| For college students who plan to graduate this spring, it’s a little too late to change to a different major now. However, those who chose wisely or are still in the process of deciding, they may find their background in demand if they select the right college major.
According to the Job Outlook 2010 by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the top college majors employers will be looking for this year are in finance, accounting, mechanical engineering, business administration or management, and electrical engineering. In addition, the Fall 2009 Salary Survey put out by NACE listed teaching, management trainee, financial/treasury analysis, consulting and sales as the top five jobs that were offered to the class of 2009.
So what exactly should current college students infer from this? Well, it’s all a matter of how they look at the information.
Best Careers for the Top College Majors
Regardless of the economy or what year it is there always seems to be certain college majors that naturally float to the top of the leader board when it comes to what degrees employers look for the most. And this year it is no different. The two most desired degree fields for the 2010 season are business and engineering focused.
The benefit of a business degree is that it is generally very versatile. Not only can business degrees be applied to most industries from health care and government to manufacturing and non-profit, but business graduates can apply their business degree to jump start their own business, become a business consultant or as a foundation for further education.
In addition, U.S. News and World Report cited that some of the top jobs for 2010 and beyond are business based. Positions such as financial advisors or analysts as well as technology careers like network architect, systems analyst and computer software engineers are high on the list. And speaking of engineers, this category of college degrees appears to offer a positive outlook as well.
In fact, of the top 50 jobs reported on by U.S. News and World Report, the career that had the fastest growth was biomedical engineer. These are the brains that help develop the equipment and devices that encourage good health. That means they're working to do things like develop better asthma inhalers and artificial hearts. However, other engineering careers are also expected to continue to grow. These include civil engineering, mechanical engineering and environmental engineering.
Get Started on the Right Career Path
Choosing the right college degree should not be predicated on future career growth alone, however. College students need to keep in mind what interests them as well as what they value in their career. Carefully reviewing college degree options and their associated career paths can be a beneficial first step before pursuing a specific career. Then once a college student has identified the right college major for them and what career path they will pursue, they can set about creating a plan of action in order to achieve success.
The truth is that as quickly as someone decides what college major and career path to follow things will likely change either in the job market or in their area of interest, so keeping an open mind and being flexible is just as important as following an action plan. That being said, there are experts who predict where the job market is headed. Knowing what these experts predict as the top college majors and their associated career choices can assist college students select the best college degree for 2010 based on the current job outlook.
freelance writing work |