Education can be expensive, but it has great value beyond money. A well-rounded education teaches you more than just how to do a job. It teaches you life skills, appreciation for the sciences, art, music and nature, and how to be a more informed and productive member of society. (It also teaches you why those things matter.)
But education costs money, and recent student-loan forgiveness does little to help future college students avoid the burden of costly debt.
The cost of a bachelor’s degree at a four-year institution now averages $16,647 a year for tuition and fees, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. But the cost of an associate degree tuition and fees averages $3,621 a year.
So a two-year degree can cost you less than $7,300 (not including room and board) but a four-year degree could cost you over $66,500. You’d also spend two more years not earning a salary. Factor in the student-loan interest over time, that can add up to a lot of money.
The median weekly earnings for someone holding an associate degree is $938 (or $48,776 a year) while a bachelor’s degree is $1,305, or $67,860 a year, according to the BLS.
Statistics do show that over their lifetime, those with bachelor’s degrees earn more--but it can depend on the job.
Having some postsecondary education, even without earning any degree, adds nearly a quarter of a million dollars to lifetime earnings, according to a report by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. Getting an associate degree adds a bump of nearly $200,000 in lifetime earnings.
And about 28% of workers with associate degrees earn more than the median earnings of workers with bachelor’s degrees, the report says.
Some low-paying college majors, such as fine arts or family & consumer sciences, pay median salaries of $38,000 to $32,000, respectively. That's well below the median $67,860 for all bachelor's holders.
So which are the high paying jobs for an associate degree?
We searched the BLS to create this list of jobs that pay more than $60,000 a year and only require an associate degree. Three of them pay more than $80,000. The list includes 2021 median pay, projected growth rates through 2031, and how much (if any) on-the-job training is required. (Don't forget, on-the-job training pays you to learn.) We also added three jobs at the end that only require a high-school diploma that pay over $60,000 and even over $80,000 a year.
Air Traffic Controllers
- Training: Long-term on-the-job training
- Projected number of new jobs: 0 to 999
- Projected growth rate: Little or no change
- 2021 median pay: $80,000 or more
Nuclear Technicians
- Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Projected number of new jobs: Declining
- Projected growth rate: Decline
- 2021 median pay: $80,000 or more
Radiation Therapists
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 1,000 to 4,999
- Projected growth rate: As fast as average
- 2021 median pay: $80,000 or more
Nuclear Medicine Technologists
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 0 to 999
- Projected growth rate: Slower than average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Dental Hygienists
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 10,000 to 49,999
- Projected growth rate: Faster than average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 10,000 to 49,999
- Projected growth rate: Much faster than average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 1,000 to 4,999
- Projected growth rate: As fast as average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Funeral Home Managers
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 1,000 to 4,999
- Projected growth rate: As fast as average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 0 to 999
- Projected growth rate: As fast as average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Avionics Technicians
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 1,000 to 4,999
- Projected growth rate: As fast as average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: Declining
- Projected growth rate: Little or no change
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Computer Network Support Specialists
- Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Projected number of new jobs: 10,000 to 49,999
- Projected growth rate: As fast as average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Hydrologic Technicians
- Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Projected number of new jobs: 0 to 999
- Projected growth rate: Little or no change
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 1,000 to 4,999
- Projected growth rate: Slower than average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Respiratory Therapists
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 10,000 to 49,999
- Projected growth rate: Much faster than average
- $60,000 to $79,999
Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 10,000 to 49,999
- Projected growth rate: Much faster than average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Electrical and Electronics Drafters
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 0 to 999
- Projected growth rate: Little or no change
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Radiologic Technologists and Technicians
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 10,000 to 49,999
- Projected growth rate: As fast as average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Physical Therapist Assistants
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 10,000 to 49,999
- Projected growth rate: Much faster than average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 1,000 to 4,999
- Projected growth rate: As fast as average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 0 to 999
- Projected growth rate: Slower than average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: Declining
- Projected growth rate: Decline
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers
- Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Projected number of new jobs: 0 to 999
- Projected growth rate: As fast as average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Architectural and Civil Drafters
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: Declining
- Projected growth rate: Little or no change
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Calibration Technologists and Technicians
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 0 to 999
- Projected growth rate: As fast as average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 1,000 to 4,999
- Projected growth rate: Slower than average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Mechanical Drafters
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: Declining
- Projected growth rate: Decline
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
Here are three more occupations that pay more than $60,000 and only require a high-school diploma or equivalent.
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
High school diploma or equivalent
- Training: None
- Projected number of new jobs: 10,000 to 49,999
- Projected growth rate: Faster than average
- 2021 median pay: $80,000 or more
Subway and Streetcar Operators
High school diploma or equivalent
- Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Projected number of new jobs: 0 to 999
- Projected growth rate: As fast as average
- 2021 median pay: $80,000 or more
Flight Attendants
High school diploma or equivalent
- Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Projected number of new jobs: 10,000 to 49,999
- Projected growth rate: Much faster than average
- 2021 median pay: $60,000 to $79,999
