2-year degrees that go on to the most meaningful jobs – jacksonprogress-argus

2-year degrees that go on to the most meaningful jobs

A third of a lifetime is spent working, making a meaningful career a critical life decision. Having a consequential career is not about monetary gain for many hard-working Americans. On the contrary, it is about making a marked difference in the world. Take, for example, teachers, who shape the minds of future generations. While the entry-level annual salary for teaching is slim compared to other careers, it doesn't stop the thousands who pursue a career in education because they find great purpose in their profession.

Studies also show that those who love their work live longer, which is a priceless consideration when choosing a profession. Balancing out working a meaningful job and making the median full-time wage (around $50,000) can be challenging, but it's possible to live the dream and make a decent living at the same time. Stacker compiled a list of two-year degrees using 2020 data from Payscale on the most meaningful employment. Jobs are ranked by degrees whose graduates report having a high meaning job, with ties broken by highest mid-career pay.

Many of the degree programs and jobs listed are in the health care field, ranging from medical secretarial science to alcohol and drug studies. While some find meaning in providing administrative support, others find daily joy in performing diagnostic tests. All of the jobs listed assist the general public in one way or another, requiring an altruistic attitude.

Money certainly plays a small role in job satisfaction, with seven of the top 10 most meaningful jobs earning mid-career pay above $60,000 per year. Helping others won out over money however, as the top job on the list saw its professionals earn less than $50,000 by the mid-point of their careers.

Continue reading to find out the two-year degrees that go on to the most meaningful jobs.

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- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 74%

- Mid-career median pay: $42,400

- Early career median pay: $27,500

A medical secretary welcomes and processes patients into an office, making the position a key role in health care. Medical secretarial science degree graduates provide administrative support to health care professionals in all settings after being educated in medical clerical work, including managing patient files, health care terminology, processing insurance forms, inpatient and outpatient coding, managing medical databases, medical transcription, and keyboarding.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 75%

- Mid-career median pay: $32,800

- Early career median pay: $26,200

Working in early childhood education offers the opportunity to direct and shape toddlers' and preschoolers' lives during critical formative years. Graduates who complete this two-year degree learn to how to teach young students, including classroom management, instructional techniques, and cognitive, social, and emotional child development.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 75%

- Mid-career median pay: $40,300

- Early career median pay: $24,700

A cosmetologist can lift a client's self-esteem by cutting and styling hair, manicuring nails, and applying makeup. The two-year cosmetology degree entails courses in safety and sanitation, hair and nail care, aesthetics and hair removal, skin science, and salon management. After graduation, some cosmetologists become nursing home beauticians, providing seniors with a smile with some primping.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 75%

- Mid-career median pay: $74,900

- Early career median pay: $66,200

Healthy teeth are directly related to good self-esteem, making dental hygiene fulfilling careers for those who want to help others. After passing the required courses, including oral biochemistry, preventative dental care, periodontal disease, and pharmacology principles, graduates must pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 76%

- Mid-career median pay: $46,100

- Early career median pay: $35,700

As an important member of the dental team, assistants mostly enter the field to help patients achieve healthy smiles. Dental assistants, who can specialize in pediatric dentistry, maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, and dentofacial orthodontics, must pass a 320-question national board exam to gain licensure in order to practice.

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- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 76%

- Mid-career median pay: $51,400

- Early career median pay: $38,800

Closely related to a medical laboratory technician (MLT), a graduate with a degree in medical laboratory technology studies works in a lab setting. Daily job tasks include performing diagnostic tests and recording results and data, in various departments from hospitals to veterinary labs. The specific vocation growth of up to 7% before 2029 shows many prospective students interested in attaining the two-year degree to save lives.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 76%

- Mid-career median pay: $63,400

- Early career median pay: $49,000

A delayed diagnosis for rare diseases can result in death, making radiography a critical role in early detection for 300 million people worldwide who suffer from unusual conditions. Medical imaging graduates, who must study anatomy, medical ethics, patient care, image evaluation, and more, perform tissue and organ scans and test blood flow to detect these and other health issues, including cancer and broken bones.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 76%

- Mid-career median pay: $72,200

- Early career median pay: $54,900

The first line of defense for heart disease is cardiac sonography, with technicians using ultrasound technology to detect abnormalities that save lives when caught early. Due to the continually-changing cutting-edge technology, cardiac sonographers, once certified, must continue their education to read intricate 3D and 4D ultrasounds. They work in hospitals, imaging centers, and doctors offices.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 77%

- Mid-career median pay: $49,800

- Early career median pay: $33,500

An emergency medical technology (EMT) degree teaches graduates the medical life-support techniques to apply in urgent situations. Like paramedics, EMT technicians, who know CPR, wound treatment, and broken bone treatment, are often the first responders on a dangerous scene. To work in the field, EMTs must pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam and complete between 120 and 150 hours of training.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 77%

- Mid-career median pay: $50,100

- Early career median pay: $38,300

Investigating disease and treatment is critical to humankinds health, making this specific profession highly purposeful. Graduates who successfully complete a degree in medical laboratory technology (MLT) perform disease-diagnosing tests. Practicing in the field entails seeking out microorganisms; evaluating chemical matter; and testing drug levels in hospitals, private laboratories, and pharmaceutical research and development facilities.

