Best Paying Jobs With a 2 Year Associate Degree

Air Traffic Controller
Average Income: $137,380
Degree Needed: Associate Degree from an AT-CTI Program
Projected Growth: 3% About as fast as average

Air traffic controllers coordinate aircraft movement. Responsibilities include monitoring aircraft on the ground and in the air, directing movements, controlling all ground traffic in airports and on taxiways, issuing landing and takeoff instructions, transferring control of departing flights to other controllers, informing pilots about the weather, and alerting airport response staff during aircraft emergencies.

Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment
Average Income: $60,670
Degree Needed: Associate Degree in Biomedical Technology or Engineering
Projected Growth: 18% - Much faster than average

Field service engineers for medical equipment install, maintain, and repair equipment used for patient care. Responsibilities generally include testing and calibrating equipment, repairing and replacing parts, performing preventative maintenance, keeping repair records, reviewing technical manuals, attending training, explaining how to operate medical equipment, and managing equipment replacement.

Radiation Therapist
Average Income: $98,300
Degree Needed: Associate Degree in Radiation Therapy
Projected Growth: 3% About as fast as average

Radiation therapists administer radiation treatments to combat cancer and other diseases in patients. Responsibilities generally include explaining treatment plans, answering patient questions, protecting patients from improper radiation exposure, determining exact treatment locations, calibrating and operating machinery, monitoring patient treatment responses, and keeping detailed medical records. Certification is required in most states.

Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Average Income: $92,500
Degree Needed: Associate Degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology
Projected Growth: -1% 

Nuclear medicine technologists prepare and administer radioactive drugs to patients for imaging and therapeutic purposes. Responsibilities generally include explaining medical procedures, answering patient questions, following safety procedures, protecting patients from unnecessary radiation exposure, monitoring patient reactions, operating imaging equipment, keeping detailed procedure records, and following radiation disposal protocols. Certification is not required, but most technologists become certified.

Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technician
Average Income: $77,830
Degree Needed: Associate Degree in Engineering Technology
Projected Growth: 8% faster than average

Aerospace engineering and operations technicians operate and maintain equipment that develops, tests, produces, and sustains aircraft and spacecraft. Responsibilities generally include meeting with aerospace engineers to discuss procedures, building test facilities, maintaining aircraft systems, making and installing parts, operating computer systems, ensuring compliance with manufacturer requirements, performing test procedures, recording data, installing instruments, and monitoring the systems that go into aircraft and spacecraft.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist
Average Income: $76,020
Degree Needed: Associate Degree in Radiology
Projected Growth: 6% - Faster than average

Magnetic resonance imaging technologists perform imaging examinations, such as x rays, on patients for diagnostic purposes. Responsibilities generally include adjusting and maintaining imaging equipment, following physician orders, preparing patients for procedures, recording medical histories, answering procedural questions, protecting patients, operating computerized equipment, working with physicians to evaluate images, and keeping detailed records. Licensing or certification is required in most states.

Geological and Petroleum Technician
Average Income: $53,440
Degree Needed: Associate Degree in Geoscience, Petroleum, Mining, or a related technology field
Projected Growth: 3% As fast as average

Geological and petroleum technicians support scientists and engineers as they explore and extract natural resources. Responsibilities generally include installing and maintaining laboratory and field equipment, gathering samples, conducting scientific tests on samples, recording data from tests, compiling information for reports, and preparing maps that can identify geological characteristics in areas with valuable resources.

Registered Nurse
Average Income: $86,070
Degree Needed: Associate Degree in Nursing
Projected Growth: 6% Faster than average

Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, as well as provide education to patients about health conditions. They may also provide emotional support to patients and their families. Responsibilities generally include assessing patient conditions, recording medical histories, observing patient symptoms, administering treatments, establishing patient care plans, consulting with doctors, operating medical equipment, performing diagnostic tests, teaching patients and family members about illness management, and explaining discharge instructions. Licensing is required in all states.

Nuclear Technician
Average Income: $101,740
Degree Needed: Associate Degree in Nuclear Science, Nuclear Technology, or a related field
Projected Growth: -6%

Nuclear technicians work in the nuclear energy production industry operating special equipment or assisting physicists, engineers, and other research professionals. Responsibilities generally include monitoring the performance of equipment used in nuclear power generation, measuring radiation levels and types, instructing personnel on radiation safety procedures, maintaining radiation monitoring equipment, and collecting air, water, and soil samples.

Web Developer
Average Income: $92,750
Degree Needed: Associate Degree in Web Design or a related field
Projected Growth: 8% Faster than average

Web developers design and create websites. This process includes managing website performance and capacity, as well as generating all necessary site content. Responsibilities generally include meeting with clients to discuss needs, creating and testing applications, writing code, utilizing HTML or XML languages, determining what information the site will contain, working with graphic designers to create a viable layout, integrating website aspects, and monitoring traffic.

Dental Hygienist
Average Income: $87,530
Degree Needed: Associate Degree in Dental Hygiene
Projected Growth: 9% - Much faster than average

Dental hygienists clean and examine patients’ teeth, as well as provide education about proper oral healthcare. Responsibilities generally include removing tartar and plaque from teeth, applying protective sealants and fluorides, taking dental x-rays, assessing patient health, developing patient treatment plans, documenting care, and providing people with helpful oral hygiene techniques.