiar with life situations that can derail the most earnest plans.

Rebecca

[FenderNed]

The reasons above are spot on and appropriate in each circumstance. As for me, I will provide a reason I did not pursue an AS.

1. There was no reason to spend the extra cash.

2. I am gainfully employed and have been for the last 24 years. Gaining an AS would have no significant impact on my current employment. My goal was to obtain a BS.

3. Once I started, I realized that I could reasonably finish my BS in one year. There was no reason to spend the money for the AS and once I had my BS, it just seemed as though the AS would be "obsolete" in my own mind. I know that realistically, that is not true, but it again reinforced the idea that I didn't need to spend the money.

4. If I paid for the AS, I would have to buy an extra diploma frame! LOL!

So, as you can see through the reading of these threads, it really depends on each individual person and their goals.

There are definitely no wrong answers here.

[P00057870]

Definitely depends on the individual and their specific situation.


Add me to the list of people who have started and stopped repeatedly in this attempt and was afraid that life would get in the way one more time and having the A.S. at least would prove the ability to complete this task, especialy to a potential employer -- especially in this day and time when everyone's job may be on the line.

But, having said that, once I found IC and the forum, after spending many hours reading posts and realizing that a BS is not just a possibility but quite doable, I am now only 21 UL credits from that BS I always wanted.

[rooster_2006]

I've noticed may here have an Associates degree, and plan to continue on towards a Bachelors. I am curious why people decided to do this since it costs more money.

I debated whether to do one or not, and eventually decided that yes, it was worth the money. It didn't require any additional courses and the extra cost wasn't that big, but the benefits were absolutely huge and I would not be where I am now without my beloved associate's degree.

It allowed me to meet the basic immigration requirements to get a working visa and teach English in Taiwan (the minimum requirement to be issued a working visa here is an associate's degree + TEFL certificate which I already had). This meant that I was able to put myself through the rest of my bachelor's degree program with money earned in Taiwan teaching English.

Had I not finished my AA, I would have been simply unable to work legally in Taiwan. The bachelor's degree was so far off at that point, I had to get some sort of cash flow going in the mean time. I do not regret getting my AA one bit, as you can probably tell. :coolgleam:

BTW, that AA, that hot little piece of paper, combined with my Cambridge CELTA certification mean that I earn approximately $19 a per teaching hour in a country where you can rent an apartment for $150 a month and live right next to the beach with palm trees. Not bad for a guy with an associate's degree!

[Maniac Craniac]

Well, here is yet another OUTSTANDING reason to get an AA.

One of the colleges I am looking at accepts all credits from an accredited AA as filling general education requirements. Due to the differences in the gen ed requirements from one school to another, I would have had to take 4 more courses in order to complete them. Now, all I have to worry about are the major requirements, upper level credit and transfer limitations... yep that is ALL I have to worry about hilarious.

[Maniac Craniac]

Oh, and if I get this job that I am applying for, having an AA puts me on another payscale "level," which translates to about an extra $10/hour.Yeeeeeah, that's a nice little chunk of change to receive while I'm working on my BA.

[cookderosa]

I've noticed may here have an Associates degree, and plan to continue on toward a Bachelors. I am curious why people decided to do this since it costs more money.

Because the one with the most degrees wins?
Oh wait, different board. hilarious

As to why HERE people get degrees it' a little different- people here are nontrads who use testing to the fullest, it's a little different.

In general, people get an associate degree as either a) career training ex. AOS in Culinary Arts *i have one of those
or as b) part of an articulation transfer agreement to a 4 year college. *most of us here do NOT have one of those because the big 3 do not accept block credit transfers.

In any event, I did get one en route to my BA just because I thought it reflected my path more clearly. In my case, my culinary degree was not part of my BA degree, thus I earned 122 NEW credits- so I felt that by showing an AA on my resume also, that it demonstrated my extra efforts. But, in reality, I never list it because it looks suspect to have an AA issued and 3 months later a BA. I've dropped it from my credentials.

It's my belief, that an AA in general studies earned from a school different than your BA should be listed, so should an AA in anything other than general studies. But, and AA in general studies followed by a BA from the same school is redundant. It cost me $450 to develop that philosophy, so I'm sticking to it.