Benefits of AA?

[TrailRunr]

I was actively trying to find an AA to get (using all my 90+ credits), then i found out my school dose not allow me to be 'taking another degree' elsewhere.

So i can't really go to COSC to do 1 class and get an AA degree while plucking away to finish my BS/BA.

My perspective of getting an AA was so I could enter the work force earlier.

I'm majoring in Computer Science. So I thought it might help for me to get an AA, jump into my field of work sooner rather than later.

Hello fellow CS major.

Your skills, experience, and ability to do the job are far more important than any degree including BA/BS. But if there is a minimum degree requirement, it is usually a BA/BS. So eventually you need a BA/BS. Another common HR checkbox is certain IT certifications, especially in government and military IT jobs. But IT certifications expire and IMHO cost too much considering that they expire fast. I wouldn't go out of my way to grab an AA unless it was free. I'd grab an IT certification instead even though I hate those.

To get an AA outside of the big-3, the biggest roadblock is to meet academic residency requirements. At my local community colleges, the schools with the lowest residency requirements want 12 semester credits. If you happen to be close to the 12 and meet all other degree requirements via transfer credit or resident credits, I'd say take one more class at that school only if it applies to the BA/BS and grab the AA on the way out. Another strategy is to look for general studies/liberal arts majors to see if they have a concentration in business/CIS/MIS/CS. As long as the concentration is on the transcript, you are good (sometimes general/lib arts diplomas don't list the concentration). If that doesn't work, just grab any AA that you happen to qualify for without spending time/money even if it is just AA in general studies or liberal arts. I know a number of traditional students that accidentally qualified for an AA/AS or even multiple AA/AS on their way to a 4-year school.