Selecting a major is one of the hardest decisions that every college student must make. That’s because most college degrees are typically tied to a specific career fields. For example, a future accountant would want to major in accounting. Unfortunately, many student’s don’t yet know what they really want to do for a career. Furthermore, a lot of industries could become obsolete in the future because of technology. Therefore, most workers will likely have to switch jobs, and even career fields, multiple times throughout their working life. That often means returning to school to acquire more education and new skills. However, one option for students is to select a versatile college degree that won’t dictate their career, which allows them the flexibility to work in many industries.
1. Business Administration
Business administration is one of the most generic-sounding and misunderstood programs that a college student can major in. Unlike other business-related degrees like accounting, business administration doesn’t offer a single plan of study. Instead, you will learn about several subjects related to business:
• Accounting
• Finance
• Information Systems
• Management
• Marketing
The benefit of studying all of those subjects is that they prepare you for an entry level job in their related fields. For instance, if you really excel in your accounting classes, then you might get a job as an accounting clerk. Plus, studying business administration can prepare you to be an entrepreneur.
2. Communications
There was a time when communications majors were made fun of because the coursework wasn’t viewed as rigorous as other fields. However, today the skills that communications majors acquire, especially soft skills like critical thinking, writing, public speaking, and research, are viewed as extremely valuable by employers. In fact, one of the complains that many employers have about a lot of other programs is that they don’t focus on those important soft skills. Therefore, many college graduates from other disciplines have trouble finding a job. A communications degree can enable you to work in the following career fields:
• Advertising
• Media
• Public Relations
• Content Creation
• Social Media Marketing
• Journalism
3. Computer Science
It’s true that a majority of computer science majors end up working in the technology industry. However, there are a growing number of opportunities for computer science graduates that don’t involve traditional technology jobs. That’s because the underlying analytical, problem solving, and technical skills that students gain are highly sought by employers. The next time you do an online job search, list those skills in the description to learn more about the kind of jobs you can find. Many of the biggest tech startups were founded by computer science graduates. Furthermore, you can use your programming skills acquired from a CS degree to build and sell apps.
4. Engineering
There was a time when engineering majors mostly led to engineering careers. However, that’s definitely no longer the case now. Engineering graduates can find a plethora of jobs in many “new economy” career fields. For example, design, user experience, supply chain management, logistics, and operations management. Furthermore, engineers are being sought by companies both big and small, government agencies, and even the military.
5. Math
Finally, a degree in math no longer means you have to take a job as a math teacher or engineer. Thanks to the rapid growth in big data and personal finance, there are a lot of career options for graduates with advanced math skills:
• Economics
• Data Analyst
• Market Research
• Business Analytics
• Actuary or Statistician
• Scientific Research
• Financial Management
A math degree can also be a good background for those students who go on to graduate school to earn advanced degrees that require lots of number crunching and analysis. For instance, graduate programs in economics and finance require that students have a strong background in mathematics.
In short, if you are looking for a highly versatile degree that can prepare you for a number of different business-related careers, then you should consider majoring in business administration. You can gain many of the valuable soft skills that employers want by studying communications. A degree in computer science can prepare you for traditional technology jobs, as well as positions that require a lot of analytical, problem solving, and technical skills. Even studying engineering opens up many possible career options. Lastly, majoring in math can prepare you for several professions.