Bachelors versus Associates

de3d1

de3d1

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Sep 11, 2013
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Just curious, in general how many more opportunities did you guys get going from your associates to Bachelors? Disregarding specific trades were a BS/BA is required or obvious scenarios.

It seemed for me the difference between having an AS and HS diploma was absolutely nothing. I might as well not even have an AS.

Did you notice a huge increase of opportunities after you graduated, a little more, none?

I remember when I got my AS, well it was my second AS actually. I went in for an interview to be a Veterans employment rep. It was the classic interview scene, two guys outside the office waiting for our interview. He was super nervous, and started talking, turns out he was 22, never worked in his life(parents paid through college) but he had a BS
Me? At that time I had 2 AS degrees, Science and Accounting, 3 years experience as a employment rep before, veteran(this was FOR a veterans rep position), and 9 years work experience were my previous employers basically begged me to stay.
I followed up, and he got the job. No surprise there right?
I called when I got word, and the employers words were literally: "Yeah we liked what you had to offer much more actually, but the bachelors degree is something we just, can't ignore." lol. So thats my experience with it. lol. The 22 year old lasted 4 months there and was fired for being on the phone too much, and I was hired somewhere else.
 
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My conclusion is Human Resources people don't know wtf they're looking for anymore. They pick the noob with the Bachelors to cover their own ass. If he doesn't workout, HR can plead to management that he had a Bachelors Degree and blame his University.

If you saw my Job Hunting thread, I have any Associates in IT Security and it's been awkward as hell trying to get anywhere. I've considered doing 2 more years and I've concluded that it is to damn expensive to double down on more college or go to University.

I like to think the best course of action for me is to get any kind of employment and continue studying independently. I may take additional classes at college to help me, but I have not inclination to bother working toward another Degree. I would like to get in a financial position where I can basically have all the same equipment and skills as the guys in local PC Repair companies until I can prove my proficiency to them and get hired.

Or, I will develop my skills until I can build custom PCs and sell them. Either way, I think that would be a much more rewarding and educational experience that more dull classes.
 
Companies are different. Everyone puts a BS as a requirement, but you can still get you foot in the door some places. More degrees open up more doors, especially just getting an interview. Life ain't fair that's just the way it is. My old boss who hired me right out of my 4 year degree says he's looking for smart people and we'll train the skills.

Working in IT, I learned much more from hands on experience over college. However, that doesn't look as nice on the resume as a degree.
 
Depends on the bachelors...

My poli sci/law and society degree? I knew I had to hustle and get my foot in the door somewhere before graduating so I could start building a rep since the plan was to go to law school and there are a s*** ton of lawyers in CA. very competitive market.

My brothers bachelors in mechanical engineering/computer programing funky hybrid degree? Had jobs being thrown at him before even graduating.

Why didn't you go straight through from your AA to get a bachelors? have plenty of buddies that did their two years a jc and then went 2 years at a uni for their bachelors?
 
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ZombiesRUCrazy said:
Why didn't you go straight through from your AA to get a bachelors? have plenty of buddies that did their two years a jc and then went 2 years at a uni for their bachelors?
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It was healthcare, a crash course in 1 year but counts as an AS. It was unrelated to my original AS.
 
Bachelor degrees are considered the new GEDs. I don't know if you can get in with an associates, but people who do tend to do so with networking influences. Be it a family member, friend, or past co-worker.
 
sharkboy1200 said:
Bachelor degrees are considered the new GEDs. I don't know if you can get in with an associates, but people who do tend to do so with networking influences. Be it a family member, friend, or past co-worker.
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Having studied Cyber Security, I want to save up money, join trade groups, and attend seminars such as DEF-CON. I will have secure the hell out of my laptop if I even turn it on there.
 
Like already said, depends on the field a lot I think. Seems like in my field (Computer Science/Software Dev), you either have a B.S. or you don't have a job.
 
Really depends on the situation. When I was in a position to hire people, if all the qualifications were equal with the B.A./B.S. being the main difference, I was told to hire the B.A. Reason being is that it saved the company money. You don't have to start B.A. at the same pay band as B.S. And when the B.A. is up for promotion, they will be moving up in a lower pay band than a B.S. would have been.

Over time though, experience really starts counting for alot more than the B.S. or B.A. I only have a B.S. but my years of experience have landed me in a position where a master's degree is preferred.
 
Videodrome said:
I have an Associates Degree in IT Security and still hold my Class A CDL. Guess which one got me a job?

Yep, I'm driving again.
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That's probably in part due to the economy. When we hire for what we consider entry level positions in IT, we get people with 5-10 years experience. They've been unemployed, so they're willing to take a cut just to get a paycheck again. Sadly it makes things really tough for the real entry level people to get in the door. IT security is huge right now, but there's still more people than jobs.

When people look at the economy, they look at unemployment, however there's no easy way to measure under-employment.
 
I'm not in IT, but in the business field. So maybe HR and hiring managers work different, but typically the higher the education the better all things equal. Getting your foot in the door (assuming you don't know someone to help you get in quicker) is all about experience first and education second. From there, it's all about personality when the actual interviews happen.

MBAs are big now and peple are getting them more and easier with all the online versions they have. So for many mid level jobs and up, job postings aim high and ask for MBAs. That's not to say BAs and B.Coms won't get in, but it's just another qualification they use to screen people out due to sheer volume of applications.

