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Associate Degree vs. Bachelor Degree

Debate Information

Is it wiser to pursue an Associate Degree program(s) rather than Bachelor Degree?
  1. Live Poll

    Is it wiser to pursue an Associate Degree program(s) rather than Bachelor Degree?

    4 votes
    1. Yes--Associate Degree
      50.00%
    2. No--Bachelor Degree
      50.00%



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    Arguments


  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    In order to persue a professional or a masters degree, one must obtain a bachelors degree. However, one may choose an associates depending on situation. If I went to technical school, I might only need that associates degree to complete my studies in that field. Nevertheless, most well paying jobs want to ensure that a bachelors has been obtained at minimum before hire, so I would consider the bachelors more important, though not in every case.
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • agsragsr 881 Pts   -  
    Bachelor degree is expected for most professional jobs. There is also an expectation of ms/mba for many higher level jobs later in career
    Live Long and Prosper
  • CuriousGeorgeCuriousGeorge 109 Pts   -  
    Hundreds of thousands for a college degree maybe overrated in general when you can get expertise online for next to nothing.
    xMathFanx
  • xMathFanxxMathFanx 140 Pts   -  
    Consider, my local Community College costs only $1,500 per semester, and there are about 15 or so Associates Degrees (2 year programs) which will qualify a person for $40,000-$70,000 jobs--that is one hell of an input-output ratio compared to the 'traditional'/conformist advice given to the kids. Also, the credits apply equally in all areas, so once one gets an Associates Degree in one area, it is much easier/shorter route to get another in a related area. Then, a young adult could build up several such degrees while still very young (i.e. low twenties) at which point it would become nearly inconceivable they would not always have a solid paying job to fall back on for the rest of their lives--all without paying the absurd 4 year cost directly out of High School (btw, it is generally not '4 years' anymore, but often well more than 4). Furthermore, the A.S. degrees set up if they ever did want to pursue more advanced degrees, then they have a good chunk of the B.A./B.S. completed already without the first half cost; then, they could make that decision when they are closer to mid twenties range and actually able to think clearly about making such a significant life decision (of taking out a lot of money in loans for a B.A./B.S. and possibly higher i.e. M.A./M.S., PhD).

    Now, it depends on the specific areas one is studying/earned a degree in. For instance, my Bachelors will be in Mathematics and History. Now, for many students I know that are solely History majors, they will be worse off in the job market after graduation than a person who attained an associates in Engineering, Nursing, Radiology, Dental Hygiene, ect.--all of which average salaries are between $50,000-&75,000 per year, while the History major will struggle to find work for $40,000 (and will likely get a job in the $30,000-39,000 range).

    Now, as for Mathematics, many Math majors actually will have the same success or even more difficulty in finding a job in the $50,000-75,000 range than if they went to Community College for a much less technically rigorous subject for a fraction of the years, and hardly even a fraction of the cost (that is, many Math majors take easily 5+ years to finish while paying full-time tuition, while the same person could (almost definitely) easily get an Associates in a number of areas in 1.5 years time--ultimately producing the same salary or higher)

    That is why I intend to get Associates degrees in Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, & likely CS next year, as it will only take 1 year of courses at a very limited cost (since there is significant overlap in the subjects) and coupled with a Mathematics , will credential me for all kinds of solid paying jobs that a Math alone really does fails to. From there, I have a 'safety net' to fall back on and will not have to be concerned to take out a sizeable loan/investment when going to Graduate School the following year.

    Consider, in order to get these Associates at this point (considering the Math ), would require only:

    Engineering: 4 classes
    Chemistry: 2 classes
    Physics: 1 class
    Computer Science: 3 classes

    Total cost: less than $3,000

    Qualifies one for a variety of jobs in the $50,000-$60,000 range in jobs that are in increasingly high demand. That is quite a compelling input-output ratio (in my view) 

    Note: Entry-level Engineering positions with a Bachelors average $60,000. Compare that to some Associate degree programs; Dental Hygienist is over $70,000, Registered Nurse (RN) $60,000-65,000, Engineering Technician-$50,000-60,000, Radiology Technician-$50,000-$55,000, Software Developer/Engineer-$60,000, ect. ec
  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    However, the note lists below technical jobs which only need associates degrees to complete their studies. A bachelors degree will make more in just about every other category. I will respond to this more in depth outside of school.
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • VaulkVaulk 813 Pts   -  
    While I think associate degrees produce greater results from input to output, the focus of college education is largely misplaced.  Less than 10% of the careers/jobs in the United States require any sort of college degree while the skilled labor workforce is undermanned by almost 80%.  

    FYSA: Don't ever let anyone tell you that you need college.
    xMathFanx
    "If there's no such thing as a question then what kind of questions do people ask"?

    "There's going to be a special place in Hell for people who spread lies through the veil of logical fallacies disguised as rational argument".

    "Oh, you don't like my sarcasm?  Well I don't much appreciate your stup!d".


  • xMathFanxxMathFanx 140 Pts   -  
    Vaulk said:
    While I think associate degrees produce greater results from input to output, the focus of college education is largely misplaced.  Less than 10% of the careers/jobs in the United States require any sort of college degree while the skilled labor workforce is undermanned by almost 80%.  

    FYSA: Don't ever let anyone tell you that you need college.

    Yes--well said.  Also, note, Community Colleges offer Degree programs for Trades in the form of Associates, Certificates, and/or Apprenticeships.  Plumbers, Electricians, ect. ect. all do quite well, are in high demand, and perform highly productive work that is absolutely necessary to the healthy functioning of society
    VaulkCYDdharta
  • VaulkVaulk 813 Pts   -   edited March 2018
    xMathFanx said:
    Vaulk said:
    While I think associate degrees produce greater results from input to output, the focus of college education is largely misplaced.  Less than 10% of the careers/jobs in the United States require any sort of college degree while the skilled labor workforce is undermanned by almost 80%.  

    FYSA: Don't ever let anyone tell you that you need college.

    Yes--well said.  Also, note, Community Colleges offer Degree programs for Trades in the form of Associates, Certificates, and/or Apprenticeships.  Plumbers, Electricians, ect. ect. all do quite well, are in high demand, and perform highly productive work that is absolutely necessary to the healthy functioning of society
    On point.  I honestly forgot about that, the community colleges that offer associate degrees targeted at trade professions are largely overlooked and getting one of these degrees can actually open more opportunities than a traditional bachelor's degree.  

    I was one of the kids in public school that had to listen to wave after wave of professional speakers who regularly came to the school to preach about how amazing college was, how you wouldn't get anywhere in life without a degree and that no one ever succeeded without one.  Luckily I managed to avoid falling in with the all the other kids who subsequently went on to get a college degree and diluted the pool of employer candidates.  The bachelor's degree is the new High School Diploma.  The point though is that a college education is only one of many paths to success in the U.S., and with the ever rising cost of one...it's not even close to being the best.
    xMathFanx
    "If there's no such thing as a question then what kind of questions do people ask"?

    "There's going to be a special place in Hell for people who spread lies through the veil of logical fallacies disguised as rational argument".

    "Oh, you don't like my sarcasm?  Well I don't much appreciate your stup!d".


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