Pro Con Getting your AA before transfering

experience through an associate degree builds good credit and a stable financial future.

The median earnings of associate’s degree holders during their careers is about $259,000 more than for high school graduates, according to the Nexus Research and Policy Center and the American Institutes for Research (AIR).

An associate degree can make it manageable to form a savings account and build resume experience.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, of the 2010-11 associate degree earners who went on to earn a bachelor’s degree, two-thirds did so within three years of earning their associate degree. The mean number of years from associate to bachelor’s degree completion was 2.8.

In other words, students pursuing an associate degree are more likely to graduate quicker than their nondegree classmates. Getting the degree puts students at an advantage in academic progress and helps get them through college in a timelier manner.

It goes to show attaining an associate degree will form dubious opportunities for achievement and attainment. The student can confidently say they have not just one, but two degrees hanging on their wall which in fact do hold value.

NICHOLAS MARTINEZ Reporter @roundupnews

Completing the minimum and achieving more. When attending community college, transferring should always be the main goal, and the less time spent doing so is the most advantageous. With that being said, if obtaining an Associates of Arts degree was mandatory to transfer, it would then cost more valuable resources such as time and money.

The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, or IGETC, is the series of classes a student can complete to finish up the freshman to sophomore year of general education, to transfer to most UC’s. The IGETC consists of 11 courses and 34 units for completion with a 2.0 grade average or higher.

If a student take 12 units per semester, they can easily finish within 4 semesters. With the cost per unit at 46 dollars, the total cost for all 11 courses would be 1,564 dollars at Pierce College.

For those not eligible for student aid, this will most likely be the least amount of money you would need to spend - effectively saving both money and time..

In order to obtain an associates degree, the student must complete the mandatory 60 unit transfer minimum, while also completing courses listed specifically towards a chosen major. Completing these courses would double the time and money compared to completing the IGETC. Without having to bother with getting an AA degree, one would save the most resources, which could be used toward earning a bachelor's degree at a university . Thus said they would be on the most optimal path for their education.

Overall earning an AA degree is almost useless when compared to higher level education.

According to an article on AEI, writers Mark Schneider and Matthew SIgelman wrote, “Every year, around 670,000 students earn associate degrees from community colleges yet only about 32,000 job postings in 2016 specifically asked for an associate of arts (A.A.) degree,” Schneider and Sigelman said. “Five years after graduation, A.A. degree holders earn on average less than $40,000 per year.”

Overall, obtaining an Associates of Arts degree should not be mandatory to transfer. An AA’s cost, effort, and effectiveness in the job market makes it another obstacle in a student’s educational career.

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