Associate's degrees can be earned within two years when attending school full-time. Some programs shorten this time line to as little as a year and a half when you take summer courses. With an associate's degree, a student can learn the fundamentals of a specific major and use this to find entry-level employment without a long duration of schooling.
Credits from an associate's degree program can be transferred to a bachelor's program if you would like to continue education. Some institutions that primarily offer associate's degree programs team with other colleges or universities to make the transfer process easier. These programs are often called "2+2" programs. You earn your two-year associate's degree and transfer it into a bachelor's program that requires two additional years. Even without these types of programs, credits can be used to continue education at a later date.
Once you have completed the associate's degree, you could find an interest in a different area. You can use applicable credits to transfer into that program area if you want to continue your education. In some cases, courses that were specific to the major you completed can still be used as elective credits.
Associate's degrees can be used to increase the chances of finding employment. The degree can be used many times for entry-level positions for those joining the workforce. If you are currently working on an associate's degree, it can be a helpful tool to garner a raise or seek new positions within your organization.