Do you really need a degree in a specific field to make it to the top of your industry? Or is it possible to take a different path and still get there?

We analyzed 254 LinkedIn profiles of global CEOs, looking at what they studied, how many degrees they earned, and where they are now. This helped us see whether these CEOs ended up working in the industries they originally studied for—or if they took a completely different route in their careers.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

  • 56% of CEOs studied Business, Finance & Management subjects, making this the most popular type of degree
  • 29% of CEOs have at least 2 higher education experiences listed on their profile, which is the most common number of degrees
  • CEOs in Financial Services were more likely than any other group to have stayed in their lane, with 76% of CEOs in Financial Services studying a Business, Finance or Management subject

  • Only 15% of CEOs studied Humanities, Arts & Communication subjects, ranking even below STEM subjects.

Business, Finance & Management subjects open the most doors

Business, Finance, and General Management are the most common subjects among CEOs, appearing in 56% of all CEO profiles we looked at. This may be because the skills gained through these subjects are super transferable—opening plenty of doors after graduation. The knowledge picked up here might give graduates just what they need to go on to build a successful business in practically any industry.

76% of CEOs in the Financial Services industry studied Business, Finance, & Management, as well as 71% of those in Business Consulting and Services. These high percentages show that many people who studied a Business, Finance or Management subject ended up in a related industry. However, plenty of business owners with degrees in these subjects have gone on to build careers in completely different industries.

These results show that studying Business, Finance & Management subjects can not only land you a role in the same field, but can also act as a gateway into all sorts of other industries.

A third of CEOs changed their study subject (at least once!)

Choosing your subject in college is a big decision, but it's okay to change your mind if it's the right thing for you. With certain jobs, a degree in a related field is a necessary requirement, so changing your subject can help set you on the right path.

From our data, we found that 31% of CEOs studied 2 different subjects, which suggests that these people may have decided to switch direction, retraining in another field to pursue a different industry. 

BlackRock’s CEO, Larry Fink, is a key example of this. Fink has a BA in Political Science, but went on to achieve an MBA. The same can be said for the CEO of Diagedo, Debra Crew. Crew holds a BA in International Studies and Spanish, and also went on to earn an MBA.

This shows that branching out into another field is not a bad thing—it can set you up for success. You don’t have to stick to the same subject as your bachelor’s degree when it comes to deciding what to do next.

Although most (41%) of CEOs did only study one subject at college, 31% is still a significant proportion of business owners that studied more than one subject to get to where they are now! Our research found that 8% studied 3 different subjects, and 2% studied 4. This goes to show that changing paths can definitely pay off in the long run.

Having 2 degrees is the most common among CEOs, with nearly a third holding this number

Our research revealed that holding 2 degrees is the most common amongst CEOs (29%). This can mean that some CEOs tend to go on to achieve a master’s degree. However, a second degree isn’t always necessary, as 27% of CEOs have just one. 

12% of CEOs went on to achieve 3 qualifications, studying more than one master’s degree or going on to complete a PhD.

While the majority of CEOs attended college and achieved at least one degree, 18% CEO profiles we looked at contained no higher education details. This might be because they chose not to have this information public on their profile, or they simply did not attend college in the first place.

Only 3% of CEOs studied Health & Medicine or Mathematics & Science—the least popular subjects

From the data, we found that the most popular subject for CEOs across all industries is Business, Finance, & Management studies, followed by Engineering & Technology, which was studied by 34% of CEOs. But what about the least popular subjects?

We found that as little as 3% of CEOs studied Health & Medicine at college. Of all CEO profiles we looked at, we found that one of the rarest subjects that CEOs studied was Health & Medicine. As well as these subjects, we also found that just 3% of business owners studied Mathematics & Applied Sciences as well—making both these subjects the least common.

From our data, we found that 17% of CEOs working in the Entertainment Provider industry studied Health & Medicine, as well as 8% of Financial Services CEOs and 3% of Software Development CEOs. This means that CEOs working in these industries at one point studied Health & Medicine, but went on to work in different fields.

