We live in a very competitive world, and the coming of COVID-19 certainly didn’t make things easier. People are now much more aggressive in securing a career, using whatever weapons they have in their arsenal, such as certificates, achievements, titles… things just aren’t like the old days where if you have your bachelor’s degree, you’re already set for life.
Surviving at least four years in college is already a challenge not everyone can complete, not to mention actually getting your diploma, right? So if you already have your diploma, pat yourself on the back. You deserve it.
Entering college will cost you time, and more importantly, lots of money. That is why most students must apply a lot of effort and care as to what course they would be taking. If you are someone who already has a set career path in mind, good for you.
But if you are someone who is still on the fence on which course to take, don’t worry. These are the 5 exciting college courses in the USA that will jump start you ahead of the competition.
Data Science
Right off the bat, let’s start with a relatively new major that has been rising in popularity, but isn’t as well known as the most common courses (e.g. Medicine, Engineering, and Business).
So what is Data Science?
Data science is a field that uses scientific methods, systems, and algorithms to extract information and insights from sets of data. It lies in the middle of Computer Science, Statistics, and Business.
Ever wonder who’s behind the genius of the YouTube algorithm? Or how about those Facebook ads that seem to be targeted to your preferences? Or how about the shows that Netflix recommended to you?
Data science is a science that can be applied to many fields and is one of the fastest growing fields as there is a huge need for machine learning. We live in the age of data after all.
Careers usually associated with data science are: Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer, Research Engineer, and Advertising.
They sound awesome right? That’s because they are! And what’s more, they offer competitive salaries too, with Data Scientists earning an average of $130,000 a year!
Computer Science
What is something that COVID-19 taught us? Working and learning from home is becoming more and more important every day. With most, if not all, of the work done with in a computer, it is not really a surprise that most work-from-home people have a degree, or at least some form of knowledge in computer science.
Computer science is a general knowledge degree that can be applicable to many different careers. The benefit of a degree in computer science is that it is almost always in need. Companies will always need people who can manage their IT network or update their website.
Ever wanted to design your own videogame? How about designing a company’s network system? Or how about designing an app that will be surely a hit? Computer science got you covered!
Careers usually associated with computer science are: Programmer, Software Developer, Network Administrator, and Video Game Designer
The pay that you can get from these jobs is no slouch either, with Software Developers usually earning $95,000/year! So if you have a knack for computers, then you can never go wrong with computer science.
Electrical Engineering
Engineering is nothing new, being one of the most common course offered by many universities. Just like with medicine, you can specialize in a field of your choice. Be it civil, mechanical, industrial, geodetic, and many more.
So, what makes Electrical Engineering different from the rest? Electrical Engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design and application of equipment, devices and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.
With society’s ever growing reliance on electronic devices such as computers, household appliances, and gadgets, the demand for electrical engineer continue to spike. Well, somebody has to take care of our ever reliable electronics right?
An electrical engineer can proceed to various career paths such as electronics, power engineering, electromagnetics, signal processing, and many more. Some even dabble with a career in the military.
Electrical engineers can earn up to $254,000/year towards the end of their career, maybe even more! Talk about a well-paying job!
Finance
Whether we like it or not, the modern world runs on money. Be it in dollars, pounds, euros, yen, or pesos, the point is, money makes the world go round. Which is why universities offer courses on finance. Because, someone has to handle all that money right?
People tend to tag finance as a boring, or a safe course. They think that those who go for this course are unadventurous and unexciting. But guess what, they’re wrong. Finance is more than just cash and numbers. Finance can be an exciting course too!
Take for example, the stock market. I mean sure, it may look boring to someone who is uneducated on the matter, but to someone who has knowledge of it, it becomes fun. Knowing that you may gain or lose a large amount of money in a matter of seconds, how can that be not exciting right?
Finance courses typically focus on financial management, and investment management, sometimes branching out to corporate governance, or business ethics. Finance graduates are typically equipped with knowledge in handling finances, investments, and even taxes. There is a reason why most, if not all companies have at least one Finance Officer. Somebody has to take care of the money.
Those who have graduated in finance usually take a career in commercial banking, financial planning, investment banking, money managing, insurance and real estate.
The pay for finance careers at the entry level is typically around $63,844/year, but finance jobs can be as high as $125,000/year.
If you’re someone who is into math, and likes the analysis that comes with it, you will feel at home with finance.
Business Administration
Are you familiar with Apple? What about Microsoft? Sony? Nintendo? Asus? Samsung? Hersheys?
I know that you might think that something is out of place among the names that I’ve mentioned, but believe me when I say that nothing is out of place here. That’s because all of those names have something in common. They all refer to commercial enterprises, also known as businesses.
Business administration (also known as business management) is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It is one of the most popular college programs in the US, and there is a reason for that.
Those who undertake business administration usually come out armed with knowledge that can launch them to any industry such as the artful ones (e.g. music), to the technical ones (e.g. manufacturing). This may be attributed to the fact that when it all comes down to it, every industry is a business. And every business needs someone to manage it.
Most CEOs, or managers have a degree in business administration. Consultancy is also one the career paths that may open up for you if you take the business administration course. Or if you don’t want to seek employment, and rather have a business of your own, well you’re in luck! The knowledge that the course provides will surely help you with your business venture.
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With that, we at Nestlings hope that we could help you decide on which college courses to take if you want to boost your career. Sure there may be other courses, but you can never go wrong with the ones mentioned above.