- CEO stands for Chief Executive Officer, and it’s the highest-ranking position in a company.
- To become a CEO, there are two common routes: working towards an executive-level position in an organisation or starting your own company.
- Many CEOs hold Bachelor’s degrees in management, finance, or industry-specific topics. Some also have MBAs.
CEO, or chief executive officer, is the highest-ranking title you can get in a company. There’s no single path to becoming a CEO, meaning no degree can guarantee you the title. In fact, you’ll come across CEOs with backgrounds in finance, engineering, law, management, and more. Some of them started with entry-level roles and climbed the corporate ladder, while others built their own company from scratch.
Find out more about how to become a CEO, how long it typically takes, and recommendations on what to study, based on real-life examples.
What does a CEO actually do?
A CEO’s role centres around decision-making, strategy, and leadership. It’s worth noting that the scope usually depends on the company size and industry. Here’s more information:
Strategy and direction
CEOs set long-term goals, identify opportunities, and communicate the company’s decisions to the board and stakeholders. In large companies, CEOs work with dedicated teams who execute the strategy. In smaller ones, CEOs are usually more involved in the day-to-day operations.
Decision-making
CEOs make decisions related to pricing, hiring, product, and operations. Some of these decisions can be very high-stakes, meaning they can affect the company’s finances, reputation, employees, or future growth. For example, a CEO may decide to:
- launch a new product into a competitive market
- expand the company into another country
- hire or replace senior leadership
- lay off their staff due to market changes
Leadership and accountability
CEOs are responsible for leading the company and taking accountability for their decisions. They set the company’s direction, manage teams, and guide the organisation through both growth and challenges.
Skills you need to become a CEO
Besides technical knowledge, CEOs need a wide range of soft skills and a business mindset, such as:
- Leadership and decision-making skills
- Financial understanding
- Effective communication skills
- Resilience to work under pressure and handle responsibility
- Strategic thinking
- Delegation skills to avoid micromanaging
- Negotiation skills to handle deals, partnerships, funding rounds, and key stakeholder agreements
- Adaptability to respond to market changes, competition, and new opportunities
What degree do you need to become a CEO?
There’s no set degree for the CEO role, and many CEOs around the world have degrees in different disciplines. Here are some examples from well-known companies around the world:
Company name | Industry | CEO name | Degrees of the CEO |
Microsoft | Technology | Satya Nadella |
|
Citigroup | Banking | Jane Fraser |
|
Pfizer | Pharmaceuticals | Albert Bourla |
|
TotalEnergies | Energy | Patrick Pouyanné |
|
Hilton | Hospitality | Chris Nassetta |
|
Uniqlo | Retail | Tadashi Yanai |
|
Canva | Graphic design software | Melanie Perkins |
|
We can spot three patterns here:
- Some CEOs have industry-relevant degrees. For example, the CEO of a tech company may have a degree in Computer Science or Engineering.
- It’s also common for CEOs to have business and management backgrounds. This includes degrees in Business, Finance, or Economics.
- Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degrees can be useful, as they cover essential business management, leadership, and strategy skills.
How to become a CEO
While every CEO’s path is different, many have followed these general steps.
1. Choose your degree
Getting a Bachelor’s degree is often the first step in planning a career. For an executive-level role like CEO, consider these two routes:
Degree route | Example fields | Advantages |
Management-focused degrees |
| You learn how organisations work, how money moves, and how decisions get made. This can be a good fit if you already know you want to work in business or leadership. |
Industry-focused degrees |
| If you want to work in a specific industry, it makes sense to build expertise first. This can help you land an entry-level role in that industry and get your foot in the door. You can then transition to management roles. |
2. Build your experience
If you are considering an MBA at one point, most programmes prefer applicants with a few years of work experience. Both during and after your Bachelor’s degree, take the time to build your experience. During your degree, this could include:
- Applying for internships, especially in management roles, in industries that interest you
- Managing fellow students as a part of a university club
- Developing and leading your own projects
- Participating in business competitions or entrepreneurship programmes
- Attending networking events
3. Apply for jobs and work your way up
Your first entry-level role will help you understand how teams operate, how colleagues communicate, and how business decisions are made. From there, the typical path is to move into management, then senior leadership. Roles such as Vice President, Director, or C-suite positions like CFO, COO, or CMO can eventually lead to CEO opportunities, depending on the company and industry.
In corporate, most CEOs are internal hires, meaning they get promoted from within the same organisation rather than brought in from outside. Data from a Spencer Stuart report suggests that 76% of CEOs were promoted from another position in the same company in 2025.
4. Alternatively, start your own company and grow
An alternative to the corporate ladder is to start your own company. Evan Spiegel, the CEO of Snapchat (now known as Snap Inc.), did exactly this. When he was a 21-year-old student at Stanford University, he came up with the idea for the app with his classmates. In about a year, the app reached one million daily users. Spiegel is still the CEO of the app he created, which now employs over 5,000 people.
5. Be ambitious but stay flexible
It’s great to aim high and work toward leadership positions like CEO. At the same time, don’t forget that becoming a CEO is competitive, and many factors are outside your control, including company structure, timing, and economic conditions.
Instead of considering only the job title, focus on building a career you genuinely enjoy. This will help you stay motivated and achieve your goals. Take our free personality test for advice on degrees and industries.
How long does it take to become a CEO?
For a corporate CEO role, 15-25 years is a realistic timeline. This is because most people don’t go straight into leadership, and building experience takes time. You usually start in an entry-level job, then start managing small teams, and finally, take on bigger roles like leading a department or a business unit.
Common career paths to CEO
Before people are promoted to CEO roles, they usually go through several other transitions. In most cases, they are promoted to another executive-level position, such as CFO, CTO, or COO, and then work their way to CEO. Here’s more information on each path:
- Finance: Finance professionals can move from analyst or accounting roles into finance manager, director, CFO (Chief Financial Officer), and eventually CEO positions.
- Tech: People in tech may start as engineers or product managers before moving into leadership roles like CTO (Chief Technology Officer).
- Operations: Operations professionals typically work in team management. They can then become operations directors and COO (Chief Operations Officer).
Can you become a CEO without a degree?
It’s possible to become a CEO without a degree, but it’s quite rare. This is because most companies expect CEOs to have years of formal education, industry knowledge, leadership experience, and business training.
You’ll mostly come across CEOs without degrees in entrepreneurship. A famous example is Bill Gates, co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft. Gates dropped out of Harvard University in 1975 to work on Microsoft. The CEOs who succeeded Gates both have at least a Bachelor’s degree.
How to become a CEO at a young age
When we look at today’s young CEOs, we notice a common pattern: many of them started their own companies. This makes sense when you think about how corporate careers work.
In established companies, reaching an executive position usually takes around 15-25 years because you need time to build credibility, gain leadership experience, and understand how the business operates. As a result, becoming a young CEO through the traditional corporate route isn’t common.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it hard to become a CEO?
Becoming a CEO is hard, as it’s a competitive and demanding role. Besides technical skills, it also requires excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills, which often come with years of experience.
Do all CEOs have MBAs?
Not all CEOs have MBAs. While MBAs are useful, there are many CEOs who come from other backgrounds, such as Engineering, Finance, or Economics.
What is the fastest way to become a CEO?
Starting your own company is the fastest way to become a CEO. Keep in mind, though, it’s not easy either. Many startups fail because of funding, growth, or pivoting issues. Careful planning is necessary, both for corporate and startup CEOs.
What do most CEOs study?
CEOs come from different educational backgrounds, but many have Business Administration, Finance, or industry-relevant degrees for their undergraduate-level studies. MBAs are also common for postgraduate studies.
