Two-year degrees are great deal

A new college study that compared the benefits of two-year associate’s degrees to more traditional four-year degrees confirmed what Flathead Valley Community College officials have known all along: Two-year degrees are a good deal on many levels.

Associate’s degrees are serving graduates very well, not only by the income those degree-holders stand to make but also by the growing range of jobs open to those with two-year degrees.

The recent Montana University System work-force development study showed the percentage of graduates entering the work force within one year of graduation is 85 percent for those with an associate’s degree, the highest of all degrees covered.

Of the 690 recipients of Montana associate’s degrees employed from the 2009-2010 graduating group, nearly 300 earned health-care related degrees for an average annual salary of about $34,900. A separate study in Texas showed those with technical associate’s degrees earned about $11,000 more in their first year after graduation than those with four-year degrees.

We need to point out that students with two-year degrees also don’t have the heavy debt load of their peers pursuing four-year degrees.

FVCC has put its varied associate’s programs to good use through the years, providing students with skills that match the local labor force. The college’s collaboration with the Flathead business community has been exemplary.

Of course there will also be a place and purpose for traditional four-year degrees, but it’s exciting that associate’s degrees are serving our own local students so well.

Fired up over dragon boats!

Although the event had to endure foul weather at the beginning and the end, the Montana Dragon Boat Festival last weekend still was a paddling success.

Dozens of dragon-boat teams and thousands of spectators combined to make the second annual competition on Flathead Lake a noteworthy event.

The weather threw a few curves at the festival: A storm the day before the races swamped eight out of nine dragon boats practicing on Flathead Lake, and inclement weather shortened racing on Sunday afternoon.

But that couldn’t negate a full day of beautiful weather and colorful dragon boat activity on Saturday.

One competitor’s words summed up the fun of the festival: “It was awesome. It’s all about team spirit.”

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.