Personally, I believe the Associate of Applied Science degrees are some of the most powerful programs a person can study! In this economic downturn, there are thousands of graduates with bachelors degrees and higher that are unemployed. Many Associate of Applied Science programs offer technical skills that, "put food on the table". In the present climate, I commend you for thinking strategically! Programs such as: Aviation Mechanic Respiratory Therapy Nursing Auto Mechanics X-ray technician and dozens of others! By the way, I hold two associates degrees one in nursing and the other in aircraft maintenance. Always have held a job and paid off my student loans in a jiffy!
I have an AAS in Aviation Operations (Air Force). It has done me well. When I left active duty a couple of employers did mention it.
I received my AAS in Occupational Therapy in 1990, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I received an A.A.S. from the Community College of the Air Force, but it was after my bachelor's degrees, so it was merely incidental to my career.
Speaking of these, anyone know of an A.A.S. in Occupational Safety and Health via online/distance? A friend is looking to break into the field and he already has a bachelors (unrelated to this field). Seems like an A.A.S. fit, but possibly a grad cert? And yes, I find the A.A.S. to be one of the best degrees you can pursue due to its specific scope. It's a great degree.
There are AAS degrees in such a range of subjects and from such a range of providers that it's very hard to usefully generalize. Delta has a good list of AAS programs likely to be high in value. There are also AASes in less specialized and less high-demand fields; an AAS in Business or Food Service can be a credible and helpul credential, without having nearly the typical yield of an AAS in Respiratory Therapy or Biomedical Engineering Technology. An AAS degree may consist heavily of credits at a "vocational" or "applied" level that may not transfer to a bachelor's degree program at many institutions. An AA or AS degree is more likely to consist of credits that transfer entirely and easily. AAS degrees are also among the most common offered by schools with national accreditation (NA) and not regional accreditation (RA), so outbound credit transfer to continue to a bachelor's program, and acceptance of the degree in some contexts, may suffer; not because the degree is an an AAS but because of its source. Also, some providers of AAS degrees are very low-cost, relatively (community colleges); others can be very high-cost (many for-profit vocational schools).
I have an AOS (same thing) in Culinary Arts from The Culinary Institute of America. Culinary-wise, best degree ever. Trying to move up the academic food chain? Full of barriers. It all depends on your goals.
I have an A.A.S. in Electrical Technology and it landed me a job in operations at a gas refinery. Just know that if you decide to go for a bachelor degree in the future you will need to knock out some general education classes. Also be aware that some schools won’t accept your applied science credits.
Alright thanks for the feed back, I am currently working on Engineering Technology, but have not heard much about it.
