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The value of 2-year degrees

For retired Sgt. 1st Class Phillip Burns, earning his associate degree in applied science technology was a long time coming.

His Nov. 16 graduation from Central Texas College in Killeen puts the degree in his hands. But he already had it on his résumé when he retired from the Army last spring and applied for a job at Northrop Grumman.

“I let them know I was in the process of getting my associate degree,” Burns said. “My MOS was in fire support, and my job didn’t allow the opportunity to go to school as easily as some other soldiers.

“I deployed to Bosnia three times and to Iraq twice,” he said. “But with my experience and the fact that I was about to get my degree, they hired me.

“Now I am a military trainer. I wanted to stick with soldiers, so I train soldiers in how to use the military computers,” Burns said.

Plenty of data supports the claim that a college degree makes a job candidate more marketable. But not everyone is ready to take on 120-plus hours’ worth of hitting the books and going to class to complete the traditional four-year bachelor’s degree. For many, an associate degree or certification program is a faster, more flexible solution.

Burns, like many service members, was busy with his military job, his family and a series of relocations and deployments. But he was able to accrue the 64 college credits required for a degree that would improve his chances for a good job with a good salary.

“Associate degree programs are sometimes a better fit for service members,” said Wynn Butler, associate dean of Barton County Community College, Fort Riley Campus, in Kansas. “It puts them in a better hiring category a little faster. And it shows that you committed to something and learned something.

“Given the choice,” Butler said, “I’ll hire someone with an associate degree over someone who doesn’t have one.”

Burns said he believes being close to completing his degree helped him be more competitive in seeking the Northrop Grumman job.

“I believe it was important to them to know that I was about to get my degree,” he said.

And it should continue to help his career.

“They do an evaluation every six months and having earned the degree when I’m evaluated will benefit me,” Burns said.

Many options for degrees

Associate degrees aren’t what they used to be. Today, students can choose from some 150 degree plans, ranging from medical fields to electronics and computer sciences, as well as more current fields of study that include homeland security and environmental sciences.

Many two-year colleges, such as Barton County Community College and Central Texas College, have main campuses and provide extension colleges — some located on military installations. Besides making it easier for service members to attend classes, two-year colleges also provide online programs.

“Anyone, anywhere can take courses with us,” said Tina Ady, director of education support services/marketing and outreach for Central Texas College. “We offer more than 100 associate degrees and certificate programs in academic, professional, and vocational and technical fields. Our main campus is in Killeen, but we have over 100 other locations around the world and serve more than 50,000 students on military installations, in embassies and on ships at sea.”

Good fit for the military

Today’s service members are being uprooted more frequently and face more interruptions in their academic goals. But the military has made efforts to keep pace.

Each of the services works with colleges to offer an increasing number of ways to stay in school. Whether aboard ships or serving in the desert, partnerships such as the Servicemembers Opportunities College program make it possible for students to begin and stick with the associate degree plan they’ve chosen, even if their military demands mean attending multiple schools.

Sgt. Geoffrey Black has served in the Army for 12 years, has a background in welding and is stationed at Fort Riley. Since deciding to go to school, he’s been deployed twice to Iraq. That put a strain on his academic goals and lengthened the time it traditionally takes to earn an associate degree.

It took Black about five years to earn his associate in applied science in environmental compliance. He now has a marketable background and knowledge of Environmental Protection Agency regulations, Occupational Safety and Health Administration construction standards and emergency response guidelines. Black said he plans to stay in the Army but said he knows he could walk out today and get a civilian job that pays well.

“This degree ensures the ability to work in environmental compliance with safety regulations and environmental laws,” Black said. “I could work in a private firm and I know they pay a lot to have someone who ensures compliance.”

With 64 college credits under his belt, Black is qualified to work as an environmental specialist or an environmental compliance inspector — both positions that require an associate degree.

He could work in Houston or New York with a two-year degree that translates into anywhere from $40,000 to $50,000 a year — before his military experience and other training are factored in.

“Four-year programs often mean classes that aren’t completely necessary for a certain field of study,” Martina Corso said.

Corso recently opened Corso Staffing in Detroit and said she already has been contacted by employers who have job openings that require associate degrees.

“Most of the jobs are technical or administrative,” she said. “Two-year degrees have the basics and also the concentration in a particular field. That’s what is valuable to employers.”

Certification is another option for students who want a document that validates their skills. Certification programs can be as short as 18-week computer-repair specialist certifications to one-year allied health care certification or two-year electrician licenses.

Many certifications also can be earned while the student simultaneously earns a degree. For example, a student earning an associate nursing degree also can take courses that overlap for certification as a phlebotomist and certification as a health care unit coordinator.

The degree plus multiple certifications widens graduates’ job prospects and also increases their chances for higher hourly wages and salaries — all within a two-year time frame.

“Students who earn an associate degree can find good jobs, but they can also go on later to earn a bachelor’s degree if they decide that would be beneficial,” Butler said. “By that time, they’re halfway there.”

For more information about associate degrees and certification, visit your installation education office or visit www.usastudyguide.com/associatedegree.htm or www.soc.aascu.org.