Sean
How beneficial will a business major be ?
I Know it will be hard after college to get a job with a business major so I want to know whats out there #business #finance #accounting #marketing #accountant
27 answers
Lindsey Levich
Lindsey’s Answer
Having a business degree shouldn't make it hard to get a job after college - it's a great degree. It could be challenging if you're looking for a Wall Street type job, but otherwise, it's a great base to have, especially if you're going into a marketing role. Most undergrad degrees don't matter anyhow since you'll learn most skills on the job - employers are just looking for people who have challenged themselves in college and have some of the polish that the additional education adds. Plus, it's never bad to have business skills, such as accounting knowledge, the ability to read a company's annual report, etc.
Thank you, Lindsey!
Samuel
As Lindsey points out, a business degree will give you plenty of options. Starting with an interest in business is great. Once you are in college you can slowly decide if you want to focus on an area such as finance, marketing, accounting, management, or information systems. You will also get exposure to all sorts of industries. You might find you want to be an accoutant focused on healthcare companies, work on technology to help Wall Street traders, or join the marketing department of a major clothing retailer. There are many different types of jobs in the business world, so I suspect you will find some that are particularly interesting to you.
Justin Pollack
Having a business degree should open many doors as it did for me, you will have many different opportunity in the business field, including customer service, finance, marketing and many different opportuinities in business. If you choose to Major in Business administration will get you really rounded for the business field.
Natasha Jugdeo
A business degree provides a strong foundation upon which to build a business career. It is a broad degree and should enable you pursue an entry level job in many industries. I would encourage you to take research a variety of industries and determine in advance which you find most interesting. Ideally you could find an internship or part-time role in your preferred industries to set you apart from other candidates once you graduate. Good luck in your future endeavors!
Susan Schmidt
I agree that it's a great, broad degree to have and can take you in several directions. A business degree will give you great overall knowledge in a vast field and help to get your foot in the door with a variety of skills. You can also minor in something a little more specific to your interests/skill level to help hone in on what you want to do.
Bree Heyne
Having a business degree can open your choices of careers. You can enter an accounting, finance, management career., and customer service. A business degree is a solid foundation for so many careers.
Shelia Terry
Brian Mason
Brian’s Answer
A business degree is probably the most versatile college degree a future employee can possess. A strong business foundation is relevant to almost any career you'll have. Whether you get into a traditional business role such as HR, Finance or accounting, or general management....or you decide to be a doctor, start your own business, or even get into a career as a software engineer...a business degree is very transferable and useful.
That being said, if you aren't sure what you want to do career wise, a business degree helps cast a wide net in the available job pool.
Thank you, Brian for the advice.
Samuel
I completely agree with Brian regarding the versatility of a business degree. I think it will enable you to keep your options open with regards to a career choice as you are studying to figure out what is of most interest to you. I highly recommend completing internships in fields you intend on pursuing in order to get a first hand perspective on what it would be like day to day.
Additionally, my college made general business majors specialize in 3 areas. I would highly recommend accounting, finance, and management as these are all transferable skills in demand for any industry. In making your decisions for majoring, ensure those you chose actually interest you first, then consider how markable they will make you. It sounds as though you are off to a great start!
Rachael Fassnacht
Zoe Ye
Zoe’s Answer
A business degree is a great option that could open many doors for you. Once you figure out the specific industry you want to go into through networking or classes, you can take more classes that are relevant to that industry to enhance your resume.
Be sure to check out any business fraternities and clubs at your school to gain more exposure to job opportunities!
Thank you, this is amazing! I really needed it.
Samuel
Denise Sun
Denise’s Answer
Thank you so much for the advice.
Samuel
Andrew Ice
Andrew’s Answer
Business degrees can be great but they are also a very general degree as well. Develop an interest or speciality in a specific vertical and push forward on how you can apply the quantitative aspects of your business degree to those specific problems.
Thank you for the advice.
