10 demanding careers requiring an undergraduate degree – maximizing your potential

With the complexity of the Coronavirus pandemic, the demand for healthcare professionals and specifically, registered nurses is on the rise. Primarily, a registered nurse's role will involve assessing a patient's condition and administering treatment accordingly. Thus, having an undergraduate degree can develop one's critical thinking ability and improve communication skills; valuable traits that would be of immense value to doctors.

An employee who envisions a corporation's financial success leverages the core skills of a workforce and offers expert advice is of great benefit. Therefore, for those of you keen on embarking on a career as a financial manager, degree programmes involving accounting, economics or finance must be considered.

A software developer's main requirements would be to work closely with programmers to write codes, maintain computer programmes, and test software programmes. In the long run, a software developer can move into roles such as a software manager or IT project manager, and to aid one's growth, work experience coupled with a bachelor's in computer engineering or software engineering will be a huge bonus.

If you have a knack for problem-solving and are passionate about data protection and the 'ins and outs' of the cyber world, then perhaps, a career as an information security analyst will suit you best. While exposure in the IT field is a prerequisite, such individuals can look forward to lucrative returns where one's annual salary can easily reach the USD 100,000 mark. To achieve this level of success, invest in an undergraduate degree in either computer science or IT for that matter.

As a whole, tasks involving studying blood samples of a patient and analyzing tissues would be but the 'tip of the iceberg' in the day of a clinical laboratory technician. Thus, the proper credentials in the form of a degree in biology as well as life sciences can enhance your potential in such a sphere.

From being able to think on your feet, be a problem solver and also communicate effectively; the role of an industrial engineer demands the creation of systems to alleviate waste as part of a production process. Industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, and business would be the areas that an industrial engineer with a degree in electronic engineering or general engineering would need to make note of.

Basically, a Human Resources manager will be called upon to address the needs of the staff, to work in strategic planning, and coordinate the recruitment of new members of staff as well. Individuals thinking of such a role would have to graduate in either business management or human resources in order to pave greater career potential.

Persons seen in such managerial positions will be tasked with brand promotion, improving consumer interest in products, and creating campaigns to channel better demand and supply for goods and services. In this regard, a degree in public relations, marketing, or communications will soon have you on your way towards working in the aforementioned capacities.

In the event you possess strong analytical and decision-making skills, then a career as a construction manager may be the right way forward for you. The role of a construction manager will involve planning and supervising building projects and for this, and one must invest in proper undergraduate courses. In Sri Lanka, institutes such as CINEC offer degrees with a focus on construction management that can be considered.

Should you be motivated to work in areas where you will be helping people come out of addictions and negative behavioral patterns, then look up as to what the aforementioned would entail. Undergraduate degrees in psychology, social work, or substance abuse counseling would be the courses that you would need to follow so that you can instill change in a person's life.