Will it be counterproductive to go for an associates degree if I already have a bachelor's degree?

Question

I have a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, Business Admin. from a pretty decent university, however, I have just decided to become a Nurse (obtaining an associate's degree from a technical college). So what I'll probably end up with is two bachelor degrees. Can anyody give me some advice on whether the route I'm taking is counterproductive?

Answer 1

It's not counterproductive, but you may want to check out whether a registered nurse program at a college might be a better value. If a 4-yr college will give you credit for 2+ years of general ed, maybe you can get a BS in nursing instead of the AS in the same time, which may be worth more financially when looking for jobs. A nursing + business degree with Soc should make you very desirable for admin positions. Great career plan.

Answer 2

Since the associate's degree you want to get (nursing) is in an entirely different field than the bachelor's degree you already have (sociology/business), it is not counterproductive to get an associate's after the bachelor's. That said, given that you already have a bachelor's, there do exist some programs that will accept one into a master's even with a bachelor's in a different field.

Answer 3

The technical college won't give you a bachelor's degree, so you would have to transfer. You might want to check with the school you plan to transfer to to make sure that you need to do the associate's degree first. It may be that your prior bachelor's degree would count toward your general education courses, and you could move right into the requirements for the major there and finish in two years or so.

Answer 4

Since you already have a B.S. Degree, I don't see why you would have to obtain an Associates Degree (which is basically a 2 year degree versus your 4 year degree). Have you contacted nursing schools, or perhaps hospitals where you might want to work to see if they have an alternative nursing program? I would try this approach first before registering for an Associates Degree program.

Answer 5

Since you want to change career direction, you need to get the education that is required. If you can get two year's worth of the courses you need at the community college level, that will probably save you a lot of money. Since you already have a bachelor's degree, be sure to check with the college to see if you can use any of the courses you have already taken to satisfy the requirements for your new career path. Good luck!