The value of an associate degree
By Daily Staff
Published April 11, 2016
CHICAGO — Associate-degree holders lag slightly behind those with bachelor’s degrees in well-being and in having “good jobs,” but they are just as likely to strongly agree that their education was worth the cost, according to a new survey.
The Gallup-USA Funds survey of 2,548 adults whose highest level of education is an associate degree looked at areas of employment, quality of life and experiences at their colleges. It paints a mixed picture and sheds light on where community colleges are serving students well and where improvements are needed.
For example, nearly half of associate-degree holders currently work full time in “good jobs,” which are associated with higher productivity and well-being. Still, that lags behind peers with baccalaureates, 56 percent of whom have good jobs.
The survey also polled degree holders on their job engagement and their interest in their jobs. Thirty-five percent of those with associate degrees said they were "engaged" in their jobs, compared to 38 percent among baccalaureate-degree holders. Sixteen percent said they were intellectually and emotionally disconnected and unhappy with their jobs.
Higher engagement can lead to a “more productive and flat-out a better employee,” said Brandon Busteed, executive director of education and workforce development at Gallup. Busteed presented the survey results at a session during the American Association of Community Colleges annual convention.
The survey also shows that adults with associate degrees were more likely than their bachelor's degree peers to be deeply interested in their jobs and said the jobs are ideal for them.
Not aligned
Although most associate and bachelor’s degree holders said their current jobs are somewhat related to their education, the survey indicates that 35 percent of employed associate-degree holders noted that their jobs are not related to their education, compared to about 30 percent employed bachelor’s-degree recipients.
Still, these adults see their degree as a valuable investment. Forty-six percent of associate-degree holders — compared to 45 percent of their baccalaureate peers — strongly agree that their education was worth the cost.
“Graduates leaving with high-quality experiences will feel their education was worth the cost,” Busteed said.
Life, ed experiences
The survey also looked at degree holders’ life quality. Associate-degree holders slightly lag behind baccalaureate holders in five areas of well-being: purpose, social, financial, community and physical. Just 7 percent of associate-degree holders and 9 percent of bachelor’s-degree holders are thriving in all five. The largest gap for those with associate degrees is in the area of financial well-being.
The report noted that more telling is that 31 percent of those with associate degrees are not thriving in any of the areas, compared to 20 percent of baccalaureate holders.
Well-being may sound like a “nice thing to measure,” but it’s actually a “critical element,” Busteed said. It’s an important economic indicator for a country. Also, “as well-being goes up, health care costs go down,” he added.
Connecting with instructors
Associate-degree holders are more likely (30 percent) than their peers with bachelor’s degrees to strongly agree that their professors or instructors cared about them as people. Connecting with instructors is an indicator that institutions “place value on classroom teaching and mentoring,” Busteed said.
They were about equally as likely to strongly agree that they had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their goals and dreams. Fifty-six percent also strongly agree that they had a professor or instructor who made them excited about learning.
When looking at program-specific rates, associate-degree holders who studied education or health care noted higher levels of support and had more opportunities for experiential learning, which included long-term projects and hands-on learning. This is something that should be happening across all areas of study, said presenter Carol D’Amico, executive vice president of national engagement and philanthropy at USA Funds.
“This is a challenge to consider,” she said.
Another challenge comes when looking at associate-degree holders’ view of bachelor’s degrees. Seventy-two percent said they’ve considered enrolling in a four-year degree-granting program, but there’s a low number of people getting that degree.
It’s an indication that the “bachelor’s degree pathway is not smooth enough for a working adult,” D’Amico said.
This news article is reprinted from Community College Daily at:
# # # # # #
31,509
31,509
No comments:
Post a Comment