Most associate degrees require similar, if not the same, basic classes–english, maths, biologies, etc–with very little specialization.

When you go for a bachelor’s degree, you cover the same basics as you do for an associates. However, you also take an additional 50 or more hours in classes that are directly related to your major, e.g. management classes for business management or accounting, tax preparation, etc. for accounting. Therefore, going for your bachelor’s degree means, to the employer, that you are better trained for the position that you are being hired for.

I know that many major corporations require bachelor’s degrees in management or accounting if you want to be hired directly into the company as a manager or an accountant. Without a bachelor’s, they may hire you, but you will start way at the bottom.

My advice is to spend the extra two or three years and get your bachelor’s in one or the other. In the long run, it will make you much more valuable to employers meaning that you will have more options as to which company you work for and how much pay you start out with.