Further Your Education and Your Career: The Benefits of the Two-Year Degree
Posted: Saturday, March 25, 2006
by Danny Davids
The job market tends to work in cycles. When the economy is good and there are more jobs to fill than people to fill them, employers look for workers with experience in a particular industry. When the economy is not so good, the number of available jobs decreases as the number of available workers increases. The employer’s emphasis then shifts from experience to education.
In an environment where experience counts for less, people are looking at a college degree to help propel their careers forward. Many working adults, however, don’t have the time or the money to invest in a bachelor’s degree program. But don’t rule out an alternative which fell out of favor for a number of years and is now making a surprising comeback. Welcome to the world of the two-year degree!
Everything Old Is New Again
The economic circumstances in which we find ourselves currently are similar to what they were in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Unemployment was high, pay rates were low, and people were scrambling to figure out what they could do to increase their take-home pay. Then, as now, a college education was considered a must. Many went to technical schools and community colleges to get a certificate of education or an associate’s degree, using that as a springboard to gain entrance into a four-year program. However, in a number of fast-growing, high-tech fields, the two-year degree was sufficient to get people a good-paying job.
Those industries such as IT now require a bachelor’s degree. But again, as in the early 1980s, a number of fields are growing faster than skilled people can be found to fill them. As a result, having an associate’s degree more than qualifies a person. For the working adult, taking classes at night or on the weekends may increase the work schedule a bit, but is preferable to going to school full-time exclusively. And then there’s the added benefit of getting into the job market (and earning a higher income) two years ahead of your four-year friends. Now, is that incentive or what?
The Cold Hard Facts
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), physical therapist assistant and dental hygienist are two occupations projected to be among the fastest-growing job markets in the next ten years. Demand for these two positions is expected to increase 40 percent between now and 2014. Both occupations require only an associate’s degree, and both pay very well. Dental hygienists make an average of $43,000 a year, while physical therapist assistants earn from $28,580 to $43,590 annually.
Listed below are some occupations that the BSL says require either an associate’s degree or two years of college training. The hourly rates given are based on the median range earned in 2002.
Dental Hygienist $27.09
Funeral Director $24.03
Registered Nurse $21.69
Engineering Technician $20.89
Court Reporter $19.97
Radiological Technician $19.66
Respiratory Therapist $18.69
Science Technician $18.49
Heavy Equipment Mechanic $18.48
Automotive Body Repairer $18.44
Paralegal $17.56
Cardiovascular Technologist $17.51
Sales Worker Supervisor $16.59
Machinist $16.58
Surgical Technologist $15.00
Some will think, “I can’t go to college! I’m no Brainiac!" For those of you who want to go down that road, please note that only one of the positions listed above (science technician) could be even remotely considered a “rocket scientist"-type job. Several of these positions involve manual labor, and one involves sales. Besides, these are only a few of the possibilities. With the job options available in our changing economy, you should have no problem finding something you’d like to do. As far as paying for school, if you can’t qualify for government grants, check out state, local, and even private opportunities like businesses and foundations. Sometimes people qualify for grants simply by being of a particular heritage, or having someone in the family who works in a specific industry. If you still think you can’t do it, look at the table above again, and this time be sure to read down the column that has the dollar signs in it. If the numbers there are higher than what you’re making now…well, what the heck are you waiting for, lightning to strike?
What The Future Holds
If history is any indication, as people become more skilled in these fields and positions are filled, additional education will be required to qualify for them. So if you decide that one of these career choices is for you, expect to continue your education at some point by getting that bachelor’s degree. And let’s face it: Education is a life-long process, not something you cram into a few years in a classroom setting. Why not use an opportunity to improve your level of education, increase your income, and embark on a fulfilling career? Check with your local community and junior colleges. Larger universities may also offer two-year degrees. Your future awaits…but it won’t wait forever!
Additional sources for this article include the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and Resumagic.com.
This Article has been viewed 9,984 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)You're never too old--or too young--to go to school. I went back to school at 43, thinking I would be the oldest person in the class. Not true. I graduated in May 2005 with an Associates Degree in Nursing & my first job started at $33.95/hr. Go!!!!I agreed. Im 45yrs. old and have my doctors degree in Odontology from the National University ol\f Leon< nicaragua, I graduated in 1980 I"m tying to revalidate my title and further my knowledge and education CAN YOU HELP ME TO ACHIEVE MY GOAL? advice what to do and where to go?
yes it was
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.