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Are business degrees becoming less valuable?

I've been told we've had a drop in engineers and a rise in "office workers." It makes me feel like I'm wasting my time with a business degree when there are other fields starving for workers. #business

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R’s Answer

I received an undergraduate degree in Business/Marketing and an MBA. I consider that education to be valuable, not only for myself, but for the organizations I have worked for. It has given me the foundation to do different things at different companies. Understanding the business needs of an organization is essential, whether you are in Sales, Software Development, Product, HR, etc. A good understanding of business principals will also enhance your ability to work with other teams. You will be more likely to understand their needs and how you can work together, as a team, to impact the organization. My education, along with a network of other students, allowed me opportunities in Sales, Procurement, and Recruiting. It also gave me the knowledge to go into business for myself.

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Enzo’s Answer

Hello Myles,

I have an undergraduate degree in Business Management with a concentration on Acquisitions and Contract Management. There are many different concentrations you can focus on; General Business, Accounting and Finance, Business Management, etc. I consider my education to be valuable, as without a formal degree the organizations I have worked for would not have hired me. I have performed many different roles throughout my career and at several different companies. I would do a little research on the various areas of concentration and see what you like and which are the most marketable.
I choose Acquisitions and Contract Management as it seems there are no shortage of jobs in this career field. As a Procurement agent or Contract Manager in either the Public or Private Sector.
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Scott’s Answer

I look at a business degree is a generalist. You can branch off into a lot of different directions, but the down side is you are a generalist with no specific track to take. If you earn a degree in finance, HR, engineering, marketing etc., you have a pathway leading to your career. Business degrees as you can foresee, do not fit into these specific channels. What that translates to, is you need to define yourself more so than these other degrees do. That is the extra step. The question you need to answer is, are you ok with that or do you want to hit the ground running with a degree where it is obvious what you are looking for? As a generalist, you are not going to start out making as much money as an in demand field like engineering or IT. However, my recommendation is for you to take a skills and personality assessment test and determine what it is you like to do. That should trump all other considerations, even money. Being happy in a job will make for a better life than being miserable. But, if you can make a lot of money and be happy with your career, wahoo! But keep in mind, no job is perfect. Good luck.
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Jen’s Answer

I got a degree in Finance, and I would say personally, it has been value. However, "valuable" to you depends on what you're looking to get out of the degree. If you want to work in business, I would say a business degree is valuable. However, there are many other degrees (outside of a business degree) you can pursue to work in business. I wanted to work in business, and I think my degree has served me well. If nothing else, I learned a lot of skills that help me in my everyday life, like financial planning. I started out in consulting, and now am working in IT.


You make an astute point by saying that other growing fields are in need of skilled workers. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a company that doesn't need a software engineer or someone with technical skills. On the flip side, I think there are still many jobs out there for business majors - the world needs those too.


One important thing to keep in mind is what you want to do. If you're going to be miserable studying software engineering, but want to do it because you think it will help you get a job, chances are you won't like the job it helps you get! There are still plenty of jobs out there for business majors, and a wide variety, too.

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