Samuel
Adebola Adekoga
Adebola’s Answer
Business majors are very useful and also worth the investment, especially since it is a broad major. The demand for business majors will always be high because there are always opportunities available that are in need of good business education!
Thank you for the advice.
Samuel
Rani Natarajan
Rani’s Answer
Thanks, can't wait to put this advice into action!
Samuel
Dana Rudd, CPA
Dana’s Answer
Business is an excellent major choice as it can be used in so many lines of work. For example, if you are an entrepreneur, you will need business skills. Or if you work in a large corporation. In addition, skills you learn in business can also help you manage your personal finances.
I appreciate your support, Dana
Samuel
Alex Blitstein
Alex’s Answer
You rock! This advice is very helpful.
Samuel
Juan Herrera
Juan’s Answer
Juan recommends the following next steps:
Thank you for taking the time to help.
Samuel
Giuseppe Frustaci
Giuseppe’s Answer
Can you provide some more detail on your concerns? I studied business in college and graduated into the recession and still did quite well. I'm not sure I agree with the premise of your question.
Thank you, this is amazing! I really needed it.
Samuel
Luke Kelly
Luke’s Answer
Depending on what type of business degree you earn, there are various jobs and career opportunities in business. I had similar concerns when deciding on my specific business major, and my accounting degree has been a good decision as there is high demand in my field. However, I would recommend finding a balance between what degree will find you a job and also one you enjoy. Best of luck!
I appreciate you taking the time to answer this.
Samuel
Natalya Cappellini
Natalya’s Answer
Hi Sean!
My advice is to specialize in finance or accounting or something like that if you want to go the business route, get an advanced degree, or start your own company. Business is a pretty generic degree for undergrad so you may want to consider having a minor in something more specific, or studying something specific on your own, that you're interested in, to round out the program.
Good luck!
Thank you, this is amazing! I really needed it.
Samuel
Great advice. I crossed my interest in business with psychology and ended up in advertising. Both have served me well, and much better than if I had studied just one subject.
Giuseppe Frustaci
Madhumita Narayan
Madhumita’s Answer
Hi! While looking at business programs, I think what will help you the most is figuring out what in the business field you're most interested in. Majoring in business is very broad, and often ends up turning into some sort of mix of communications, economics, accounting and marketing- but they're all so different and deep subjects!
Try reading (and by reading I mean skimming headlines, at least until you find things you like) magazines and online articles about business, technology, marketing, economics, and notice what pops out at you. You may be more drawn to certain subjects, and then you'll be closer to figuring out how a business degree can benefit you the most!
Thank you for the advice, Madhumita.
Samuel
Kelly Kee
Kelly’s Answer
With an Accounting/Finance (A/F) degree you can be considered for any of the other disciplines (marketing, management, sales, etc.) should your journey reveal that your area of interest lies in any of those areas you are still a strong candidate. If you did not choose A/F as your major but found you have an interest there it may be more difficult as some of the curriculum for those two subjects are typically necessary for you to advance in that area.
I graduated with an accounting degree but ended up taking a job at AT&T in Sales and I never looked back. My first three Co-Ops (at Northeastern) were accounting related but the third co-op was with IBM. I became enamored with the company and that led me to seek other opportunities within that company for my next and last co-op. The last co-op job was for IBM in sales/marketing and I gravitated towards the sales side. That led me to look for Sales jobs in the Information Technology area where AT&T made me an offer right out of college!
As for my accounting degree... well my wife won't even let me balance our check book. But I'm still with AT&T (going on 35 years now). Best of luck.
Jason Cao
Jason’s Answer
I believe the key is to find a full-time role before you even graduate college because after you graduate it becomes more difficult to find a job as there are less resources available to you. You can get started by getting acclimated with the recruitment process/schedule at your school through your school's career center. At most business programs in colleges, there are typically companies that come onto campus that will recruit college students for internships(typically in the summer) that can convert into full-time offers if you perform well at your internship. There are also companies that recruit for full-time roles when you're in your senior of college. These will be the best opportunities for you to find a job before you even graduate because they're looking to hire someone from your school! Aside from that it's a good idea to build up your resume through on-campus jobs and experiences with other organizations on-campus. Also do try your best to keep up your GPA, as it is an important metric for most employers when they are looking to hire college students.
