College Degrees: What's Hot, What's Not!

Welcome to our website on the best and worst of college degrees! This website is intended for the general public to view. We are very pleased to not only have you enjoy our website but we encourage you to ponder on the material we have researched. Hopefully this website will help you figure which major will be worthwhile, or help you determine which degree could enhance your future financial stability. We three students are apart of Dr. Dave Wilson's Spring 2007 Agroecology class. Enjoy and feel free to contact any of us if you have any further questions:

Seth Waitman, Blake Meyer, Brock Vanderloo


Abstract

In today’s society everyone thinks they need to go to college, and over 80% of kids out of high school are. Out of all these kids going to Universities, the majority don’t even know what they want to be the rest of their lives once they get to college. Common sense would tell us that people would go into the field that paid them the most money, this is not always true. So what are the most popular fields to go into when getting out of high School? We did a little research and some comparative analysis, and this is what we came up with.

Term Paper

Engineering: Research shows that the third most popular degree in demand is engineering. This pertains to the three major types of engineering. Whether it is mechanical, electrical, chemical Engineering, to achieve a Bachelors degree in any field of Engineering, the basic core classes consist of, mathematics, sciences, biology, chemistry, and/or physics. The number one reason people are obtaining engineering degrees, is for the cold hard cash. Engineers are ranked among some of the highest paying workers in the job force. One starting out in electrical engineering can plan on receiving over $50,000 the first year on the job, with a 2.9% increase after that. Engineers do many diverse jobs, such as architectural work, designing new medical equipment, and testing and fixing all sorts of electrical circuit.

Business: Although business isn’t the highest paying profession, it still ranks second, when looking to a nation wide survey, on the most popular degrees. A business degree is one of the broader; more generalizes degrees that encompass many different courses from all aspects of the University. The main reason for getting an bachelors in business management would be to not have to work for anyone, and have your own business, to be your own boss. When looking at the pay scale, another positive aspect of the job would be the starting salary, which is just over $40,000. The best part about the pay is that it increases at over 4%.

Accounting: The number one most popular bachelor degree in America is accounting. An accountant is a trained professional that keeps everything about the business in running order. This may mean anything from book keeping, to following trends in the market, or just simply tax audits. When going after a degree in accounting there is a lot of math, and plain accountant classes involved. Although accounting is the number one degree in demand, it does not even rank in the top 5 for starting salaries. If you are just a basic accountant starting out on your own, you can plan on making about $45,000, with a 4.6% increase.

Bachelor’s Degrees In Demand 1.) Accounting 2.) Business 3.) Electrical Engineering 4.) Computer Science 5.) Mechanical Engineering 6.) Information Sciences 7.) Marketing 8.) Computer Engineering 9.) Civil Engineering 10.) Economics/ Finance

Every one of these top degrees is very much different from the next, but there are a few things that all of them have in common. For one the pay level in all three of these top job fields is very exceptional. When the employers in these three fields were polled, they all said that the number one way to get better employees is to offer better benefits. The biggest demand employees want when getting a job, is medical insurance. This is for the simple fact that no one can afford to go the doctors these days, because of the high cost. The second biggest benefit grad students are looking for is an increase in salary, from year to year.


No one wants to work at a job, and never get a job in their pay level. This explains why accounting and business management rank so high in the degrees in demand scale. They both have pay level increases over 4% a year. The third benefit students want out of college, is some sort of retirement plan. This is one of the main areas where employers are trying to reel in better employees. Even if you obtain one of these top ten degrees in demand, there are still some things you need to realize before you can become employable. First thing how are your communication skills? Do you have legible handwriting? This is ranked number one on what employers are looking for. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, if you can’t talk or write, you are unemployable. The second most important on this list is honesty and integrity. No one wants to hire a crook. Last but not least interpersonal skills. How well can you interact with your co workers and customers, on an every day basis.


According to “The Black Collegian Magazine” job opportunities are looking up for students graduating after 2004. However, this doesn’t mean that you can become too broad with your job selection criteria. Studies show that the number one reason for poor job placement is not being detailed enough when searching your particular job field. (Black Collegian, pg.12) After getting a successful degree it is very important to know exactly what you’re qualified for and what jobs you are capable of. This doesn’t only mean a better job, but an increase in pay as well. Employers love nothing more than under paying someone that is over qualified. Your job is to know when this is happening. The bottom line is no matter what degree you pursue, or what job field you’re going for, make sure that you enjoy the work.

Works Cited

Gloecker, Geoff. (2007). “The Major Attractions Of A Business Minor”: Business Week Online. p1-11. Retrieved March 22, 2007.

“Health Majors are Top Choice”(1997). : Techniques; Making Education & Career Connections; Oct. 1997, Vol. 72 Issue 7, p6. Retrieved April 1, 2007.

“Job Outlook Strong For 2007 ME Grads”(2007). : ASHRAE Journal; Feb 2007, Vol. 49 Issue 2, p6-7. Retrieved March 22, 2007.

Smith, Brendan.(2005). “The Buzz”: Careers and Colleges. Vol. 26 Issue 1, p2-48, Retrieved March 28, 2007.

“The Top 100 Employers and the Majors in Demand for the Class Of 2004”(2004). : Black Collegian; Feb 2004, Vol. 34 Issue 2, p12-26. Retrieved April 1, 2007.

Related Links

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=7&sid=2e249cf1-1b40-4d0e-b8b4-4c606d1f339b%40SRCSM1 = Top 100 Employers.

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=18&sid=d7393273-521b-44a9-bdd2-f796df5780b2%40sessionmgr7 = Major Attractions of a Business Minor.

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=8&sid=23df200b-be7a-44b6-b7ae-cd044b58e287%40SRCSM2 = Health Majors are Top Choice.

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=22&sid=5b12083e-a840-4387-a462-4856f673219f%40sessionmgr7 = The BUZZ.