In short, if your career aspirations lie in healthcare, business, criminal justice, or computer technology, there really is no downside to earning an associate degree. Even if you decide you need or want to earn a bachelor's degree a few years down the road, many of your credit hours accumulated while earning your associate degree from an accredited school and program will transfer over to your bachelor's program, reducing the number of credit hours and courses you'll need to graduate. Depending on your career goals, an associate degree may be the perfect place to start.