Different education choices lead to different skills. Knowing what skills you gained or will gain from education can help you see what you are good at and what you need to work on. It can also help you explain your skills to employers when you are looking for a job.
Below are the top skills associated with different areas of study.
Common Skills
Even though the skills needed for different jobs can be different, there are skills that you can learn no matter what you study. Here are some examples of the skills that are gained in many different fields of study:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Planning
- Leadership
- Flexibility
- Interpersonal skills
Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Conservation
This series includes programs that focus on farming, animals, plants, veterinary, and protecting nature. It covers things like agriculture, food science, plant science, veterinary medicine, forestry, fisheries, and natural resources.
In job postings, employers ask for social and emotional skills in 99% of cases, and they ask for job-related skills about 81% of the time. They also often want people to know how to use specific technology, which is mentioned in about 63% of job postings.
The top skills associated with these programs are:
- Decision-making
- Self-starter
- Chainsaws
- Microsoft Office
- Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
- Problem-solving
- Project management
- Writing
- Organizational skills
- Attention to detail
Architecture, Engineering, and Related Trades
This series includes programs that prepare students for jobs in things like architecture, engineering, construction, and working with tools.
Employers often want people who have good social and emotional skills, and these skills are asked for in 96% of job postings. They also often look for people who know how to use technology, which is mentioned in 62% of job postings.
The top skills associated with these programs are:
- Project management
- Problem-solving
- Microsoft Office
- Budgeting
- Supervisory skills
- Customer service
- Time management
- Organizational skills
- Occupational health and safety
- Writing
Business, Management, and Public Administration
This series includes programs that prepare students to work in government or businesses, managing programs, or running companies. It covers things like learning how to manage people, market products, develop policies, and handle money.
Employers often want people with strong social and emotional skills, which is mentioned in 98% of job postings. They also often look for people who have job-related skills, which are mentioned in about 91% of job postings. They sometimes mention technology skills, which are mentioned in about 58% of postings.
The top skills associated with these programs are:
- Decision-making
- Customer service
- Problem-solving
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- Time management
- Attention to detail
- Organizational skills
- French language
- Project management
Education
This series includes programs that focus on teaching, researching, running schools, and helping students in schools.
Employers often want people who have good social and emotional skills, which is mentioned in 74% of job postings. They also sometimes look for people who have job-related skills, which are mentioned in about 48% of postings. They might also mention technology skills, but not as often. It is only mentioned in about 21% of postings.
The top skills associated with these programs are:
- Writing
- Decision-making
- Organizational skills
- Problem-solving
- Supervisory skills
- Time management
- French language
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Word
- English language
Health and Related Fields
This series includes programs that focus on recreation, fitness, health, and medicine. It covers topics like managing recreational activities, studying how bodies move, and working in healthcare like medicine or dentistry.
Employers often want people who have good social and emotional skills, which is mentioned in 94% of job postings. They also usually look for people with job-related skills, which are mentioned in about 76% of postings. They might mention technology skills, but not as often. It is only mentioned in 17% of job postings.
The top skills associated with these programs are:
- French language
- Decision-making
- Patient care
- Problem-solving
- Organizational skills
- Writing
- Time management
- Attention to detail
- Customer service
- Multi-tasking
Humanities
This series includes programs that study human society and culture. It covers things like English, history, philosophy, and languages.
Employers often want workers with good social and emotional skills, which is mentioned in 96% of job postings. They also often look for people who have job-related skills, which are mentioned in about 67% of postings. Sometimes they mention technology skills, but only about 39% of the time.
The top skills associated with these programs are:
- French language
- English language
- Decision-making
- Writing
- Time management
- Attention to detail
- Microsoft Word
- Organizational skills
- Microsoft Excel
- Project management
Mathematics, Computer, and Information Sciences
This series includes programs like mathematics, statistics, computer science, library science, data science, and data analytics.
Employers often want workers who have good social and emotional skills, which is mentioned in 97% of job postings. They also usually look for people with job-related skills, which are mentioned in 95% of job postings. They mention technology in about 76% of postings, which is the highest of all the major fields of study.
The top skills associated with these programs are:
- Problem-solving
- Project management
- Decision-making
- Troubleshooting
- Customer service
- Analytical skills
- Attention to detail
- SQL (Structured Query Language)
- Writing
- Self-starter/self-motivated
Personal, Protective, and Transportation Services
This series includes programs that prepare students for jobs like hairdressing, working in restaurants, funeral service, and providing security. It also covers jobs like working in the military or transportation.
Employers often want workers who have good social and emotional skills, which is mentioned in 97% of job postings. They also usually look for people with job-related skills, which are mentioned in 93% of job postings. They mention technology in about 31% of postings.
The top skills associated with these programs are:
- Cooking/meal preparation
- Fast-paced setting
- French language
- Customer service
- Time management
- Decision-making
- Self-starter/self-motivated
- Attention to detail
- Organizational skills
- Handling heavy loads
Physical and Life Sciences and Technologies
This series includes programs that focus on studying nature, like studying animals, plants, and the environment. It also covers using science to solve problems and make discoveries. It includes programs like biology, chemistry, and physics.
Employers often want workers who have good social and emotional skills and can work well with others, which is mentioned in 98% of job postings. They also look for people with job-related skills, which are mentioned in about 74% of postings. They sometimes mention technology skills, but not as often. Technology is only mentioned in about 23% of postings.
The top skills associated with these programs are:
- Decision-making
- Writing
- French language
- Time management
- Problem-solving
- Supervisory skills
- Multi-tasking
- Organizational skills
- Negotiation skills
- Microsoft Office
Social and Behavioural Sciences and Law
This series includes programs that study how people live together, how societies work, and how people behave. It also includes programs that prepare students to become lawyers. It covers things like communications, law, psychology, anthropology, and sociology.
Employers often want people who have good social and emotional skills and can work well with others, which is mentioned in 96% of job postings. They also usually look for people who have job-related skills, which are mentioned in about 77% of postings. Sometimes they mention technology skills, but only about 39% of the time.
The top skills associated with these programs are:
- Decision-making
- Problem-solving
- Time management
- French language
- Supervisory skills
- Organizational skills
- Self-starter/self-motivated
- Microsoft Office
- Attention to detail
Visual and Performing Arts, and Communications Technologies
This series includes programs that prepare students for jobs in making videos, music, and art. It covers things like working with cameras and other recording equipment, creating graphics, and performing arts like music and dance.
Employers often want people with good social and emotional skills who can work well with others, which is mentioned in 97% of job postings. They also usually look for people who have job-related skills, which are mentioned in about 65% of postings. They often mention technology skills, which are found in about 43% of postings.
The top skills associated with these programs are:
- Decision-making
- Time management
- Attention to detail
- Writing
- Problem-solving
- Microsoft Office
- Project management
- Organizational skills
- Fast-paced setting
- Supervisory skills
Source: Vicinity Jobs. Postings by CIP By Skill. January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023. Program groups with limited data have not been included.