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If you are looking to enter the job market quickly, change careers, upgrade your skills, or go to college on a non-standard schedule then getting an associates degree may be the perfect thing.

An Associates Degree is often referred to as a two-year degree because it usually takes about half as long to complete as a regular Bachelors, or four-year, degree. The main difference between an Associates Degree and the first two years of a Bachelors Degree is that most associate degree programs are more focused on the main topic of the degree, or major. You will spend much more time on your intended subject matter and much less time on getting a "well-rounded" education. This allows you to seek employment related to your newly gained skills much more quickly.

Associates degrees can be obtained from any of over two-thousand different community colleges, universities, and vocational schools nationwide and in a very large variety of specialties, called majors. In general, associates degree programs are easier to get into, are far less expensive, and provide for much more flexible hours than a standard four-year college degree. Associates degrees can be divided into two general types: vocational and academic.

A vocational associate degree is usually offered by community colleges, trade schools and sometimes by the continuing education divisions of major universities. This type of degree is ideal for job changers who may or may not already have a Bachelors Degree in a major that has not fully prepared them for the career path they would like to take. The Associates Degree path is also a good decision for the graduating high-school student whose main interests lie in the service industry or trades; career options as diverse as customer service, auto repair, electronics technology and retail management can be trained for through a vocational associates degree program. The down side of getting a purely vocational degree is that if you wish to upgrade to a standard four-year degree at a regular college or university, you may not be able to transfer all of your educational credits to the new college. One way to avoid this pitfall is to check to see if the college and program you are thinking of attending is accredited by one of the regional accreditation boards that oversee the quality of education in your state or region. You can also check with your local university and see if they would accept the credits obtained by the associates degree program you

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