Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in San Luis Obispo

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July 15, 2022
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Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in San Luis Obispo

Although it all depends on what you make of it, choosing to further your education may lead to higher paying job opportunities. An associate's degree takes just two years and offers more affordable tuition rates than a four-year school. As of April 2022, the average yearly salary for an individual with an associate's degree comes out to $45,989.

Students have a plethora of specialties to choose from when obtaining a 2-year degree, from industry-specific roles in health care or IT or a more generalized education path. Salaries differ between areas of study, job type, experience, and, of course, location. A Georgetown University study that looked at job growth and education requirements through 2020 stated that 30% of job openings required "at least some college or an associate's degree." Students can choose to head right into the workforce after earning an associate's, or continue their education toward earning a bachelor's degree.

The unemployment rate for associate's degree holders is only 2%, according to research from the Education Data Initiative. Having an associate's degree under your belt is proven to increase one's chance of holding a professional or management position in any number of industries, among them education and health, wholesale retail and trade, and professional and business services.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest and lowest paying jobs that require a 2-year degree in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#16. Preschool teachers, except special education

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $37,740
- #128 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 370

National
- Annual mean salary: $36,550
- Employment: 370,940
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($49,990)
--- Ocean City, NJ ($49,720)
--- Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ ($49,560)

#15. Veterinary technologists and technicians

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $41,300
- #57 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

National
- Annual mean salary: $37,860
- Employment: 109,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($57,990)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($52,220)
--- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA ($51,340)

#14. Chemical technicians

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $41,870
- #249 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $53,700
- Employment: 63,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Billings, MT ($86,340)
--- Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($79,390)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($78,000)

#13. Forest and conservation technicians

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $46,720
- #40 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

National
- Annual mean salary: $42,780
- Employment: 30,150
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($68,370)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($66,570)
--- Corvallis, OR ($62,260)

#12. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $46,770
- #106 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $50,960
- Employment: 31,860
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($79,780)
--- Huntsville, AL ($78,320)
--- Birmingham-Hoover, AL ($76,970)

#11. Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $50,640
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

National
- Annual mean salary: $44,170
- Employment: 108,470
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($60,080)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($55,410)
--- Napa, CA ($54,120)

#10. Architectural and civil drafters

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $56,680
- #146 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,120
- Employment: 99,180
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC ($76,060)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,700)
--- Anchorage, AK ($75,650)

#9. Paralegals and legal assistants

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $62,110
- #35 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150

National
- Annual mean salary: $56,610
- Employment: 332,720
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($90,640)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($76,960)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,640)

#8. Physical therapist assistants

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $66,980
- #47 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,440
- Employment: 92,740
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($85,960)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($78,740)
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($76,390)

#7. Computer network support specialists

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $68,660
- #100 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

National
- Annual mean salary: $71,040
- Employment: 184,220
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($94,120)
--- Barnstable Town, MA ($93,670)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($92,190)

#6. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $69,670
- #29 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

National
- Annual mean salary: $56,590
- Employment: 67,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,190)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($83,250)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($81,340)

#5. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $72,840
- #65 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

National
- Annual mean salary: $68,310
- Employment: 115,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area ($99,890)
--- Fort Collins, CO ($91,980)
--- Bakersfield, CA ($90,780)

#4. Radiologic technologists and technicians

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $78,020
- #40 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110

National
- Annual mean salary: $64,840
- Employment: 206,720
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($127,890)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($118,480)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($118,100)

#3. Respiratory therapists

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $96,840
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

National
- Annual mean salary: $65,640
- Employment: 131,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($113,450)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($109,330)
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($101,690)

#2. Diagnostic medical sonographers

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $97,760
- #20 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $77,790
- Employment: 73,920
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($138,110)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($137,140)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($131,080)

#1. Dental hygienists

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA
- Annual mean salary: $103,150
- #21 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200

National
- Annual mean salary: $78,050
- Employment: 194,830
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($125,750)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($122,660)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($119,320)

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