by Todd Pheifer

Created on: January 14, 2010

People go to college for a variety of reasons.  Some attend because it seems like a societal expectation, so they enroll even if they do not know what they want to do with their life.  Other people genuinely pursue education at least in part because they want to improve themselves from an intellectual standpoint.  In today’s society, many individuals pursue degrees because they represent future vocational pursuits and opportunity to earn money.  Therefore, here are a few thoughts on the best degrees to pursue when people want to make money. 

Medicine

Getting into medicine can be rather difficult, and it can require a certain aptitude and a good deal of schooling.  However, it will most likely remain a field that has job prospects because healthcare will always be an issue, particularly in countries like the United States where people continue to be rather unhealthy.  There are also a number of related fields that impact medicine, such as engineering that impacts technology, pharmaceuticals, and research. 

Technology

People always make money when they are part of emergent technology.  The challenge with technology is having some sort of foresight as to what will be the “hot” field in the next field years.  Sometimes by the time people realize what is popular, they are a few years from attaining a degree.  By the time they get a degree the field is saturated with other trained workers.  Therefore, some people have to possess a bit of savvy in terms of forecasting the future and they must realize that technological training can quickly become outdated. 

Business

In general terms, people can often make money by getting a business, management, accounting, or finance degree.  The reality of making money in countries like America is that commerce remains rather profitable.  Some people may have a disdain for the large, machine-like corporation, but these organizations do still pay pretty well in many situations. 

Interests

Finally, what people have to keep in mind is that making money does not always lead to happiness.  People can certainly pursue what are perceived as lucrative fields, but if they are unhappy, they will potentially find themselves leaving those fields for jobs that are more interesting and personally satisfying.  When that occurs, the training they received may have been a general waste.  Therefore, people should realize that job satisfaction is a key part of sticking with a vocation, which means that people may ultimately make the most money by pursuing fields that truly interest them. 

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