The ambition that drives people to reach for power and wealth also drives the same people to work hard, meaning those who feature on lists for the richest or most powerful people in the world have not fluked their way to the top. The lucky ones in positions of wealth and power are often tremendous hard-workers, who have given over years to their education and work lives at the expense of all else. However, the end product for the Bill Gates or Warren Buffet’s of the world is spectacular.

Some might say that it is unwise to dream so big when imagining your future, but only by striving to be top of the world can you reach even half-way up the ladder. Investing in your education and maximising your CV is an excellent way to get you there, which is why so many of the worlds richest and most successful people have advanced degrees – Warren Buffet being a holder of a Masters in Economics from Columbia for example. Here are just a few examples of advanced degrees you can hold and why they will help you in your career climb, giving you the basic skills you need to climb the career ladder.

1.  Computer science

While a postgraduate degree in computer science is not the only way you can master programming or become familiar with computer hardware, it is the fastest way to get solid credentials that prove your technical skills. Even better, the job growth outlook for those holding an advanced degree in computer science is on the redder side of rosy – with Forbes projecting a 22% rise in employment opportunities in that field by 2020. Forbes has also estimated the mid-life median salary for a computer science postgraudate degree holder to be US$109000, a great figure that could get even larger with some extra hard work and determination. One gets onto the Forbes lists by thinking outside the box, so if this postgraduate courses helps you create a new kind of computer or become the next Mark Zuckerberg then you could be on your way.

2.  Masters in Business Administration (MBA)

Going to business school is a divisive topic for most in the business industry: those who did not go will say that it is unnecessary, and those that did will say it was the most important decision of their lives. MBAs certainly do not come cheap, but they light up your CV and can do wonders in helping you climb past others for promotions. If you’re hammering away at the glass ceiling, trying to break into the boardroom, then perhaps adding the extra gem of an MBA will force others to reconsider. Now it not a time of growth in the business industry, but if you want to be one of the lucky few who make it to the life of bonuses and stock options then now is the time to invest. According to Forbes, your mid-life salary can easily be in the six-figure range – and if you invest wisely then you can with a little luck become wealthier than you ever need to be.

3.  Engineering

Engineering mightn’t seem like a shortcut to being rich and powerful, yet in is an advanced degree with plenty of applications that can take you to the top. Electrical engineering in a popular choice for inventors and imaginative manufacturers, and can help you do anything from building power plants to building computers. More generally however, the money in engineering is in energy: engineering postgraduates who go on to work in oil can easily see the salaries balloon even at the starting pay-grade. The shortage of engineering graduates at a undergraduate level, nevermind graduate level, means there is a lot of room for job growth.