I appreciate this, thank you for the advice.
Samuel
Justin Quezada
Justin’s Answer
Thank you for the advice, Justin.
Samuel
Andrea Giusti
Andrea’s Answer
A business degree is very useful. A offers a wide array of concentration opportunities: Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Operations, and more. Most Universities will require you to take intro classes into some of those areas. I would suggest before picking a concentration, take those intro classes into the concentrations, and try to envision what a career in those fields would be like. Most college professors have contacts in the field, ask for references and meet with professionals. I entered college thinking I would be a Marketing major, and ended up loving Finance 101, and changed my major the next semester. Good luck!
Thanks, can't wait to put this advice into action!
Samuel
Maria Schaffer
Maria’s Answer
If you had a technical degree and background as I did, having a business degree (MBA in my case) helped me quickly understand the business world so it helped to level the playing field for what I needed to know. My business program actually did a year abroad (Spain in my case) and I had a chance to learn about the business world in US, but elsewhere as well. Would highly recommended such a program for those looking to do global business. It opens up the opportunities in so many ways (did 14 expat assignments, lived and worked in over 60 countries). Good luck!
You rock! This advice is very helpful.
Samuel
Ann Marie Jones
Ann Marie’s Answer
This question is quite vague. There are many different areas in business that you can get a degree. A business degree in general has been stated to be helpful in getting a job; however, if you like a particular area of business, you may want to specialize. Personally, I enjoy math and started with a technology undergraduate degree that I complemented with a Masters in Business Administration. Many aspects of business did capture my attention later.
Thank you for sharing your perspective.
Samuel
Vic Wong
Vic’s Answer
Thank you for sharing your perspective.
Samuel
Bill Felice
Bill’s Answer
Hi Sean, this is a very insighful question. I would suggest you consider what area of business: Marketing, Finance/Accounting,
Human Resources, Management, etc., seems to interest you the most. If you are not sure, research the roles,responsibilities and career path of the various business specializations. An easy way to do this would be to research the business major concentratons on the web site of colleges you are interested in or top business schools. They will also list the courses, potential job titles, etc. You can minor in a business speciality as well. If you can determine what aspects of business excite and interest you, it will make selecting the type of business degree and major area of study easier.v Good luck!!!
Thanks for your encouragement!
Samuel
Emilio Lazaro
Emilio’s Answer
Emilio recommends the following next steps:
Thank you so much, Emilio!
Samuel
Jonathan Jackson
Jonathan’s Answer
I think it really depends on what you're trying to learn. A place to start looking is https://www.linkedin.com/edu/, which can help you check out specific universities, and where people with a specific major ended up.
I studied Political Science in undergrad, and it taught me how to think, analyze, and problem solve. I don't use my degree directly in my day job though, but I figured out how to make sure I got the right things out of it. If you were to study business, you would have a bunch of transferable skills that employers are looking for as well.
Simeon Snow
Simeon’s Answer
Thank you so much, Simeon!
Samuel
Vidya Majjigi
Vidya’s Answer
I have a business degree (minors in MIS and Finance) and found that it wasn't as useful until I coupled it with another degree (accounting). My business program covered various areas and didn't drill down as thoroughly as I wanted. When I started in my career, I found the accounting degree more useful (I was an auditor). However, as I've grown in my career, I've found the business degree more valuable as it helps me more strategic in my decision-making. Good luck in your decision!
I appreciate you taking the time to answer this.
Samuel
Lauren Holliday
Lauren’s Answer
The question is what do you want to do?
I'll never forget what my father told me: "Do what you love, and the money will follow." Take that advice, and pick a major you will enjoy!
Thank you for sharing your perspective.
Samuel
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