More students opting for 2 year degrees vs 4 year

[liberal N proud]

by David Hirning
Once upon a time, community colleges and other career schools were way stations for students who couldn't get into or afford a four-year school. These students would typically get their Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree and then, if they'd proven themselves, would have the option of transferring to a university to pursue a bachelor's degree.

Today, many students are bypassing the four-year degree to enter the workforce straight out of career schools. Jobs in some of the most vibrant and growing fields today, such as many healthcare disciplines, are available to those possessing a two-year Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree.

They don't mention that it cost as much if not more for a 2 year degree than it did for their fathers 4 year degree.

According to an SCCC study, students graduating from an A.A.S. or certification program had a better chance of finding a job (75 percent employment rate as compared to 65 percent) and earned a higher hourly wage ($14.82 versus $11.51) than those receiving a traditional transfer degree (A.A. or A.S.).

Career-oriented schools are also a great option for students to explore growing fields besides healthcare that don't require a four-year degree. At L.A. City College, for example, programs in early childhood development and cinema/television are very popular. Students graduating from these programs can land jobs in a preschool, or as a sound or lighting technician for a film company. More and more, for associate degree holders today, it's "Lights, camera, action!" in pursuing their careers.

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/careertraining/default.aspx?article=todaysassociatedegree

[bullimiami]

1. follow up on these people long term. id like to see if their cert holds up

over time compared to a ba or bs.

[Horse with no Name]

6. I have a friend that is a COTA

and is making close to $60k.
LPTA's make at least that--most of the time more.
ADN RN's make nearly at much as their BSN counterparts (anywhere from $30-$60 an hour depending on where you live).
Radiographers make upwards of $35-40k in their first year out of school as do Respiratory Therapists.
These are not CERTIFICATE programs, they have DEGREES. However, it only took them two years to get it. As they add experience to their DEGREE, it will only make them more valuable, not less.

My oldest daughter will graduate from a 2-year program as a Legal Secretary/Paralegal in the Fall and already has a job offer starting at $40k.

I think it is a terrific option.

[liberal N proud]

7. I received an associate and a BS in 5 years

I ended up working in the area of my associate degree thanks to the reagan economy. The associate degree was something that I was fortunate enough to stumble across as I was working on my BS.
But if I had not gotten the BS, my company would not have promoted me to Manager. There were others that I worked with at the time that only had associates degrees.
The BS did not initially guarantee better salary but it allowed me to move up where otherwise I could not have.

[Obamarama]

12. Well, I'm trading my bachelor's degree in for an associates.....

I got a B.S with double major in public relations and marketing. I spent 14 years working in the undustry, only to be downsized twice in the last four years. There is nothing out there in this economy, and there are so many people out of work right now that when something decent DOES come along, the competition is ridiculous.

I'm currently working on my RN at a community college. I've always been interested in the sciences and things medical anyway. I'll end up retiring from the career an RN associates will get me. Funny how these things work out...

[Skittles]

2. it's a good idea because chances are they'll change careers

several times

[mtowngman]

3. I'm going for a 2yr AAS in Med Lab Technology

I'm 47 years old and changing careers and feel like I don't have 4 years full time or 8 years part time to pursue a BS. Especially when I'm pretty much assured a decent paying job in my new field as soon as I finish school.

[Horse with no Name]

8. Good for you

:thumbsup:
It is never too late to do this and a degree in healthcare pretty much assures you a job.

[wiggs]

4. Also, a lot of CA students going to JC for 2, then finishing at UC

There is a UC program that guarantees students a spot at a UC if they meet certain requirements while attending a 2 yr. Saves money and space.

[Nikki Stone 1]

5. Two reasons: Cost, and a 4-year degree doesn't guarantee more $$$

In fact, I think it was posted here that the difference in earnings between a high school and a college graduate is getting smaller and smaller.

[texanshatingbush]

10. WHAT IMPACT is difference between 2yr & 4yr degree earnings

Thinking long-term, what is the impact between the similarity in earning power of 2yr versus 4yr degrees, and how does that position us to compete in a global economy?

