How stiff is the competition for college students leaving college with a degree in business management?

There is a lot of competition out there for that degree. You'll have to supplement your degree with internships and other opportunities that will make you stand out amongst the other students graduating with that degree. Choosing that major is fine, but it's about networking with others and working in positions that will give you experience over the competition.

Very stiff. Best ways around it other than top grades:

1. 
   

   Internships - it is impossible to compete with peers who have work experience. Do whatever it takes to have real world experience in the very place you want to work.

   
   


2. 
   

   Relationships. Do whatever it takes to build one or two deep relationships with adult mentors who will be honest with you and will also open doors for you. Seek this out via your alumni office or simply by tracking down alumni of your school via linked in and engaging them.

   
   


3. 
   

   Complementary skills and knowledge - other than business coursework what have you mastered? A second major? A relevant other skill? A language other than English?

   
   

I agree with what has been said, but it varies by industry and job type. The insurance industry has an aging work force, so there are going to be a lot of opportunities for people with a business management degree. In general people don't come out of college with an insurance background, so we look for a good business foundation and the ability to think critically, develop relationships and have a willingness to learn.

If you look for an internship with an insurance company and do well, it is very likely it will lead to a full time job after graduation.

One of the nice things about studying business is getting exposure to areas that you might not have otherwise considered. In my own experience, my freshman classmates in a business program limited their dreams to things they saw on TV: trading stocks, working as a sports agent, being a real estate developer. By my senior year, though, my peers had much broader interests. Four years of business classes exposed them to all sorts of business careers within different industries like working in hospital administration, selling industrial chemicals, and conducting analysis on the right price to charge advertisers for commercials at a radio station.

Sure, there is plenty of competition among recent graduates with business degrees, but as others mentioned, the key is to find the area you are most passionate about and learn more about it by making connections in that area. You are not expected to have a plan for your entire career when you start college, instead you can explore things that interest you, which will make you a much more compelling candidate for employers.

The statistics are depressing on college degrees leading to jobs--just look at the number of over-educated, under-employed graduates in recent years. The real purpose of university is for you to learn how to learn. Get a good general education, specialize in an area that appeals to you, and then look for work in a company you respect.

My daughter majored in sociology -- and her first job after graduation was teaching English as a second language, an area she was personally interested in. That led her to an international marketing job, then to product management for a software company specializing in education.

You cannot know at 20 years old what your life will be at 40 years old. In your life, you're have many jobs--some you'll like, others you won't. But if you know how to learn and can apply yourself, you'll find lots of opportunities.

Don't spend a fortune on college; get an education instead.