Five Associate's Degrees with Payoff Potential

Check out these five associate's degrees that may lead to career options with high average pay prospects.

By Chris Kyle

Do you want to earn a degree that could help you prep to pursue career prospects that pay?
Earning a bachelor's and/or graduate degree isn't the only path to a career with big earning potential.
According to "The College Payoff: Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings," a 2011 report co-authored by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce and the Lumina Foundation, 28 percent of people with an associate's degree make at least as much as the average bachelor's degree holder.
While there are no guarantees that having a specific degree will lead to a specific career or salary, keep reading to learn more about some paths with the potential for some sweet payback.

#1 Degree - Paralegal Studies

Want to pursue a career in the legal field, but not inclined to study for a bachelor's plus law school? An associate's degree in paralegal studies could offer you a possible return on your investment.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, one common path to preparing to pursue a career as a paralegal is earning an associate's degree in paralegal studies. Already have a bachelor's in an unrelated field? Earning a certificate could also work.
Granted, this isn't the associate's degree to earn if you're uncertain about what profession you want to pursue, as paralegal studies students take classes that prepare them to pursue paralegal careers. In fact, according to the College Board, an educational organization that administers tests like the SAT, you might take courses like civil procedure, ethics, criminal law, and legal research and writing.
Click to Find the Right Paralegal Studies Program.
Potential Payback: As a paralegal, you may help attorneys prep for cases and draft contracts, according to the Department of Labor. It's possible that you may even venture out into the field (a la Erin Brokovich) to gather facts and statements that may be used as evidence in court.
According to the 2011 Georgetown study, the average lifetime income for a paralegal with an associate's degree is $1.7 million. This number covers a 40-year career as a paralegal.
Paralegal Median Annual Wage: $46,730*
Average Wage for Workers in the 10th percentile: $29,390
Average Wage for Workers in the 90th percentile: $75,400

#2 Degree - Accounting

Want to pursue a numbers-oriented degree with the potential to pay you back? Consider earning an associate's degree in accounting.
This type of program could help you qualify for a career as a bookkeeping clerk, says the U.S. Department of Labor, which notes that 25 percent of bookkeeping clerks have an associate's degree or higher.
As for what you'll study...the College Board notes that "accounting majors learn how to gather, record, analyze, interpret, and communicate information about an individual's or organization's financial performance and risks." There's also a good chance you'll learn how to keep the books and record financial transactions.
Click to Find the Right Accounting Program.
Potential Payback: Bookkeeping clerks "often are responsible for some or all of an organization's accounts, known as the general ledger," says the Department of Labor. Duties might include tracking overdue accounts, producing financial statements, and handling payroll.
Over a 40-year career, the 2011 Georgetown study reports bookkeeping clerks with an associate's degree to have an average income of $1.3 million.
Bookkeeping Clerk Median Annual Wage: $34,740*
Average Wage for Workers in the 10th percentile: $21,450
Average Wage for Workers in the 90th percentile: $53,250

#3 Degree - Criminal Justice

Did you enjoy playing cops and robbers as a kid? While earning an associate's degree in criminal justice won't be all fun and games, it could help prepare you to pursue a career seeking law and order.
Education requirements for police officers vary, says the U.S. Department of Labor, but "many agencies require some college coursework or a college degree."
And just what will you study in a criminal justice degree program? According to the College Board, you might take courses in law criminology, victimology, criminal law, and police society. What's more, these courses could help you "explore every aspect of crime, the law, and the justice system."
Click to Find the Right Criminal Justice Program.
Potential Payback: As a police officer, you might find yourself enforcing laws, arresting suspects, and preparing cases and testifying in court, says the Department of Labor.
According to the 2011 Georgetown study, over the course of a 40-year career, police officers with some college have an average lifetime income of $2.2 million. Those with an associate's were listed with an average lifetime income of $2.4 million.
Police Officer Median Annual Wage: $54,230*
Average Wage for Workers in the 10th percentile: $32,080
Average Wage for Workers in the 90th percentile: $84,980

#4 Degree - Graphic Design

Want to earn a degree that could help you prep to pursue creative career opportunities? An associate's in graphic design could help.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, this program could help you prep to go after an entry-level position as a desktop publisher.
As you study, you'll take fun and creative courses that might include graphic design studio, history of graphic design, and typography, notes the College Board, which adds that "graphic design majors learn the design and computer skills necessary to create the look for books, magazines, CD jackets, websites, and more."
Click to Find the Right Graphic Design Program.
Potential Payback: In this career, you'll likely use computer software to design and layout books, brochures, and newsletters for companies and clients, the Department of Labor adds.
The average lifetime income for miscellaneous office and administrative support workers (including desktop publishers) with an associate's degree is $1.5 million, says the 2011 Georgetown study. Note: This covers a typical 40-year career.
Desktop Publisher Median Annual Wage: $36,800*
Average Wage for Workers in the 10th percentile: $21,320
Average Wage for Workers in the 90th percentile: $59,560

