Six of the Most Versatile Online Degrees

Some students know exactly what career they want to pursue, making it easy to choose a degree. However, not everyone is this fortunate, making it stressful to select a study path. Fortunately, there are online degrees available that have a lot of versatility.

What Are The Benefits of Choosing a Versatile Online Degree?

Many degrees are highly specialized, which is great if you know exactly what career path to embark on. On the other hand, a versatile degree is more useful when you want to keep your options open when deciding on a career path. These types of careers can still provide you with a well-rounded education, but without locking you into a set path. Obviously, you would still need to pick an option that interests you and would enjoy completing, but opting for a versatile degree means you won't be tied to a specific career pathway. The other advantage of completing a versatile degree is that if you find a career that you enjoy, you can then use the flexibility of online learning to continue your studies while working.

The Most Versatile Online Degree Options

Computer Science

Computer Science is one of the most versatile degrees as practically every business in the modern world makes use of technology in some capacity. It is also a field with a lot of income potential as well as job growth. Another significant advantage of computer science is that many of the career paths that it opens up can be done remotely. This is something that is more important than ever before for a lot of job seekers.

Completing a computer science degree involves studying computer technology, systems, design software, and programming. It is a field that encompasses a lot of subdisciplines, which is what makes it so versatile. This type of degree is ideal for anyone who enjoys problem-solving, engineering, mathematics or working with software and software systems. Students with a degree in computer science can work as programmers, database administrators, information security analysts, software developers, and computer support specialists, to name just a few.

Business Administration

Business Administration is another versatile degree that can be completed online, and it provides students with a broad academic background in business disciplines. This foundational knowledge is valuable no matter which direction you want to take your career. Business Administration can also help students discover which aspect of business they enjoy the most and would like to focus on with further studies.

In addition to learning the theories and constructs of business, a Business Administration degree also helps students hone their leadership skills. Potential career paths with this type of degree include sales managers, cost estimators, management analysts, social and community service managers, and administrative service managers.

Communications

A communications degree helps students strategize and convey their ideas effectively, a valuable skill for just about any industry. In addition to learning how to communicate better, this degree also equips students to analyze and recommend strategies, think creatively and critically, as well as use various communication tools to spread their messages. Because it is such a versatile degree, studying communications can open up doors in the advertising, broadcast, public relations, media, and professional writing fields.

Some career paths that benefit from a communications degree are journalism, copywriting, account executives, human resources, and even social media specialists. Communication forms the backbone of many businesses and being able to convey your messages to customers, clients, and co-workers is invaluable.

Finance

Money makes the world go round, and a finance degree is a versatile option for finding your specialization in the business world. Aside from business, a finance degree is also helpful for anyone interested in economics, investment, and banking. Whether you would like to make, manage or quantify money, a finance degree is a great first step to do so.

A finance degree covers areas such as compliant ethical and legal practices, methodologies to make sound financial decisions, the development of financial plans for clients, and analyzing financial statements. Completing this degree can lead to employment as a financial analyst, account manager, personal banker, risk analyst, financial consultant, and many more.

Marketing

Most people associate marketing with the final stages of a product or service, but it is actually invaluable right from the start. This is also what makes marketing such a versatile degree, as it is something that every business requires. It is not just the business world that involves marketing, but also non-profit organizations, political parties, government agencies, and more. Even entrepreneurs can benefit from a marketing degree.

A degree in marketing can teach students how to develop marketing plans that align with company missions, objectives, and goals, apply legal and ethical principles to marketing goals and use data to determine the position of a product in the market. Career paths that are enhanced by this type of degree include marketing manager, social media manager, product manager, media planner, advertising manager, and business development manager.

General Studies

For students who are really unsure about what path to take but know how important a college education is for their future, a General Studies degree is a good option. As the name suggests, this degree aims to provide students with a versatile skill set that can prepare them for a variety of careers.

Typically a general studies degree curriculum covers everything from English and math to the sciences, communications, humanities, and public speaking. These are all very useful for any career and can help students discover where their interests really lay. After completing a general studies degree, students can find employment while continuing their education and focussing on a specialization.

Conclusion

These six online degrees are just examples of how you don't need to choose something specialized for your future career immediately. Of course, education is important, but not rushing into something will help to avoid disappointment or even giving up on a degree. A versatile degree is a long-term investment and can make a big difference in your career prospects.