If you're thinking about going back to school but lack sufficient funds or time to commit to a bachelor's degree, you ought to give serious consideration to pursuing a two-year associate's degree, which many career-minded individuals have found to be their vocational "sweet spot" in terms of cost and effort.

This time and effort expended has never paid greater rewards than they have right now; two-year associate's degree programs have proliferated like mushrooms. From such perennially popular fields as healthcare, accounting, and information technology to more future-forward ones like e-commerce, nanotech, culinary arts and digital animation, your educational table is set with a sumptuous smorgasbord of options.

With so many options before you, you're sure to hit upon one that's both stimulating and rewarding. Associate's degree holders out-earn mere high school diploma holders by some $2,000 to $6,000 a year, and they face much lower risk of unemployment.

You may be surprised to learn, however, that in many instances associate degree holders beat out bachelor's degree holders, as well. The sad fact is that some 43 percent of four-year college grads experience chronic underemployment - which usually means they're trapped in fast-food or retail hell.

Associate's degree programs are the express elevator out of that hell. But the virtues of an associate's degree don't end with an escape from the most menial jobs in the service sector. Other benefits include:

• Cost-effectiveness - "Statistics from the College Board show that the average annual tuition and fees ... at a four-year private college were $21,235, while the annual cost at a public two year institution averaged $2,191," writes Rowan Riley in his 2007 book, "Top Careers in Two Years." "The College Board reports that grant aid averages about $2,300 per student for those attending two-year public colleges." With Uncle Sam footing a substantial part of the tuition bill, you can rather nimbly leverage an associate's degree with surprisingly little out-of-pocket expense.
• Continued educational opportunities - "Many students who start with a two-year degree end up continuing with higher education later, even while on the job - pursuing a four-year degree and often transferring credits from their two-year program," continues Riley. "Some go on to earn a more advanced professional degree. There is built-in flexibility, and the classes are like money in the bank." This is extremely welcome news, because it means you're never frozen at a certain income. As an associate's degree holder you'll encounter opportunities galore by which to increase your skills - and your salary!
• Not-so-ferocious competition - "Students are admitted from a wide range of backgrounds" into associate's degree programs, Riley writes. "So someone who performed below average in high school can excel at a two-year school." Indeed, when it comes to two-year associate's degree programs, "hope" and "change" are more than catchy political-campaign buzzwords; they're a virtual inevitability.

Now that you're sold on the merits of an associate's degree, it's time to reveal the ten top-earning jobs for associate's degree holders. Here they are in alphabetical order:

1. Aerospace engineer - As a whis with all things that fly in the sky, you're career prospects and living standard are sure to blast off; an associate's degree holder in this field earns about $53,300 a year.

2. Computer specialist - As a professional in this field your life prospects will indeed compute nicely; associate's degree holding computer specialists can earn around $68,570 a year.

3. Dental hygienist - Salaries in this field are sure to have your smiling. Professionals holding an associate's degree in dental hygiene bite off as much as $62,800 a year.

4. Diagnostic medical sonographer - You won't need sound waves to gain an image of what you'll earn in this field. Folks with an associate's degree in diagnostic medical sonography detect as much as $57,160 on their annual statement of earnings.

5. Engineering technician (non-drafting) - As an associate's degree holder in this field, you'll construct a nifty career and annual income - around $54,250 a year, to be exact.

6. Fashion designer - Your individual flair can bring in attractive money. As a fashion design associate's degree holder, the $62,610 you can pull down annually will have you stalking the catwalk with joy.

7. Nuclear medicine technologist - Associate's degree holders in this field find that their learning sets off an earning reaction. Their incomes explode to $63,300 a year.

8. Nuclear technician - Pinning hopes on isotopes is a safe bet for associate's degree holders in this field, who enrich themselves to the tune of $65,500 a year.

9. Radiation Therapist - As an associate's degree holder in this field you'll cure cancer along with your financial woes. Expect to earn around $66,170 annually.

10. Registered nurse - The health of this field is vibrant, both in terms of income and career prospects. As a registered nurse with an associate's degree, your pulse will race with the idea of the $57,280 a year you can earn.

It should be clear to you that an associate's degree in one of these fields is asound investment, because it's an investment in yourself, your future, and your family. If you've been thinking about dipping your toe back in the education pool, now's the time to dive in head first. The thrill of the exciting career prospects that await you will eliminate any initial apprehension you might feel at taking the plunge. Indeed, without an associate's degree under your belt, you may come to discover that your earning potential will only sink further as the economic tide continues to ebb.