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- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 77%

- Mid-career median pay: $51,400

- Early career median pay: $32,200

Dental laboratory technology graduates work closely with dentists to design dental prostheses, which improve a patient's smile and lift self-esteem. The two-year degree, which includes classes in ceramics, dentures, implants, orthodontics, and crowns and bridges, teaches graduates how to use computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technologies to fabricate dental prostheses.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 77%

- Mid-career median pay: $54,300

- Early career median pay: $38,400

In the highest level of emergency medical technician (EMT) studies, students in a two-year paramedicine program learn advanced emergency care, comprehensive patient assessments, cardiac life support, medication administration, and airway management and ventilation. To practice as a paramedic, a graduate of the program must become certified as an EMT and Advanced EMT.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 77%

- Mid-career median pay: $66,300

- Early career median pay: $48,000

Graduates with a radiologic technology degree learn how to perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and X-ray examinations. Radiologic technologists work closely with physicians, who examine the diagnostic tests they administer. The two-year degree, which requires studies in anatomy, ethical and legal responsibility, and radiation protection principles, does not require national certification, instead offering different state-to-state licensure regulations.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 78%

- Mid-career median pay: $41,300

- Early career median pay: $29,600

An associate's degree in health and medical service administration prepares graduates for entry-level positions in the industry after taking courses, including health policy and law, computer skills, and medical care management. Graduates can become medical coders, insurance billers, transcriptionists, and health office managers, all critical positions for patient care.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 78%

- Mid-career median pay: $47,900

- Early career median pay: $40,400

Along with providing essential care, including bathing and eating, a licensed practical nurse (LPN) also works closely with attending physicians. The two-year degree teaches graduates to take blood pressure, record vital signs, and insert catheters. Many LPNs find the job so fulfilling, they use the position as a stepping stone to becoming a registered nurse (RN).

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- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 78%

- Mid-career median pay: $72,700

- Early career median pay: $42,500

A degree in fire technology teaches protection and prevention. Subjects, including suppression techniques, fire behavior, and combustible materials, are required curriculum for alum, who inevitably educate the public through community outreach. Job tasks include demonstrating fire control procedures, teaching alarm-detecting operations, and performing commercial and residential inspection.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 79%

- Mid-career median pay: $38,500

- Early career median pay: $28,100

A two-year degree in mental health enables graduates to assist physicians and acts as a stepping stone for further field study. The entry-level degree certifies graduates to practice as human service or counseling assistants, marital and family therapists, or substance abuse counselors.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 79%

- Mid-career median pay: $50,700

- Early career median pay: $37,600

An optician degree prepares graduates to assist patients with their vision. Two-year degree programs mandate specific courses including anatomy, physiology, and principles of refraction.Once certified by the American Board of Opticianry & National Contact Lens Examiners, graduates, who require scientific and clinical skills, work in retail or physician settings measuring and fitting eyewear.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 79%

- Mid-career median pay: $51,900

- Early career median pay: $32,200

An associate's degree in funeral service education prepares graduates to work in the field, teaching everything from embalming, to mortuary anatomy, the role of death and grief in society, and funeral service management. The 24/7 job requires compassion and professionalism at all times due to the nature of the business.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 79%

- Mid-career median pay: $58,400

- Early career median pay: $35,400

Funeral directors and homeowners have a degree in mortuary science, enabling them to handle all service facets, including embalming and writing obituaries. Helping loved ones say goodbye to the deceased is a highly emotional career, requiring graduates to have excellent listening, communication, and counseling techniques.

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- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 79%

- Mid-career median pay: $72,500

- Early career median pay: $57,400

A two-year registered nursing (RN) degree offers graduates immediate entry into the healthcare field. Along with being a meaningful job, the U.S. nursing shortage has brought attention to the career dedicated to caring for others. Some daily tasks for an RN include performing physical exams, obtaining patient history, administering medication, conducting research, and consulting with physicians.

- Percent of graduates with high meaning careers: 80%

- Mid-career median pay: $60,600

- Early career median pay: $46,800

Graduating with a diagnostic medical imaging degree requires passing courses including image production and value, patient care and procedures, radiation safety, and clinical education. Working in the field entails preparing patients for imaging procedures, operating diagnostic equipment, examining images, and maintaining patient records.

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2-year degrees that go on to the most meaningful jobs - jacksonprogress-argus