This is what you should study at university if you want to be a billionaire

Report examines Forbes' list of the 100 richest people in the world to reveal what they studied, their first job, and how rich they became

Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard (Reuters)

If you want to be a billionaire, you'd be well served by studying engineering at university or taking a job as a salesperson.

This is according to research from British recruitment agency Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment, which examined Forbes' list of the 100 richest people in the world to reveal what they studied, their first job, and how rich they became.

The report found that 75 of the world's richest 100 people have a degree, and out of these 75, 22 studied engineering.

Fifty-three of the top 100 also started working in a non-family owned business, with 19% starting in a salesperson role and 17% starting as a stock trader.

Meanwhile, 17% of the world's top 100 billionaires started their careers by setting up their own business.

These were the top five degrees amongst the world's billionaires:

1. Engineering — 22
2. Business — 16
3. Finance & Economics — 11
4. Law — 6
5. Computer Science — 4

And these were their five most common first jobs:

1. Salesperson — 10
2. Stock trader — 9
3. Software developer — 5
4. Engineer — 5
5. Analyst — 4

Rob Scott, managing director at Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment, said: “Today we are seeing that nearly all of the top people in business are graduates and that a degree can be a great first-step into preparing you for your career ahead.”

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