Associates degree and unrelated Bachelor's? (and Grad school enrollment)

[cookderosa]

I would like to get opinions on how employers see the difference between these situations:

Candidate A has:
Associates degree in the field from some not-known RA school (probably a community college)
Bachelors degree in different field from TESU (such as business)

Candidate B has:
Bachelors degree in the field from TESU

1. I know that many jobs might disqualify candidate A completely. I am pursuing non-traditional employment paths, so it won't be black and white for me. However, I am unsure if candidate A has a small disadvantage or a large one. Assuming they are equal in work experience, etc.

2. Also, what if Candidate A was enrolled in a grad Diploma/Cert/Masters in the field, planning to complete it in 1.5 years or less? And Candidate B is not. Now is candidate A on equal footing to Candidate B?

3. What if it was only an Undergrad Certificate instead of Assoc degree? But still enrolled in Grad school.

I know there is not really enough information to say for sure, but I just want a general idea.

"Most" candidates don't have an associate's degree if they also have a bachelor's degree- I think you're overthinking this. Both candidates have bachelor's degrees - the candidate with the bachelor's degree in the field AND some experience in the field (even unpaid internship) is the golden ticket.

I wouln't pursue grad school without work experience unless you're sure it won't work against you. Sometimes, having a grad degree makes you an expensive inexperienced risk- as opposed to a better prepared one.