College Degrees That Employers Love College Degrees That Employers Love College Degrees That Employers Love

College Degrees That Employers Love While studies show that a college degree is a big step toward more wealth and ha ppiness, employers prefer some degrees more than others. By Terence Loose Wondering which college degree will offer the most possibilities for your future ? Experts agree that choosing a versatile major is a great start. "Looking at the trend, the basic skills that a versatile, more broad-based degre e offers can be really appealing to a wide range of businesses. It doesn't matte r what the business is," says Michael Brandt, COO of recruiting software firm Br ightMove, Inc. Brandt is not the only one advising versatility. Nan Stothard, Sr. Associate Dir ector of the University of California, Irvine's MBA Career Center, agrees. "In t oday's economy, versatility is an important thing to bring to the marketplace," she says. Here are five ace picks to optimize your chances for a well-paying career. Degree #1 - Bachelor's in Business Administration To paraphrase our 30th president Calvin Coolidge, the business of America is bus iness. True then, truer today. So it's hard to imagine a more versatile major th an business administration. You'll not only be able to focus on an area of business that most interests you by taking more specialized classes, you'll also learn about a broad range of top ics in finance, marketing, and management, ensuring your career flexibility. "When businesses hire, they look for that broad range of skill sets that they ca n build on," says Brandt. "A degree in business administration is best because t hey know you've got that very well-rounded, how-a-business-operates education. T hat's critical." Perhaps that's why of the 1.6 million bachelor's degrees conferred in 2008 and 2 009, the greatest number - 348,000 - were earned in business, according to the U .S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. Interested in a Versatile Business Degree? Find the Right School Now Possible Career Paths and Average Salary Potential* Advertising Sales Agent: $55,020 Cost Estimator: $62,060 Insurance Underwriter: $65,220 Credit Analyst: $68,180 Financial Analyst: $86,040 Financial Examiner: $82,320 Degree #2 - Master's in Business Administration (MBA) Simply put, "an MBA tells businesses that this person has taken it to the next l evel," says Brandt. He adds that it also allows the graduate to approach virtual ly any business, with a chance at a career in a variety of areas. UC Irvine's MBA Career Center Associate Director Chris Kovitz seconds that. "[MBA grads] can pursue operations and supply chain, human resources, many optio

ns in finance, from real estate to private equity to investment banking; and wit hin marketing there's product and brand management and market research. So it gi ves students a tremendous amount of options," he says. It doesn't come more versatile than that. Suited for an MBA? Find the Right School Now Possible Career Paths and Average Salary Potential* Management Analyst: $87,260 Agent or Business Manager of Artists, Performers and Athletes: $89,840 Securities, Commodities and Financial Services Sales Agent: $98,720 Human Resources Manager: $108,600 General Operations Manager: $113,100 Marketing Manager: $122,720 Degree #3 - Bachelor's in Accounting Don't like the idea of becoming just another number cruncher? That's okay; you m ay still find an accounting degree adds up for you. That's because accountants a re needed in all types of businesses. The reason is clear, according to SmartMove's COO Brandt. "What is the first thi ng any business has to do?" he asks. "They have to manage their money. So unders tanding general accounting rules is very attractive to any business owner." And don't worry, there's little chance you'll be stuck in the basement pouring o ver dusty ledgers. Careers are open to certified public accountants in many inte resting fields, from insurance underwriting to personal financial advisor, so yo u could end up hanging with bankers or rubbing elbows with celebrities. Number c runching never looked so good. Calculating a Future in Accounting? Find the Right School Now. Possible Career Paths and Average Salary Potential* Tax Examiner: $54,830 Cost Estimator: $62,060 Loan Officer: $65,900 Accountant or Auditor: $68,960 Budget Analyst: $70,660 Personal Finance Advisor: $91,220 Degree #4 - Bachelor's in Communications It's never been more important for companies to market their message than in tod ay's speed-of-the-web, social media society, so a degree in communications could open up any number of possible career paths. And most are very exciting, like b rand building, marketing, corporate communications, writing, and so many others. "There are just a lot of versatile ways to use that degree," says Brandt. Communications is also becoming more important to employers in any professional field, for any position. In fact, says UCI's Kovitz, many companies are asking f or writing samples and even giving writing tests. That's because they know that if a business doesn't communicate their product value effectively, it doesn't ma tter how great their newest widget is - no one will know and no one will buy. Ready to Go for a Communications Degree? Find the Right School Now Possible Career Paths and Average Salary Potential* Reporter or Correspondent: $43,780 Public Relations Specialist: $59,150

Author or Writer: $65,960 Technical Writer: $66,240 Advertising and Promotions Manager: $98,720 Marketing Manager: $122,720 Degree #5 - Bachelor's in Information Technology In the information age, technology is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity, maki ng a bachelor's in information technology one of the most desirable and flexible degrees available. "The further we get into the technology era, the more we're finding that informa tion technology is intersecting with every aspect of our lives," says Neha Rawal , academic counselor at the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Scien ces at UC Irvine. That translates into a degree that could open doors to many different industries . "Technology is blended into education, medicine, biology, art, entertainment, law," continues Rawal. "So a degree in [IT] is applicable to any part of the bus iness world, whether it's healthcare or manufacturing or Amazon.com." Indeed, the list of career possibilities is virtually endless, she says, from th e tried-and-true computer programmer and software developer to patent lawyer and game developer. Her associate at UC Irvine adds that despite today's challenging economy there a re still jobs for IT graduates. "For the most part, our graduates have multiple job offers," says Bren School Director of Student Affairs Christine Leon. "We ha ven't heard from any that they're having a hard time finding a job. Overall, the y're very successful, even in this economy." Geared Up for an Information Technology Degree? Find the Right School Now Possible Computer Computer Software Software Computer Computer Career Paths and Average Salary Potential* Programmer: $74,900 Systems Analyst: $81,250 Developer, Applications: $90,410 Developer, Systems Software: $97,960 and Information Research Scientist: $103,150 and Information Systems Manager: $123,280