How important some business skills to any job environment?

Business skills are very important to any job environment. Most employers will look for specific business skills and/or qualities in new employees such as having strong communication skills, being analytical, able to multitask/prioritize and being a self-motivator. In certain business settings, most employees spend majority of the time communicating in writing (i.e. memos, reports and/or white papers) so it’s very important for employees are able to properly communicate. Also, another critical skill for an employee to have is being able to solve problems as they arise - fast and effectively.

Absolutely, if you can get some exposure to the business world, corporate world is a great advantage. Some internship programs will rotate the students so they are exposed to different areas of the corporation. If you're focused on a certain are such as HR or IT, you may want to search for companies that offer specific internship opportunities in those areas.

Good Luck!

Business skills are a subjective term. It could mean developing analytical abilities through training, management skills or experience or it could mean developing personal communication skills needed for marketing or sales.

As a lifelong commercial insurance underwriter I have found that developing excellent skills with the tools of the trade have served me very well. This means developing math skills and skill with office tools like Excel, Word, Powerpoint and Access or any other similar, non-Microsoft computer office tools. I deal with rating, risk modeling and exposure evaluation issues every day and these skills are essential for productivity and efficiency.

Business skills are crucial to success in any job. Obviously, I would suggest trying to do multiple internships in your case one for each summer in business and arts. This will help you get feel for which profession you like best and maybe narrow it down for you. Experience is very valuable and will help you develop your skills and look great on your resume. I would suggest networking as much as possible too and become active and join groups that maybe your college has to offer. This will enable you to make more friends and contacts and develop network so you might know someone who can help you get in door that you didn't know about otherwise. Good luck.