Are the 2yr degree jobs the kind which can't be outsourced? or does a 2yr degree ensure that a)the degree holder won't (as previously noted by poster) move into management position or b)the degree holder will be working at low level job for citizens of other countries who have earned advanced degrees in science, engineering, etc and are making all the strategic decisions?

How does the 2yr degree change our employment paradigm from what it currently is?

[Nikki Stone 1]

11. How about the shrinking middle class?

A 2-year degree is high working class, the 4-year, entree into the middle class.

Maybe....

[SheilaT]

9. Two year degrees can be

extremely useful. I just completed an A.A. degree and paralegal certificate. It's much better than spending four, maybe five years majoring in English or anthropology (with all due respect for those disciplines as I've taken much coursework in both of them, but they don't readily lead to decent paying jobs) and being unable to find work.

Plus, of course, the cost factor.

I originally started college in the fall of 1965 (yeah, I'm old) and back then at most, maybe all state universities and colleges, a student could realistically earn all the tuition in a summer job. So then on-campus employment could cover the on-going costs during the school year, especially if you lived at home.

Even the cheapest of state universities generally cost more than can be earned in a typical summer job. My local junior college (Johnson County, Kansas) is really a bargain for county residents, only $63 per credit hour. It's $78 per credit hour for out of county Kansas residents, and $144 per credit hours for everyone else. Kansas State University, where my older son attends, is $152 per credit for in-state students. Do the math.

We are incredibly fortunate in that my sons' grandparents funded their college educations, and so they don't have to work or take out loans. But if it weren't for the grandparents, they'd both be at the junior college and then an in-state school (my younger son attends the University of Tulsa) unless they'd gotten significant scholarships because I would absolutely discourage them from taking out loans.

Which is the real problem: students today are encouraged to borrow for college, rather than considering a less expensive alternative.

I've attended six different colleges so far, and I can tell you that the junior colleges out there are every bit as good, and sometimes better, than the big public universities, and are a challenge to many of the revered private institutions. They concentrate on vocational education, and preparing students to go on to a four-year school, and I've gotten better teachers and education at the two junior colleges I attended than at the three Universities.

[megatherium]

13. The university I teach at is taking a hit in enrollment because students

are going to the new community college nearby. Our freshmen enrollment is down 15%. State rules require us to accept 30 credit hours of transfer credit from the community college, and their tuition is much less than ours.

[TahitiNut]

14. Salary should NOT be the only reason for a baccalaureate.

I've found that my life has been enriched beyond measure by the courses that DIDN'T directly apply to some job. Every experience I've had has been richer for the Philosophy, Theology, Shakespeare, History, and other Liberal Arts courses I took. 'Rich' is measured in ways other than a bank account and size of moving van it takes to relocate. It's a myth that such intellectual trampolines can be easily acquired later - a myth with a very few exceptions.

[Ilsa]

15. An Associate Degree Nursing still takes almost four years because

competition for the slots is so tight, that you have to finish most academic courses first, not concurrently with the nursing program. (This qualifies the ADN grad to sit for the NCLEX / RN licensure.) I suspect some of the other programs in Allied Health are the same way.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

16. We need free university education and free healthcare in this country

I don't consider that socialism, but a necessity and a matter or critical national interest. I think all taxpayers benefit from a well-educated and healthy American workforce. In the same way that our military/police/fire protection is free and our roads and highways are free, because they are necessary to the survival of our society, I think free college and medical care are the normal requirements for a healthy, functioning society.

[SoCalDem]

17. " vibrant and growing fields today, such as many healthcare disciplines,"

says it all.. Taking care of the aging population is the "growth" field..?

Granted, there is a need to replace the retiring Boomers, and to provide for their care, but the healthcare jobs being created are not as "high-paying" as they would lead us to believe...not the ones with a 2-yr training period..

AND caring for elderly people requires a very special type of person.. Not just anyone has what it takes to do that work..and for the length of time required..