As a student going to a community college with 1 year of computer science experience, I've been reading online recently that it is difficult for someone with an associate's degree to get a programming job. As most companies prefer to hire people with Bachelor's or Master's Degree. I am planning to go for those degrees as well in the near future, but will having an associate's degree limit my job range? Also do certificate's help out? Any reply will be helpful.

To be fair, it's even difficult to get a CS job with a bachelor's degree. The single most important thing that will help you get a good iob is your network. It's who you know, not what you know. College greatly helps to build a network if a student goes above and beyond simply showing up for class.

While there is no debating the importance of networking when you are job hunting, another critical component for an interview is your portfolio. Being able to regurgitate answers to problems is one thing, but having away to demonstrate to your employer how you put it all together will set you apart from the others with similar levels of experience.

EDIT: I wonder, with the portability of computers these days, would it be a good idea to bring in a runable demonstration. Does any one have any thoughts about this?

I just signed back up to finish a Bachelor's degree because in six months I only found two jobs that did not require at least that. Location has a lot to with that also and I am looking at an hour or more commute for any job so it could be different for someone else.

@Computergeek01
That is a very good suggestion. I only have one program I feel is good enough for a portfolio, but I have a working version on a flash drive along with the source code for just that reason. I also have a laptop that I can have running prior to an interview, so I do not have to wait for it to start up, so I do not have to rely on a computer being handy.

@ OP: The first gentleman in my family to earn a genuine PhD* in the past 110 years gave me this piece of advice: "Neatness counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and calligraphy. Past that, no one gives a good god damn". - Geeks_Uncle

*: He actually holds four post-doctorates as of right now. Evidently after gathering your first one and getting the prerequisites out of the way, it basically becomes a game of "connect-the-dots" to grep your next title. Go ahead and ask me why I hate myself for stopping at an Associates degree...

EDIT: Corrected the time frame so as not to disregard my predecessors.

It might help you get a job at a computer repair shop, or Best Buy, Staples, Frys, etc. Maybe also could help you get a job as an assistant in a computer lab or maybe as an IT guy or administrative assistant. It probably wont help you get a programming job.

Again, having a portfolio will help you tremendously.
Not only showing that your "book smart" but, able to create
some applications on your own will greatly increase your chances of getting
a job with or without a degree.

All the top software companies hire more candidates without
degrees based off their experiences...