Thread: degrees?

Originally Posted by rbread80

I hope this is an ok place to post this, but i am curious which degree is the best to get.

The way I see it there are three parts to this:

1. Which one will get you hired the easiest? In some markets any university degree will get you a job if you graduated. You could have a degree in applied physics and be hired as a programmer as long as you can program in the required language. Some employers see a degree as prove that you are a smart person, and then check if you possess the required skills. A good friend of mine studied law and ended up running a governmental computer network for five years, because he happens to be a good troubleshooter. Now he works as a translator, because he knows three languages. Go figure...

2. What is in demand? Sometimes even with the right degree you can't get a job because the market is flooded or the demand has faded. This happens periodically. A good way to find out what is in demand is checking out local news papers. If employers are looking more for window cleaners than for engineers, you have your answer. (I read some statistic somewhere that 2% of school janitors in the US have a PhD.)

3. What would you like to do? Don't expect that you'll be doing the kind of assignments you get at school. I took a low level 3-year education and ended up working in the field I liked the least at school. As a job I loved it though. So I got good at it, I started working abroad for many years, and made very good money.


All the best,

Alice