Associate degrees are not becoming obsolete. An Associate Degree in Nursing at one time one could get a commission at a 2nd Lt in the military but yes, times have changed no longer do they commission Associate degrees. Now, one has to have a Bachelors degree-however an associate degree in nursing will get you a good job at the many veteran's hospitals around the state. Job security, paid vacations, retirement, sick leave and a savings program whereby the government will match what you put in the program up to a certain amount.