#5 Degree - Nursing

If your idea of payoff consists of job opportunities and rewarding work, an associate's degree in nursing might be a good option to consider.
This degree or a diploma in nursing are two educational paths you can take to prepare to pursue a career as a registered nurse (RN), according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
In fact, the College Board notes that "nursing majors train to care for sick and disabled patients and to promote better health," adding that commonly offered courses include mental-health nursing, nutrition, and psychology.
Click to Find the Right Nursing Program.
Potential Payback: As a registered nurse, you might jot down a patient's medical history and symptoms, provide medicine and treatments to patients, and set up care plans.
According to the 2011 Georgetown study, over a 40-year career, the average lifetime income for RNs with an associate's degree is $2.3 million.
Registered Nurse Median Annual Wage: $65,950*
Average Wage for Workers in the 10th percentile: $44,970
Average Wage for Workers in the 90th percentile: $96,630

Source: Yahoo

7 Tips for Casting Away Interview Jitters

 

By Arnie Fertig

"What if I bomb in my job interview next week?" is a common fear. The anticipation of being sized-up for a role you covet can cause big-time jitters. Your concern, when allowed to grow unchecked, can in turn cause interview failure.
Recognizing and acknowledging your anxieties is the first step to dealing with them and paving the way for your success. Here are seven tips for tackling job interview jitters:
1. Remember who you are. Sure, you're a job hunter and that puts you in a position of some vulnerability. But don't let that be your predominating identity. First and foremost, think of yourself as a professional person. You might be an engineer, teacher, salesperson or whatever else. At this moment in time, you just happen to be looking for a new employment status. Don't let "job hunter" become your primary identity.
2. Remember why you are being interviewed. There is a very good reason why you have gained the opportunity to interview: Someone in authority has looked at your credentials and imagined that you might well be a good fit for the role you seek.
You have a right to be in the interview because you earned it. You present value to the other person and his or her company. Rather than being intimidated, feel validated for what you have done so far.
3. Remember the interviewer's needs. The very fact of a job opening's existence points to some problem confronting an employer. Something isn't getting done, and that hampers the company from fulfilling its goals. Every day that the problem isn't on its way to being solved with a new hire, it can fester and make life more uncomfortable for the hiring authority.
Your interviewer is meeting with you to learn more about you, and chances are good he or she hopes that you represent the answer to the employer's problems.
4. Remember that you are the ultimate expert on yourself. You enter an interview with a certain amount of authority. You alone possess certain facts. Your task is to share that self-knowledge in a way that portrays you as the answer to the employer's problem. You don't need to do it with haughtiness. You do need to present the facts that one by one build and bolster your case.
If you take the time to reflect about your work history and well prepare, you can enter any interview with a significant measure of self-confidence.
5. Anticipate what you might encounter, and rehearse how you will deal with it. Articles and books abound to help you anticipate many of the questions you are likely to encounter. You can minimize your fear of the situation by practicing out loud how you would respond. Above all, be prepared for the almost invariable first question: "Tell me about yourself."
6. What's the worst thing that can happen? Often, people are fearful, without figuring out why or what could really go wrong. In a job interview, the worst outcome is most likely that you won't get the job.
But step back from that a moment. Yes, it really might be the ideal opportunity that you've dreamed about. But, chances are also good that it isn't the only job for which you can be considered, and that other opportunities currently exist or will show up. The way the world works, no job is likely to ever be the last job to post in a given field or location.
If you re-frame the "worst" outcome, you can de-mystify its negative effects. Even if you bomb the interview, it can be a learning experience. You can then figure out what you might have done better. That insight coupled with corrective measures can put you in an even better position for success the next time. Just maybe "the worst" isn't catastrophic.
When you de-mystify the importance of any given interview, you can treat it with the seriousness it deserves, but avoid paralyzing fear that can itself cause failure.
7. Give yourself permission to succeed. It is important to envision what success would look like. Imagine yourself in your new role. Think about what you would hope to accomplish in the first day, month, six months and year. Imagine that you already have the job, and begin to make a plan for how you would handle your responsibilities and meet your new goals.
When you can visualize yourself as a success, you can enable your interviewer to see you that way as well. And when that happens, you boost your chances of getting the job.
To be sure, there is a lot to be fearful about as a job hunter. Yet when you begin to identify and deal with your fears, you enable yourself to put them to rest. And when you envision your success, you can create the self-fulfilling prophecy that leads to your next paycheck.
Happy hunting!

