After spending 12 years back-to-back in school, many recent graduates aren’t eager to take on another four-year commitment. Instead, they may be curious about what comes after school: independence, adventure, a career, or another college path.

Deciding between paths is a personal journey, part of which involves comparing whether an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree makes the most sense for you. More and more recent high school graduates are considering an associate’s degree before a bachelor’s for a myriad of reasons, but why?

Let’s unpack the benefits of pursuing an associate degree first, before a bachelor’s degree.

1. Join the workforce quickly

If you’re eager to get out of the classroom and into a paycheck — or out of your childhood bedroom and into your first apartment — that is definitely one of the benefits of getting an associate’s degree before a bachelor’s. You are motivated to wrap up school as soon as possible and be able to work full-time, which offers greater income potential than a high school degree or GED affords you. With an associate degree, you can enter the workforce in just two years’ time, versus waiting four years to complete a bachelor’s degree program.

2. Lower tuition costs

This is perhaps one of the most obvious benefits of getting an associate’s degree before a bachelor’s. Because associate’s degrees take less time and require fewer classroom hours, they’re also less expensive to complete. As far as your bottom line is concerned, whatever you can’t cover with scholarships, grants, and other interest-free funding will be a much smaller amount, therefore easier to pay off with your first full-time job.

Furthermore, those saddled with less debt tend to be more open to pursuing additional educational certifications and opportunities later on, which leads to more doors opening and higher salary opportunities along the way.

3. Build connections sooner

In your first full-time position, you will bridge the gap between teenage schooling and your professional career, building the connections that transform classmates into colleagues and professors into mentors. This is an irreplaceable net that will support you throughout the rest of your academic and professional life, whether you decide to return to school to complete your bachelor’s later on, or continue your career without interruption.

4. Apply classroom knowledge directly

There’s nothing like finally understanding a classroom concept once you have the opportunity to apply it directly in a professional setting. With an associate’s degree, you’ll be in professional environments within a few years of study, as mentioned, meaning you can start putting your professor’s ideas to work in the day-to-day, tweaking their methods to your own in a constantly evolving work environment.

Since there’s a shorter gap between classroom and workplace, these concepts have a great opportunity to take hold and be useful rather than gather dust as your freshman notes in the garage after a lengthy bachelor’s degree program.

Pursue an associate degree at Goodwin University

5. Smaller programs = more attention

A lot of associate programs, like Goodwin’s, have smaller class sizes, not only in lectures and labs, but overall graduation cohorts are smaller, meaning professors have fewer folks to focus on and offer more attention to individual students. These relationships can then grow and support you later, both professionally and academically.

6. Easily transfer later

One way this support comes into play is by making the transfer process more seamless if you choose to pursue a bachelor’s program later in your academic career.

Recommendation letters from old professors, mentors, and colleagues? All in high demand. A smaller associate degree program offers all of the above and sets you up for success should you decide to pursue your bachelor’s, master’s, or even doctorate down the line.

Future opportunities may include further academic pursuits, such as a part-time or online bachelor’s program once you’ve explored your profession and know what you want to learn next.

7. Everyone is welcome

While there are many practical and financial benefits of getting an associate’s degree before a bachelor’s, there’s nothing as beneficial as a welcoming campus and program for building a strong community. Community college campus culture, full of associate degree programs, is a less academically stuffy environment that is open and welcoming to anyone wanting to learn.

Many associate’s degree programs, like those at Goodwin University, for example, run on an open admissions policy, so everyone’s academic future can progress, no matter what your academic past looks like, helping students of all ages acquire high-quality professional training, jobs in high-demand workforces, and onto the many opportunities that await them.

Learn more about associate degree programs at Goodwin University to see if an associate’s is the right first step for you.