Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in South Bend

Written by:
July 15, 2022
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Highest paying jobs that require a 2 year degree in South Bend

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 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.

#23. Dietetic technicians

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $27,980
- #98 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $32,920
- Employment: 26,430
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($55,550)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($52,700)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($48,370)

#22. Preschool teachers, except special education

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $29,780
- #404 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 410

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)

#21. Veterinary technologists and technicians

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $35,560
- #224 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100

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)

#20. Broadcast technicians

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $39,370
- #92 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

National
- Annual mean salary: $49,250
- Employment: 25,960
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($75,430)
--- Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY ($70,990)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($69,950)

#19. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $40,080
- #155 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)

#18. Chemical technicians

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $44,500
- #227 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

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)

#17. Paralegals and legal assistants

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $44,690
- #348 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 180

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)

#16. Medical equipment repairers

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $49,040
- #147 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $55,090
- Employment: 48,510
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($84,820)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($84,030)
--- Reno, NV ($83,450)

#15. Radio, cellular, and tower equipment installers and repairers

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $51,060
- #51 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $60,790
- Employment: 13,210
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($95,360)
--- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($82,470)
--- Trenton, NJ ($80,110)

#14. Mechanical drafters

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $53,740
- #180 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

National
- Annual mean salary: $61,490
- Employment: 51,620
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($104,540)
--- Corpus Christi, TX ($90,720)
--- New Orleans-Metairie, LA ($82,590)

#13. Architectural and civil drafters

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $54,710
- #200 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

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)

#12. Occupational therapy assistants

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $56,310
- #178 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $63,420
- Employment: 42,750
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($85,570)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($77,720)
--- San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($77,650)

#11. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $57,060
- #275 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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)

#10. Physical therapist assistants

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $57,450
- #241 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90

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)

#9. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $58,400
- #121 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60

National
- Annual mean salary: $59,920
- Employment: 62,980
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS ($94,360)
--- Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX ($90,460)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($86,020)

#8. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $59,500
- #97 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50

National
- Annual mean salary: $60,880
- Employment: 39,880
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($112,580)
--- North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area ($91,580)
--- New Orleans-Metairie, LA ($91,550)

#7. Radiologic technologists and technicians

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $59,750
- #218 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200

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)

#6. Respiratory therapists

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $60,020
- #211 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130

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)

#5. Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $62,590
- #75 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40

National
- Annual mean salary: $60,940
- Employment: 55,980
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($99,130)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($94,400)
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($92,140)

#4. Civil engineering technologists and technicians

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $63,250
- #65 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70

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)

#3. Computer network support specialists

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $64,000
- #185 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 190

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)

#2. Diagnostic medical sonographers

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $65,140
- #297 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80

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

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
- Annual mean salary: $72,710
- #255 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240

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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