If I want to major in Business, what steps do I need to take?

I majored in Economics and minored in Finance when I was in school. I am currently pursuing my MBA. In my opinion, I think the best way for you to prepare would be to familiarize yourself with financial newspapers, magazines and books so you can get use to the terminology. I personally read the Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, and Kiplinger's. There are a lot more periodicals than what I just listed so feel free to start with these or visit your local library or book store to see other options. As for books, pick up The Intelligent Investor written by Benjamin Graham and/or A Random Walk Down Wall Street written by Burton G. Malkiel. These are classic books read by many in the investment field.

If you don't want to go specifically into finance, and even if you do, getting your hands on an accounting book would be a good idea as well. While I understand you don't want to become an accountant so you can do someone's tax return, you do have to become knowledgeable about balance sheets and income statements.

In conclusion, try to read as much as you can so when you start college you'll already know the terminology. This will put you ahead of others in your class.

Make sure you want to major in business first - by reading the course requirements for the major at the college you will attend. In my experience - the business major is very regimented with everyone taking the same courses in the same order for the majority of the college experience. Some people like that structure, some people (like me) prefer to take a greater variety of courses and customize towards their particular interest. Other majors like politics, economics, international relations, etc embrace business courses as a foundation, but allow greater flexibility to take interesting courses or customize your focus. On the other hand, some colleges may restrict business classes, or give priority to, those in the major. So ask your college if you can take the business classes if you are not in the major. I'm sure some colleges with business degrees are less structured, but you might consider a broader undergraduate degree and then pursuing an MBA - if your budget can support that. (It seems like MBAs provide more case studies and hands on practice than undergraduate business classes but then I did not major in business so this is a bit of conjecture on my part). You can also take business courses through extension programs after graduation if you were to not major in business.

There are so many different things you can do with a business degree, that I would first start by exploring the various facets of business like marketing, economics, finance, operations, logistics, strategy and development, accounting, computer science, etc and understand all the different types of businesses and industries out there. For instance, there are locally owned businesses, franchises, global corporations, startups, etc that offer either good or services in all kinds of different industries- healthcare, technology, food and beverage, health and beauty, consulting, financial planning, construction and development, consumer market research, etc. First knowing the full scope of what's out there and then understanding basic things like how the stock market works and what some of the requirements of a small business owner or entrepreneur are (by reading articles online, business themed publications, talking to business owners or those who work in business in your community or family, etc), will put you in a good place to decide if it seems like any of these potential options in the business world are of interest to you. Lastly, I would consider what your natural skillsets and strengths are, what the things you enjoy learning and doing the most are, and whether or not those overlap with potential jobs in the current business landscape to determine if you will be happy with a business degree and ultimately working in business someday. Once in business school, take a diverse set of classes and talk to as many people in the industry as possible to understand more about the career paths they've taken and what keeps them excited about coming to work everyday. Even the smallest project working with a local business or interviewing someone working in an industry you're unfamiliar with can provide great real world experiences for you as you prepare to get a full-time job, as well as insight into what you might want to do with your degree after undergrad or your MBA.