Top Insurance Jobs You Can Get With an Associate Degree
Decades of study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics have shown that people who have more education tend to make more money. But that doesn’t mean you need to earn a doctorate to find a high paying job. An associate degree can pave the way to a number of high paying jobs and rewarding career paths.
But what jobs you can get with an associate degree? In some industries, there aren’t many opportunities. In others, your opportunities are almost limitless. By looking more closely at a few examples from the insurance industry, you can quickly develop a better sense of the diverse range of careers that an associate degree can help you access. We’ll also show you some of the highest paying jobs you can get with an associate degree.
What is an Associate Degree?
An associate degree is a two-year degree. Similar to a four-year bachelor’s degree, students with an associate degree will have a specific area of study or focus -- often called a major.
Many employers prefer job candidates with degrees, but don’t necessarily care what the applicant studied, unless their degree has a direct relationship to the job. If a job requires study in a particular discipline, an associate degree can help applicants compete with people who have a bachelor’s degree.
Compared to a four-year degree, you can complete an associate degree in half the time and with roughly half the expense. Should you end up deciding to continue your education at some point, having an associate degree puts you in a great position to do so. So what can you do with an associate degree?
Highest Paying Insurance Jobs with an Associate Degree
The insurance industry provides a particularly good example of the kind of diverse job opportunities are available for people with an associate’s degree. Because not only are there many different types of work, requiring many different types of talents, but these jobs tend to pay around the same as positions you might get with a four-year degree.
Insurance Agent
Accidents happen -- and being unprepared makes them worse. Insurance agents help match people with the insurance most suited to their needs. That includes everything from inspecting property to interviewing customers and selling policies. Insurance agents earn an average salary of $35,000 per year, but are often able to increase their earnings with strong performance.
Claims Adjuster
If some disaster happens and an insurance claim was filed, a claims adjuster helps to determine how those claims should be handled. They might visit damaged property, talk to witnesses, consult experts, or otherwise research the situation to come to a judicious conclusion. Claims adjusters earn a highly respectable average annual income of $49,000.
Claims Examiner
Claims examiners document claims through computer systems. They also work to resolve more complex claims, the type which require a more thorough analysis. Examiners spend much of their time working independently, but their job is an essential component of a broader team effort.
For their thoughtful analysis, claims examiners are an excellent example of what you can do with an associate degree, earning an average of $52,000 annually.
Insurance Fraud Investigator
Insurance fraud investigators are essentially crime fighters tasked with reducing the billions of dollars in insurance fraud are filed each year. True to their name, these special investigators look into potentially fraudulent claims to help determine their legitimacy. Insurance fraud investigators make an average of $54,000 annually, ranking it as one of the highest paying jobs with an associate degree right now.
Finding the Best Associate Degree Careers
A list of jobs you can get with an associate degree is too long to post here. Because an associate degree opens a number of doors for you, including many different types of positions in the insurance industry.
Taking the time to learn more about these types of job and investigating the internships that might help you land them, can be incredibly useful for setting yourself apart from other candidates. If you’re interested in taking a closer look at what type of insurance jobs might suit you, be sure to check out our Career Wizard Quiz.