If possible, aim high for education. But it gets to a point, experience will become a bigger factor. But ultimately, in-person personality wins out when the face to face interviews happen.

There's no magic formula though as every company is different. Some will hire low level people and train them from the ground up. Others look for 5+ years experience minimum because they don't have the time to train newbies. They want people who can act accordingly fast.

Well, whatever happens good luck Videodrome!
 
I'm majoring in Accounting and an AS probably will get you a bookkeeping job (with experience). If you want to get to any decent position (working for somebody else), you need to have at least a bachelors, preferably a Masters, depending on what field you are tying to get in. Even with the company I work for now, you aren't going to get past Assistant Manager without at least a bachelors.

Hiring Managers and HR say that completing a bachelors shows that you have set out and completed a goal, something that can be indicative of what you will be like on the job, experience be damned. It sucks, but that's the way it is.
 
Bubba T said:
I'm majoring in Accounting and an AS probably will get you a bookkeeping job (with experience). If you want to get to any decent position (working for somebody else), you need to have at least a bachelors, preferably a Masters, depending on what field you are tying to get in. Even with the company I work for now, you aren't going to get past Assistant Manager without at least a bachelors.

Hiring Managers and HR say that completing a bachelors shows that you have set out and completed a goal, something that can be indicative of what you will be like on the job, experience be damned. It sucks, but that's the way it is.
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If you're going for accounting, make sure to get designated.
 
I've got 2 Associates. The one in applied science is the one that got me the job. But I'm pretty much stuck being a nurse.
 
I would definitely say Bachelors......I just this week re-enrolled to finish my BBA. I started college in 2003 and obtained my associates in 2005, transferring to a four year school. I only did that for one year and moved back home after switching to a local college. Flash forward to 2009, I got married and we had our first child. I also enlisted into the national guard that year and completely put school on the back burner. With being in the Air Force, I am eligible for a second associates degree through the community college of the air force....I just haven't turned in my transcripts, because it would be in criminal justice, which is totally useless.

In 2011, I was hired as a police officer and have been doing that ever since. For a myriad of reasons, I know that I won't be a cop forever. Whether it's tomorrow or 20 years from now, I will have to change careers. I definitely enjoy what I do, but the pay is not that great. I've had the opportunity in my short time as a police officer to do some really cool things. i.e., without going into too much detail, what's the one job every male thinks would be really "bad ass" ? At the end of the day, I need something else on my resume other than a bunch of otherwise useless skills. I've gained a ton of experience that would be beneficial in any job, but I don't have that one little piece of paper. That's my somewhat long winded two cents....
 
Bubba T said:
Designated? You mean become a CPA? If so, yes that is my plan. I plan on sitting for the exam after I graduate.
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Good call. One of my bros is a designated accountant. I forget which designation, but there's a bunch of them. I'm not sure which one it is, but I think one of them is the best one which is recognized more.

And just about everyone fails the test the first time they take it. My bro did too.
 
TheShocker said:
I would definitely say Bachelors......I just this week re-enrolled to finish my BBA. I started college in 2003 and obtained my associates in 2005, transferring to a four year school. I only did that for one year and moved back home after switching to a local college. Flash forward to 2009, I got married and we had our first child. I also enlisted into the national guard that year and completely put school on the back burner. With being in the Air Force, I am eligible for a second associates degree through the community college of the air force....I just haven't turned in my transcripts, because it would be in criminal justice, which is totally useless.

In 2011, I was hired as a police officer and have been doing that ever since. For a myriad of reasons, I know that I won't be a cop forever. Whether it's tomorrow or 20 years from now, I will have to change careers. I definitely enjoy what I do, but the pay is not that great. I've had the opportunity in my short time as a police officer to do some really cool things. i.e., without going into too much detail, what's the one job every male thinks would be really "bad ass" ? At the end of the day, I need something else on my resume other than a bunch of otherwise useless skills. I've gained a ton of experience that would be beneficial in any job, but I don't have that one little piece of paper. That's my somewhat long winded two cents....
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With a BBA, you can always try to get into business. Most people I know that I've worked with either have business degrees or arts degrees. More technical or protocol heavy business roles like corporate finance will require business degrees, with high level finance often requiring being a chartered accountant. But things like sales and marketing half the people I know have BBAs or college diplomas. It's not always about the numbers and business acumen, but communication skills and how great you are at learning the ropes, since 99% of content in business textbooks doesn't apply to the real world.

A company can always train technical skills and business know how, but they can't train personality.
 
Any thoughts on getting another Associates related to one you already have?

In my case, I got Associates in Cyber Security. I think entry level jobs in IT Security are non-existent and this degree is a big misfire. What if I made a slight lateral move to Web Developer for example? I'm wondering the advantage is I've probably already knocked out many of the classes from Cyber Security.
 
Intellivision said:
Good call. One of my bros is a designated accountant. I forget which designation, but there's a bunch of them. I'm not sure which one it is, but I think one of them is the best one which is recognized more.

And just about everyone fails the test the first time they take it. My bro did too.
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It's probably one of the hardest tests around. I've been told that for tax attorneys that are also CPAs that the exam was harder than taking the bar. I've also been told every time to take the exam soon after I graduate since the material will be fresh in my mind.
 
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