Source: Yahoo

Paying for Your Child's College Education: A Timeline

 

By Geoff Williams 

Earlier this year, the Federal Advisory Council, a group of bankers that advise the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, warned that the growth in student loan debt has "parallels to the housing crisis."
Housing has rebounded, but student loan debt doesn't seem poised for the same fate. The average cost to attend an in-state public college for the 2012-2013 academic year was $22,261, and that doesn't include housing, meals and various fees. And that's just one year - multiply it by the traditional four years of college, and you get $89,044. If you have two kids, multiply that four-year degree by two ($178,088), and you can see how parents can spend almost two decades struggling to save up for college, and when they can't, how their kids can spend years paying back loans.
Obviously, saving money earlier rather than later is the key to successfully paying for college. So if you haven't started saving, or if you're having a baby and wondering how to pay for your future college graduate's education, here's a timeline of reminders and strategies to consider as the years go by.
 For those who are expecting a baby, or if your baby just arrived...
The situation ahead: You have 18 years before your little one goes to college, so if you're thinking about paying for college along with cribs, smart move. In Kal Chany's book, "Paying for College Without Going Broke," published last year with a forward written by former President Bill Clinton, Chany looked at inflation rates and concluded that by 2030 - when a newborn today will be 17 and applying for college - the average price for a state university will probably be $41,228 a year. The average price for a private university: $130,428 a year.

What you should be doing right now: "Set up a 529 plan, and save as much as you can," urges Kevin Michaelsen, director of financial assistance at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C. "Encourage grandparents and relatives to start saving in separate 529 plans too."
The 529 is attractive because the money in the account accumulates, tax-deferred, and no income tax is taken when the funds are withdrawn, providing the expenses are actually for college (i.e., tuition, fees and supplies).
More to consider: You can find and put money into these 529 plans with a few clicks on a computer. One of the best directories is SavingforCollege.com, where you can see if your state offers a state income-tax deduction or income-tax credit on your contributions (49 states and the District of Columbia have 529 plans; Wyoming doesn't). You can put your money in any state's 529.
There are other college saving vehicles such as the Coverdell Education Savings Account, which allows no more than $2,000 a year to be contributed to the account. Still, the 529 is by far the most popular way to save for college.
If your child is 6 years old...
The situation ahead: Age 6 is arbitrary; the larger point is that one-third of your time to save for your child's college education has passed. Still, you have 12 years - no need to panic.
What you should be doing right now: "Really, all the things you do for a newborn versus an older child, it's all the sort of same things you would do when they're younger, but you have a shorter time horizon, so you need to put more away," advises Richard Polimeni, the director of education savings programs at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the corporate and investment banking division of Bank of America.
In other words, if you haven't opened a 529, this would be a good time.
More to consider: If you have been socking away money into a 529, but feel you should put away more, Michaelsen suggests: "Since your student is at school-age now, try to save the amount you paid for preschool or day care expenses, and put that in the plan."
If your child is 12 years old...
The situation ahead: You only have six years to save for your child's college education. It isn't too late, even if your child is a bit older than 12, but the older he or she gets, "the advantage of tax-deferred growth in these savings is diminished," says Rick Scott, an associate professor of finance at Saint Leo University's Donald R. Tapia School of Business in Saint Leo, Fla.
What you should be doing right now: Hopefully you've been putting money into a 529 plan for some time now. If so, keep doing it.
"If you haven't, set up an automatic withdrawal from your checking account every month," Polimeni suggests. "After a couple pay periods, you sort of won't feel its absence any longer."
More to consider: There are fees associated with 529s, like the program management fee, which takes less than 1 percent of the savings each year. You could instead opt to put money into a custodial account reserved in your child's name, but those are subject to taxes, and when your kid comes of age, he or she could technically use it for whatever he or she wants - like buying a motorcycle.
If your child is 18...
The situation ahead: It's almost time, and you've saved ... virtually nothing. Don't beat yourself up. That won't help your child, and life is expensive and difficult; not everyone can put money away. Start researching loans and scholarships.

What you should be doing right now: As for loans, you can complete a free application for federal student aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov, and if the university requires it, a College Scholarship Service financial aid profile application. Both give lenders information to determine your eligibility for financial aid.
"Limit your scholarships applications to those that you have the best chance at," Michaelsen says. "Often, those are state and regional ones. Focus your search on organizations, churches and groups that you have a personal involvement or connection. Don't forget to ask employers about scholarships."
Michaelsen also suggests asking the college about payment plans, which are often interest-free.
More to consider: When an educational institution determines your financial aid based on your needs, your assets aren't created equal, Scott points out. He says if you have $300,000 worth of stocks, bonds or CDs, which perhaps you were planning on using for retirement, you are going to have a tougher time getting money. But if that same $300,000 has been parked in an actual retirement account, or you have $300,000 in home equity, that's another story; the money won't be used against you when determining need-based financial aid.

"The reasoning here is that a parent should not have to sell their home, take a second mortgage or plunder their own retirement account to pay for college," Scott says.

That is logical, but much of the way money is allocated to college students isn't. Of course, one wouldn't want to punish a penniless high school student who aspires to go to college but doesn't have parents who support that goal. But as Scott says, "We have a financial aid system that punishes those that save for their child's college and rewards those that do not. Colleges take into account how much you've saved for college when they are awarding need-based financial aid and loans. If you save more, you get less."

Source: Yahoo