Best Recession Proof Degrees
Introduction
In the event of a recession, like today's economy, you may be wondering if there are any degrees that are recession proof. The answer is "yes."In fact, some careers continue to survive-and even thrive-despite economic downturns. Below we look at three of the best professions to pursue in the event of an economic flatline.
Office Administration
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, because of the increasingly complex nature of office administration, more and more employers today are looking for office administrators with college
General Information
Companies rely on the skills of office administration professionals to keep things running smoothly. Administrative assistants have a wide range of responsibilities, from performing routine office activities, to managing paperwork, to handling correspondence and even database management.
Office managers supervise office personnel and perform many other functions to make sure the office runs smoothly. They help create budgets, interview and hire office employees, coach and evaluate personnel, create reports, do research, and oversee data management skills that are easily transferable to a variety of other jobs and industries. While office administrators are needed in all industries, the greatest need currently is in organizations with a large administrative base, such as health care facilities, banks, and government agencies.
Examples of Degrees in Office Administration
- Associate of Science in Business Administration
- Bachelor of Business Administration
- Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
- Master of Business Administration
Accounting
Accountants are always in demand. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the demand for accountants to grow by 18 percent through 2016—which is faster than average. What’s more, it’s during times of recession, when there are waves of mergers and acquisitions, that accountants are needed to help manage the process.
General Information
Businesses of all types are always in need of accountants to keep the books, handle payroll, process invoices, create and analyze budgets, and make sure taxes are prepared and filed on time. If you have a knack for numbers, are analytical and detail oriented, and like working with computers and people, a degree in accounting may be the perfect degree for you. With an accounting degree, you can work in private industry, government, non-profit organizations, or for yourself. An accounting degree can also be a fast track to higher positions within the organization.
In additional to a degree, most accountants are required by law to be certified in their professional designation, such as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), or Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM). Most post-graduate (master’s) degree programs help accountants achieve the academic requirements required for their certification and prepare them to take their certification test.
Examples of Degrees in Accounting
- Bachelor of Science in Business and Accounting
- Master of Science in Accounting
- Master of Business Administration in Accounting
- Master of Science in Management in Accounting
- Master of Science in Technology and Accounting
- Master of Business Administration in Accounting
- Master of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting
Education
Even during a tough economy, there’s a need for educators and school administrators. And you can count on that demand to continue growing as long as our population grows.
General Information
Teaching
Math and science teachers are especially in great demand as the U.S. struggles to compete with other countries in engineering, technology, and medicine. A growing immigrant population means more bilingual and English-as-a-second-language classes. More teachers are also needed to work with gifted children, as well as special education teachers to work with learning disabilities, the blind or the deaf. Vocational and industrial education also needs teachers to help students learn a trade or other job skills. Teachers are required to have a minimum of a four-year degree in education. However, most public and private schools today are requiring teachers to get a master’s degree within a certain number of years to achieve tenure.
Non-Teaching
If you’re not interested in teaching, there are other possibilities, such as school administration, school counseling, school psychology, educational/instructional media and technology, library science, and education research.
Post-Secondary
A post-secondary degree can be an entre to teaching in a community college or university---or being an educator in the corporate world. With people finding it harder to get a job, many are riding out the recession by going back to school. In addition, workers as well as job seekers are taking courses to increase their marketability in the work force. The result is an increased demand for degrees in adult education and other education disciplines.
- In the academic world, distance learning has revolutionized higher education, making college degrees accessible to a broader population than ever before. With the convenience of being able to learn at home and at their own pace, adults are now able to complete their coursework while still fulfilling their family and work obligations. This has increased the demand for people with degrees in distance learning or instructional technology to develop and teach these online courses.
- In the corporate environment, the demand for education and training is greater than ever before. And it continues to grow as businesses strive to operate in an increasingly global and competitive market. Most corporate trainers have a degree in teaching, training, instructional technology, or instructional design and performance management. And more and more companies are using distance learning to teach their employees and cut down on travel. So these employers also are looking for people with a degree in distance learning or instructional design.
Examples of Degrees in Education
- Bachelor of Science in Education
- Bachelor of Science in Education – Elementary Teacher Education
- Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies – Training and Development
- Master of Science in Education
- Master of Science in Education – Teaching and Learning
- Master of Science in Education – Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment (K-12)
- Master of Science in Education – Integrating Technology in the Classroom (K-12)
- Master of Science in Education – Elementary Reading and Literacy (pre-K-6)
- Master of Science in Education – Adolescent Literacy and Technology (Grades 6-12)
- Master of Science in Education – Mathematics (Grades 6-8)
- Master of Science in Distance Education
- Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology
- Master of Arts in Education – Early Childhood Education
- Master of Arts in Education – Special Education
- Master of Arts in Education – Curriculum and Instruction – Computer Education
- Master of Arts in Education – Administration and Supervision
- Master of Education – Adult Learning, Training and Development
- Master of Education – Space Studies
- Master of Education in Instructional Design for Online Learning
