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Education plays an important role on your resume and in your job application. It allows the recruiter to better understand your qualifications. Generally, there are 5 types of degrees you can list in your resume when you look for a job: high school diploma, associate degree, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, and PhD.
Before we start focusing on associate degree jobs, let us look over the different types of degrees:
The number of jobs that you can get with an associate degree has risen lately. In 2019 alone, over 1 million students pursue careers with associate's degrees, and the trend does not seem to slow down anytime soon. Therefore, the are good possibilities of finding a job with an associate's degree.
Moreover, the median yearly income for people with associate degree jobs in the past 20 years has been around $70K. While lower than the salary of someone with a bachelor's degree or higher education, it is much higher than the wage of a high-school graduate (less than $50K).
You must be excited to learn about the highest-paying jobs you can get with an associate degree. However, let us first further discuss the details you need to know about such an interesting degree.
An associate degree is a solid way into a professional career. It usually takes two years to finish one (even less if you earned college credits in high school). Therefore, it is much more affordable than a bachelor's degree.
Widely popular in the US, associate degrees are also accepted in Canada, Australia, and Denmark.In those countries, there are many career options with an associate's degree, such as jobs prefer for students with an associate’s in science or even jobs for psychology associate’s degree graduates.
Other than preparing you for some high-paying jobs, an associate's degree can also benefit you in the following ways:
There are different types of associate degress and here are some of the most popular ones that you can start your career with:
What can you do with an associate's degree? Here are some of the most common careers with an associates degree you could go for:
It is one of the most popular associate's healthcare degrees. Your job is to assist a dentist by cleaning patients’ teeth and educating them. An average dental hygienist associate's degree salary is over $70K yearly. It usually takes three years to get the title. You will need a license from your state as well.
An associate in accounting takes two years in which you learn about basic business and accounting concepts. It prepares you for some entry-level business associate degree jobs (such as financial clerks) as well as easing a transition into a bachelor’s in accounting. The average accounting associate degree salary can be over $40K a year .
There are several business administration jobs for people with an associate degree to pursue even if the study time is shorter than a bachelor’s degree. For example, you could get a position in sales management, as an account executive, in human resources, and other jobs fitting a business associate degree which yield salaries of at least $57K a year.
Among the jobs you could get with a criminal justice associate’s degree once you graduate, you can find security officer, prison warden, forensic technician, and many more. Moreover, the salary expectations are promising (for example, a forensic science technician makes over $60K a year), although some positions can be demanding and dangerous.
A path for anyone interested in social work with an associate's degree. With a yearly salary that goes over $50K (7), and a workload that consists of helping those vulnerable citizens find appropriate social services like mental health care or vocational placement.
The popularity of this jobs for people with an associate of applied science has risen incredibly thanks to the never-stopping boom of the internet. It is a great time to learn how to code. Computer applications, websites, software, apps, and many other things we use daily, depend on programmers!
On a similar note, professionals with an associate of applied science can land this job and specialize in evaluating and maintaining network systems running in order and being able to solve any issue that may arise.
It is one of the most common and popular choices. The two-year program allows you to land an associate’s job in nursing right away to gather valuable experience. Many nurses also it as an intermediate step before starting a bachelor’s program.
People undergoing this program learn about X-rays, computed tomography, and similar techniques to create diagnostic to help patients. To get a job in this field, you will need an associate healthcare degree and a license from the state in which you wish to practice. Salaries in this field tend to go around $60K (8).
You will need an associate degree in paralegal studies to land an job like this one. Your job will include daily duties like organizing documents, researching for cases, fact-checking, etc. This degree also serves as a stepping stone if you intend to get a bachelor’s in the future.
While it could be considered a job for those with a business associate degree, it is better if you obtain an associate degree in real estate management. You will learn about duties like client relationship management, negotiation technique, etc. The medium annual salary is usually around $50K.
It is among the highest-paying jobs you could get with an associate’s degree you can get. Airports need individuals with the ability to direct the traffic while maintaining safety and efficiency. It is a highly specialized job that you can obtain with an associate’s degree in two years depending on the school you enroll to learn.
Nowadays, there are many opportunities to land an job with an associate of applied science degree in this field. You will learn everything about electronics if you study this career. Including product design such as navigational equipment, electronic devices, and even medical technology.
Though it might not rank among the highest paying jobs for people with an associate degree, it can open up opportunities to start your career. This is a job for those with a business associate degree where you will assist your superior with daily tasks of a managerial nature. It can help you gather work experience while you decide what’s next for you.
You can even pursue such a highly-technical career with an associate's degree. The job is quite risky and requires a lot of attention as you monitor radiation levels and work to maintain a safe process. For a job that requires an associate’s in science like this one, you might need a very specialized program such as an associate’s degree in nuclear science.
You are probably thinking about applying for a job now that you learned about some of the jobs you can pursue with an associate’s degree. You can follow the next tips whether you are looking for entry-level jobs with an associate’s degree or one of the highest-paying associate degree positions:
Some companies will be hesitant about hiring someone without a Bachelor’s degree although an associate degree would do just fine for the job. This is particularly true for high-paying jobs you can technically excel at with an associate’s degree. Therefore, to enhance your application you should get any related certification that can help you stand out from other candidates.
Another way to convince a doubtful employer is to prepare a portfolio that showcases your work. This is helpful for someone with an associate of arts degree looking for a job such as design, in which you can give the company an idea of your potential. Similarly, applications for an associate’s in science job like programming can be benefited from a strong portfolio.
There are many options of careers you can develop with an associate's degree. Some of them only require the knowledge you can get from two year program. However, if you intend to advance in the field an associate degree might not be enough.
However, you can always further develop your skills and knowledge by utilizing various learning resources available to you. You can sign up for online courses or bootcamps or watch tutorials to educate yourself.
🔑 Key Takeaways
Remember, jobs you can get with an associate degree can vary from very broad to super specific. The highest paying positions you can excel at with an associate degree tend to require more specialized education (e.g. requiring an AAS rather than an AS). It’s important to always keep learning and improving one’s education.
As time passes, the are fewer limits to what you can do with an associate's degree. You will find them to be a great solution if you need to start your career as soon as possible.
Another positive aspect of associate’s degrees is that you can use them to gather some work experience and continue your education once your financial situation is better. For example, you can get an associate in science job like being an electric technician and then apply for an Electric Engineering bachelor’s (with a reduced workload).
Finally, starting your career with an associate's degree is a great option if time or money is of importance to you. However, you might face some resistance at first. Be prepared to combat it by preparing as much as possible, building a strong portfolio, and keep studying if you want to increase your job status in the future.
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--- Originally written by Roger Rene Ortega Figueroa ---
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