- Junior Roles
- More Negotiating Leverage
- Higher Potential for Future Tuition Reimbursement
- Formal Training
- Professional Networking
Since higher education is one of the most common starting points for many professional careers, is comes as no surprise that there are many reasons to pursue an associate’s degree in web development. Some of the most common ones include better starting positions, higher pay, and invaluable market exposure.
Junior Roles
An associate’s degree in web development is based on two years of education following the completion of a high school program. The number of credits that you will need to go through is usually 60 and splits into four long semesters. Upon completion, you are going to be eligible for many junior web development roles that other candidates have to work up to. This means that the starting salary will be higher than the salary of web developers who entered the workforce without any education. Not to mention the increased responsibilities, leadership, and exciting projects that you will be exposed to.
More Negotiating Leverage
Although salary is one of the most important factors when accepting a new job, there are many other things that have to be considered. According to Forbes, everything from basic vacation time to schedule flexibility is subject to change based on employer-employee negotiation. With an associate’s degree in web development, you will carry more leverage that helps make it much easier for the employer to compromise with you. While you may not be able to get everything that you ask for, the said leverage will certainly come in very handy.
Higher Potential for Future Tuition Reimbursement
After acquiring an associate’s degree, you will be just two years away from a bachelor’s degree. Since many employers want their workers to have a background that includes four years of higher education, it is not uncommon for them to offer tuition reimbursement. This is especially true for junior web developers who only need two out of the full four years to get the bachelor’s degree. That way, the employer will be able to pay much less than they would have to in case of workers who have no college experience at all.
Formal Training
One of the most important perks of an associate’s degree in web development is the fact that it requires formal training. Although most college classes focus on the theoretical side of things, students of web development will get to do real-life exercises. That type of experience is one of the best forms of formal training as it takes place in front of a qualified professor who can provide meaningful feedback. Not to mention that the coursework in web development encompasses a plethora of versatile topics that will allow you to acquire a ton of knowledge relatively fast.
Professional Networking
Finally, the vast majority of community colleges hold some forms of networking events. Since they do not have the resources that four-year universities possess, these events will not be extremely large. Nonetheless, they will be a perfect venue for future web developers as they can meet potential employers and get to know their fellow students. This will jump-start the process of building a solid book of contacts that can be revisited in times of group projects or internships. It is also an outstanding opportunity to perfect your communication skills.
Conclusion
Before making a final decision on whether you should go through a two-year program to obtain your associate degree, you should consider all of the above. In addition, you have to account for the time and financial expenses that are directly connected to these studies. Only then will you be able to properly gauge if the benefits of an associate’s degree in web development exceed the marginal costs.
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