The return of two-year Associate Degree

There was a recent report showing the return of the two-year Associate degrees in the US educational scene:

"No long time ago, community colleges and other career schools were way stations for students who couldn't get into or afford a four-year school. These students would typically get their Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree and then, either find a low-paying job, or transfer to a university to pursue a bachelor's degree. Today, many students are bypassing the four-year degree to enter the workforce straight out of career schools. Jobs in some of the most vibrant and growing fields today, such as many healthcare disciplines, are available to those possessing a two-year Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree". Many such programs already have student enrollment waiting lists.
In my opinion, from the job market perspective, this is one of the best thing happend to the community colleges (or other career schools) in the last 15 years. Comparing with 4-year colleges, community colleges are more flexible to build new curriculums, more adaptive to the dynamic job market. They know what kind of education they should offer to average kids, which enable them to get good jobs after graduation, and at a low cost.
People go with the trends and the times. A few years ago, everyone flooded the IT (information technology) programs in the community colleges. People got in the program early gained many years of experience already when the .com bubble busted, so they stayed on the jobs and moved up.

Currently, it is healthcare jobs that are targetd by many Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees from community colleges. According to United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), two occupations requiring only an associate's degree--physical therapist assistant and dental hygienist--are projected to be among the top ten fastest-growing jobs in the next decade. The demand for both jobs is expected to rise more than 40 percent by 2014, and both are highly rated in terms of annual compensation. Dental hygienists typically make at least $43,600 per year, according to the BLS, while physical therapist assistants make between $28,580 and $43,590 annually.

Other in-demand jobs that career-school graduates are targeting include surgical technologist, respiratory care therapist, optician, forensic scientist, and cinema/television.
How far can a graduate go with a A.A.S. degree ? As far as with any other degrees, in my opinion, MBA degree included.