The same can be said for CEOs that studied Mathematics & Applied Sciences, as 14% of Advertising Services CEOs and 13% of Software Development business owners studied this field at one point, but may have branched out in another direction to get to where they are now. There may be a connection, with Software Development in particular being a field that might require some highly technical, analytical skills, of the kind they might have learned on their degrees.

CEOs ended up in different fields to what they studied 

We also looked into what the most common industry was for each area of study—where did students of each subject typically end up? 

15% of CEOs and business owners from the profiles we looked at chose to build their business in Software Development, which makes it the most popular industry from our data. 45% of Software Development CEOs took an Engineering & Technology degree at college, but the majority (77%) studied a Business, Finance, & Management degree. While this adds up to more than 100%, this is because the data includes both bachelor’s degrees and any further studies, so some CEOs in Software Development studied both Engineering and Business at some point.

This goes to show that you don’t necessarily have to study the exact same field you end up in—having a degree in a somewhat different field can still open up doors. But don’t underestimate the power of a degree as a stepping stone into your dream career, as 45% is a significant chunk!

With that being said, it does seem like Business, Finance & Management degrees hold a lot of weight in various industries, especially in Software Development, Human Resources, and Entertainment Providers.

Humanities is less popular than STEM among CEOs

In the rivalry between Humanities and STEM subjects, STEM often seems to come out on top, with parents sometimes worrying about the career prospects of their children who want to study these subjects. But while Humanities subjects are less popular, we found out that more than 1 in 10 CEOs, at 15%, studied Humanities, Arts & Communication subjects. 

This group of subjects landed in third place overall, behind Engineering & Technology with 34% of CEOs studying these subjects, and of course Business, Finance & Management subjects taking first place.

50% of CEOs who studied Humanities, Arts & Communication subjects now lead companies that are classed as Entertainment Providers, suggesting that their passion for arts and culture may often have carried over into their working life.

Despite 34% of CEOs having studied Engineering & Technology, the second most popular subject, the least popular subjects also fall under the STEM category: Mathematics & Applied Sciences and Health & Medicine.

Both of Kickresume’s co-founders have master’s degrees in fields unrelated to our industry

Tomáš Ondrejka, co-founder and CMO of Kickresume has a master’s degree in Law from Paneuropean University. He also studied Marketing and Communications at University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, earning a bachelor’s degree.

Peter Duris, co-founder & CEO of Kickresume has a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Brno University of Technology. But while he started off in this field, he ended up building a HR tech business with co-founder Tomáš, ending up in a totally different industry.

Both our co-founders hold master’s degrees in subjects in different fields from the HR tech company they created. Which goes to show that you don’t have to be rigid in your degree choice, it’s okay to branch out into different areas. 

Final thoughts

Overall, it seems like what you study at college can set you up on the right path—but you don’t need to study the exact field you end up in! The majority of CEOs we looked at across all industries held a degree in Business, Finance, & Management subjects, which means this area of knowledge may be especially helpful to have in the entrepreneurial world. 

Software Development seemed to be the most popular industry that CEOs ended up in, but the majority of those in this field hold degrees in Business, Finance & Management subjects, like CEOs across the board. Studying for an MBA was a popular way for people who initially studied a different subject to switch direction and get some knowledge in this area.

But not all CEOs have ever studied a Business subject, and after all, not all CEOs hold a degree. Famous examples include Steve Jobs, who dropped out of Reed College in Portland, Oregon after his first term. 

Note

Kickresume looked at a sample of 254 CEO’s LinkedIn pages, using the data from LinkedIn to compare what they studied and the industry the company they lead belongs to. 208 of the CEOs had shared their higher education qualifications on their LinkedIn page. The CEOs in the study belonged to a wide range of industries and were based around the world in the US, Europe, Asia, the UAE and Australia. This gives a broader overview of the educational backgrounds of these business leaders. Kickresume also counted how many degrees each CEO had. 

About Kickresume 

Kickresume is an AI-based career tool that helps candidates source jobs and raise salary with powerful resume and cover letter tools, skills analytics, and automated job search assistance. It already helped more than 6 million job seekers worldwide.