Ask the Readers: What's the Most Valuable Degree? (Chance to win $20)

I am going to go a completely different direction here and say an Associates Degree in Nursing. You can get this done at a community college in two years, you are going to start around $50k per year and top out around $120k a year. Plus with the nursing shortage you will always be able to find work. As we saw from the financial meltdown, lots of very educated people with degrees and finance can quickly become expendable

A degree is nothing without working experience. I’m so happy I chose to work my way through school; it’s probably one of the only reasons I’m employed at a decent job with a good salary!

I think it depends on location. I live in the northeast. Here there are a lot of hedge funds, investment banks and other high-finance shops. Based on headhunter calls, friends graduating undergrad and grad schools and a few articles I've read, degrees in statistics, engineering or mathematics are very highly regarded by places like this. And those are the places that pay a lot of money. They want people trained to think and analyze apparently. And those degrees apparently teach people how to think analytically. It's pretty interesting stuff - stuff I would never have considered as a high school senior (those topics interest me, but I always joked about a degree in "math" - until I was already out in the workplace). Fortunately I like what I do and am happy with the money.

This is an interesting question as we have 2 teenagers approaching college and needing to focus on majors. We are encouraging them to look at their interests and aptitudes and then to select a major that has some broad career opportunities at the end - our suggestions: engineering, math, business, etc. Both kids are good at math and science, but the older kid likes them more than the younger kid, so it will be interesting to see where they land. Despite some protests to the contrary, we suggest and direct, but don't dictate. I also think a nursing, MD, or veterinary degree would provide a solid living, but we come from a family with weak stomachs:).

I disagree with the poster who suggested an MD. Unless you're very, very lucky, you will come out of med school with massive debts. It takes many, many years to pay those back plus many MDs feel compelled to play the status game. No. I think a Nursing degree (so much flexibility with type of work and location) and engineering - probably civil, electrical or computer. Having an M.S. in any of these increases pay quite a bit.

My engineering degree has been very versatile and lucrative. Engineers make a very good salary, but the versatility I experienced being drafted into consulting out of school made me realize that engineering students are trained to think and problem solve. Those skills can be transferred into multiple industries.

The most valuable university degree is RN, nursing. I worked in human resources in a hospital for a few years. I was amazed at how those with the nursing credentials were immediately hired without much question as to their previous experience or past job performance. The poor performers are shuffled, but they are not fired or laid off. The wages are high. Healthcare is a 24/7 business and creative people choose their shift and working hours to meet their current home situations, such as working 2 twelve hour all night shifts per week so that essentially a mom can remain nearly stay-at-home while making more income than comparative full time employment with a business degree would pay in our area. The employer pays to keep their licensing and training current. They have top of the line benefits, even for part-time work. You can move to a brand new town and be employed within a week. And there are hundreds of occupations within the healthcare field that have little to do with patient care, but you must have the nursing degree to access them - careers in statistics, administration, training, marketing, computer systems, etc.

For society - a science degree. For you, an engineering degree, any engineering degree. Learn to analyze and solve problems, get challenging work.

Most valuable degree? I'd say a tie between a degree in teaching or library/information science. The skills learned for either of those professions can be applied in so mnay ways, and in so many fields.

Any sort of medical degree since there are so many elderly now and, with the Baby Boomers getting to that stage too, the healthcare fields are never at a loss for business and probably will never be.

The most valuable degree is REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE, even if it is an internship. Right after that, I would probably say an accounting class.

For me, the best degree is Economics. And yes I'll admit I'm biased.
A degree in Economics is not only versatile, but provides you with key financial life lessons.
It's also a field where there are plenty of options for jobs. The economy will always have ups and downs, but it will never cease to exist and there will always be jobs trying to predict where it will head next and analyzing its impact. Being an economist is a profession that will always have numerous job opportunities.

In terms of personal learning, I also like that economics is a field that can be applied to many, many other fields. An economist can specialize in so many different fields (health, regional development, culture, neuroeconomics if you want to mix in some psychology, etc.) that there is always an opportunity to learn more about different subjects.

I would say engineering. A bit expensive, but the possibilities for long term earnings are nearly unlimited as an engineering undergraduate has both a technical skillset and the ability to apply critical thinking to technical problems.

I think any setting where someone can learn a lot of skills for entering society - working together with other people, prioritizing, time management, critical thinking, and socializing - is the most valuable degree you can get, whether that be an AA, BA/BS, master's, phd, or on-the-job training, or certification training... It would depend on the individual.

My vote is for any degree in the Medical Field. My mother used to tell us girls,"If you have a degree in the medical field, you'll always have a job!" My sister became an RN and I am a Physical Therapy Assistant. Mom was right!

Wow I can't believe no one has mentioned an accouting degree. Haven't you ever heard the saying nothing is guaranteed in this life except death and taxes. When I earned my accounting degree in 1998, employers came to my college campus falling over themselves to hire the accounting graduates. I didn't even have to leave my campus to interview and had a job lined up 3 months prior to graduation. I know the job market isn't as inviting as it was 12 years ago when I was graduating but our firm has laid of ZERO people in the last two years, we are even looking to hire for the upcoming tax season. So Accouting all the way.

By far, I think the most valuable apprenticeship/certificate to have would be one in plumbing. The average person has limited plumbing skills. When the plumbing backs up, you NEED a professional. There is no getting around it. Plumbing skills also are in demand in boom times during periods of constructions, but a plumber will do well in down times, too. No one will live with a stopped up toilet for long.