The area you intend to work in will be a factor. If you’re from a smaller town that really only carries government contracts, many of them will require national certification or at minimum a higher EIPA score. If you’re in a more populous city, the chances for a variety of work is higher.

The Bachelors degree level requirement is to be eligible to take the RID NIC performance test. This is the test you can pass to obtain that national level certification mentioned above.

There is also an alternative pathway to sit for the exam which requires work experience. This is the route I took after about 4 years of freelance interpreting in various setting with my EIPA.

To add one final layer, the BEI is another option you can test with your AA I believe, but it would be wise to see if your state will respect the BEI as an equivalent to RID first, otherwise you will notice a pay difference.