In the current economy, a college education can open up many doors of opportunities and provide you with a sense of security that you so desperately crave when everything seems bleak.When faced with college and the endless decisions that come along with it, you are left overwhelmed and mostly uncertain of where to start.

1. Associate’s Degree vs. Bachelor’s Degree
In the current economy, a college education can open up many doors of opportunities and provide you
with a sense of security that you so desperately crave when everything seems bleak.When faced with
college and the endless decisions that come along with it, you are left overwhelmed and mostly uncertain
of where to start.
Let’s start by taking a look at the two undergraduate degrees that you can start your career with; the
Bachelor’s degree and the Associate’s degree.
An Associate Degree
An associate degree program is a two-year undergraduate program that provides students with the
necessary skills and expertise to take up entry level jobs in their respective fields. An associate’s degree
program provides the student with flexibility of completing the program. The flexibility can be useful if you
have a part-time or a full-time job. Students with associate’s degrees in most fields, continue their
education with a Bachelor’s degree in order to be eligible for higher paying jobs and do so by transferring
their credits to a Bachelor’s program and take it from there.
For many, an associate’s degree usually marks the start of your college education and leads to a four-
year bachelor degree program. If you are on the fence about spending four years in a college when you’d
rather be out working, you could look into colleges that offer flexible programs which enable you to work
and study alongside.
Some colleges like California College San Diego offer associate, bachelor and master leveldegree
programs in a variety of in-demand fields such as business, healthcare, graphic arts and information
technology which can be completed in a considerably lesser amount of time. The California College of
San Diego reviews say that the associate degree programs can be completed in as little as 15 months
which gives students the opportunity of starting work that much faster. What students find more
convenient is the fact that the college offers year round enrollments, which means the student needn’t
wait for an entire semester to start, in order to begin their program.
Students, who prefer an associate degree to a bachelor’s degree, do so because of reasons pertaining to:
• Cost, that is, tuition, financial constraints and monthly expenditures.
• Personal commitments, that is, familial responsibilities
• Professional or work related commitments
• Personal interests and goals.
A Bachelor’s Degree
The four-year Bachelor degree programs focus more on the finer nuances of a field. Students spend four
years learning their subjects in depth and are introduced to its different aspects. Students who opt for
Bachelor degree programs are those who want to study to secure jobs in higher-paid positions. And while
some might argue that the field of study is an important factor in determining your salary, in most cases it
has been found that employers give preference to students with a bachelor’s degree.
Following are some of the advantages students take into consideration while opting for a bachelor’s
degree program:
• Opens up more opportunities for career growth
• Can give a considerable boost to your yearly income
• A bachelor degree is standardrequirement to get into master and doctorate level programs.

2. Finally, an education is an investment in your future; one you should make with utmost care and thought.
Whether you choose an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree is a decision you should make taking
into consideration your goals, schedule, career interests and professional and financial commitments.