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Nowadays, there’s a lot of talk about how a college degree has become meaningless, don’t buy into it. Unless you are lucky enough to find deep-pocketed investors for your startup and get the big bucks Zuckerberg-style, then having a good and marketable degree is still the surest way to get a good job and earn more money. In this article, we will look at 2017’s five best college degrees.
1. Computer Science
This is one of the fastest growing industrial fields that pops up new innovations every day. The degree is really not about computers, but computing and designing algorithms. It is, however, not for the faint hearted, as it is incredibly difficult and unless you have a passion for computers that keeps you going. Major points of focus include programming and computer architecture, and career opportunities include being a systems analyst, software developer or network administrator. The pay is good, as it starts from $60,000 for beginners to $120,000 for more experienced people.
2. Marketing
It’s a consumer society we live in today and word needs to get out about new products or services. A marketer helps firms reach out to their customers and identify their needs and preferences. To get on in this industry you need either a classroom or online marketing degree. Courses are offered by many schools, including the Arizona State University, but if you are unable to take physical classes, an online bachelor of science in marketing degree is offered by many other schools. You can find career opportunities in advertising agencies or the marketing departments of many firms. Some of the perks include good pay and the opportunity to travel and network.
3. Software Engineering
Closely related to computer science, software engineering is also one of the most marketable fields today, as there are plenty of opportunities for employment. Silicon valley is the Mecca of software engineers and many of them have turned into multi-millionaires due to their creations. They create every piece of software that’s part of our digital world, from operating systems to applications. Typical software engineers earn up to $100,000 per year!
4. Biomedical Engineering
I know you probably never heard of it, as it’s a more recent field of engineering. It’s basically an application of engineering concepts into biology and medicine to build better health care products. Employers include pharmaceutical companies, medical supplies manufacturers, medical research firms and medical equipment firms. Just like all other engineers (except ecosystem engineers), the pay is good as on average a biomedical engineering degree holder earns $93,000 a year.
5. Law
This is definitely the black sheep in this list of high-tech modern careers, but it still makes the list because conflict is the nature of human beings, and someone is always needed to represent parties, or settle the disputes and get paid a lot of money in the process. A law degree is still very marketable and highly paying with some lawyers making up to $160,000 a year.
The New Year is around the corner, so if you are still contemplating on the direction of your life career wise, we hope you find the above guide useful.
