The Most Attractive Degrees And Skill Sets

Richard Flamm
The Paw Print

College students like ourselves are working hard to secure degrees in both what we love and what we hope will result in financial independence and success. From English to Anthropology, we want to do what we enjoy, and look eagerly to a job market that we imagine will sweep us up into a river of employment and substantially more filling meals than ramen and Wal-Mart Pizza. Indeed, the future is bright. But what are the current jobs in demand? What fields are growing and which of us will have it relatively easy once we get that all-important paper signed? CNN Money reports that the most hirable skill on the market is fluency in a foreign language. They inform, “Roughly 25,000 jobs are expected to open up for interpreters (who focus on spoken language) and translators (who focus on written language), between 2010 and 2020, the Department of Labor estimates. That represents 42% growth for the field and does not include the military, which is also recruiting ferociously for more people.” Corporations like Apple and Amazon are hiring people who speak Chinese, Spanish, and Korean. CNN Money goes on to report that the ability to speak a middle-eastern language while being copasetic with possibly being shot at in war zones commands salaries of around 200,000 dollars. Translators are also in demand, who are often paid per word. So what if you can’t speak a foreign language? What degrees and skillsets will give you a leg up? Degrees in business, computer science, and degrees relating to communication are in high demand. Business Administration Information.com reported that “the NACE survey was conducted between July and September of 2011 and included responses from 244 businesses. According to the report, jobs related to business, engineering and computer science dominated the list of most in-demand degrees.“ Even if you are not majoring in one of these fields, advice from professionals is consistent: being able to speak well, write well, and develop a winning resume are skills that will benefit any profession. Lifehacker.com recommends, “while you’re at university, make something else a big part of your life (read: actively avoid trying to make your world revolve only around school). You have control over who you become. Develop a skill on the side.”