{"id":46275,"date":"2020-06-10T14:15:18","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T18:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=46275"},"modified":"2021-05-20T19:36:03","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T23:36:03","slug":"dont-overlook-the-value-of-certificates-and-associates-degrees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/dont-overlook-the-value-of-certificates-and-associates-degrees\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Overlook the Value of Certificates and Associate\u2019s Degrees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>After graduating high school, students are often encouraged to attend a four\u2012year college or university. They\u2019re told that a bachelor\u2019s degree, albeit expensive, is their ticket to sustained financial security.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And while that remains true, a 2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/1gyhoq479ufd3yna29x7ubjn-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/CEW-SubBA.pdf\">report<\/a> from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce suggests a bachelor\u2019s degree is not the only avenue to a high income and that what students choose to study, in fact, matters more to potential earnings than education level.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLess education can often be worth more,\u201d the report states. \u201cIn fact, some certificate holders can earn more than those with an associate\u2019s or bachelor\u2019s degree, and some associate\u2019s degree holders can earn more than those with a bachelor\u2019s degree. In other words, certificates and associate\u2019s degrees \u2014 credentials on the middle\u2012skills pathway \u2014 can be viable routes to economic opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Already, about 50 percent of postsecondary students taking undergraduate coursework are enrolled in certificate and associate\u2019s degree programs, according to the report. Only 47 percent of those in this demographic are enrolled in bachelor\u2019s degree programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And amid the COVID\u201219 pandemic, certificates and associate&#8217;s degrees, which are often earned at community colleges, are becoming even more popular, as many students are looking for educational opportunities that are cheaper and closer to home.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a list of top certificates and associate\u2019s degrees based on their earning potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Top certificates types by median income<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Engineering technologies or drafting: <\/strong>$75,001\u2012$150,000<\/li><li><strong>Mechanic or repair technologies:<\/strong> $40,001\u201250,000<\/li><li><strong>Manufacturing or production: <\/strong>$40,001\u201250,000<\/li><li><strong>Law enforcement, security, or firefighting:<\/strong> $40,001\u201250,000<\/li><li><strong>Construction trades: <\/strong>$40,001\u201250,000<\/li><li><strong>Computer science or information technology:<\/strong> $30,001\u201240,000<\/li><li><strong>Business management, administration, or marketing:<\/strong> $30,001\u201240,000<\/li><li><strong>Audio, broadcasting, multimedia, or graphic technologies: <\/strong>$30,001\u201240,000<\/li><li><strong>Accounting, finance, insurance, or real estate:<\/strong> $30,001\u201240,000<\/li><li><strong>Transportation:<\/strong> $20,001\u2012$30,000<\/li><li><strong>Health care:<\/strong> $20,001\u2012$30,000<\/li><li><strong>Culinary arts:<\/strong> $20,001\u2012$30,000<\/li><li><strong>Administrative support: <\/strong>$20,001\u2012$30,000<\/li><li><strong>Education:<\/strong> $10,001\u201220,000<\/li><li><strong>Cosmetology:<\/strong> $10,001\u201220,000<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Top associate\u2019s degree fields by median income<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Engineering or architecture: <\/strong>$50,001\u2012$60,000<\/li><li><strong>Law enforcement, security, or firefighting: <\/strong>$40,001\u2012$50,000<\/li><li><strong>Health care: <\/strong>$40,001\u2012$50,000<\/li><li><strong>Construction, repair, manufacturing, or transportation:<\/strong> $40,001\u2012$50,000<\/li><li><strong>Business management, administration, or marketing:<\/strong> $40,001\u2012$50,000<\/li><li><strong>Agriculture:<\/strong> $40,001\u2012$50,000<\/li><li><strong>Social or human services, or public administration: <\/strong>$30,001\u2012$40,000<\/li><li><strong>Science or mathematics:<\/strong> $30,001\u2012$40,000<\/li><li><strong>Liberal arts:<\/strong> $30,001\u2012$40,000<\/li><li><strong>Law or legal studies:<\/strong> $30,001\u2012$40,000<\/li><li><strong>Computer science or information technology:<\/strong> $30,001\u2012$40,000<\/li><li><strong>Audio, broadcasting, multimedia, or graphic technologies: <\/strong>$30,001\u2012$40,000<\/li><li><strong>Administrative support:<\/strong> $30,001\u2012$40,000<\/li><li><strong>Accounting, finance, insurance, or real estate: <\/strong>$30,001\u2012$40,000<\/li><li><strong>Fine arts or music<\/strong>: $20,001\u2012$30,000<\/li><li><strong>Education: <\/strong>$20,001\u2012$30,000<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors of the report explain that many certificate and associate\u2019s degree programs are directly linked to career paths. In fact, roughly 94 percent of certificates and 57 percent of associate\u2019s degrees are awarded in career\u2012oriented fields, according to the report.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This direct career pathway is a big part of the reason certificate and associate\u2019s degree programs pay off.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In one example, workers who report being employed in a job related to their certificate program or associate\u2019s degree report higher median earnings \u2012\u2012 between $40,001 and $50,000 \u2012\u2012 than those who are working in an unrelated job \u2012\u2012 between $20,001 and $30,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, of course, some students opt to use a certificate or an associate\u2019s degree as a stepping stone to furthering their education and, in turn, their income. Those who pursue associate\u2019s degrees in liberal arts or general studies, for example, often end up transferring to a bachelor\u2019s degree program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notably, a bachelor\u2019s degree remains the gold standard for earnings and stable employment throughout one\u2019s life. But, this research proves it is not the only ticket to economic success.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This information is particularly reassuring for those who\u2019ve experienced financial setbacks amid the COVID\u201219 pandemic. Community colleges in the United States cost an average of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aacc.nche.edu\/research-trends\/fast-facts\/\">$3,730<\/a> a year. And in some states, including New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee, free community college is already an option.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on what students opt to study, certificates and associate\u2019s degrees may be a better investment than a bachelor\u2019s degree.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After graduating high school, students are often encouraged to attend a four\u2012year college or university. They\u2019re told that a bachelor\u2019s degree, albeit expensive, is their ticket to sustained financial security.&nbsp; And while that remains true, a 2020 report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce suggests a bachelor\u2019s degree is not the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":46329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[647,661,335,6,230,664,229],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic","category-ace-college","category-georgetown-university","category-student-advocacy","category-news","category-study-tips-school-hacks","category-lead-stories"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/certificate.jpg",830,533,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/certificate-224x144.jpg",224,144,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/certificate-300x193.jpg",300,193,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/certificate.jpg",830,533,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/certificate.jpg",830,533,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/certificate.jpg",830,533,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/certificate.jpg",830,533,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Jackson Schroeder","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/author\/jackson-schroeder\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"After graduating high school, students are often encouraged to attend a four\u2012year college or university. They\u2019re told that a bachelor\u2019s degree, albeit expensive, is their ticket to sustained financial security.&nbsp; And while that remains true, a 2020 report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce suggests a bachelor\u2019s degree is not the&hellip;","featured_media_src_url":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/certificate.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}