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Healthcare, Technology, Skilled Labor: When Community College Beats University

Associate degrees in fields like healthcare, technology, and skilled labor have higher earning potential than some four-year college degrees.
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Associate degrees in fields like healthcare, technology, and skilled labor have higher earning potential than some four-year college degrees, according to data gathered by Columbia University and the Career Ladders Project in Oakland, California.

The increasing costs of a university education plus the growth of economic sectors that require more vocational training mean that a four-year investment is no longer an automatic ticket to wages that are higher across the board. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, annual salaries can start at $50,000 for students with community college credentials in healthcare, technology, and skilled labor.

Big Think expert Jeff Livingston, who is Senior Vice President of RISe, Readiness and Intervention Solutions, for the McGraw-Hill School Education Group, argues the our current conception of higher education does students a disservice. Many see their options as going to Harvard or working at McDonalds:

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