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What are the pros and cons of a business major?

I'm still a bit undecided on what I want to study in college but interested in business a great bit #business #marketing #college-major

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Scott’s Answer

Hello Bradford, Interesting that you ask!


Given the Billion$$$ spent to pursue Business Majors, one would suppose that there are very few , if any, disadvantages to having a business major. The question is very similar to, "what are the con's of having a high school diploma?" There really are none.


The advantage of both the high school diploma and business degree is that EVERYONE expects you to have them. It is becoming true for MBA's as well: It is the baseline for employment.


Unhappily, the same can then be said of the advantages: You are slightly more employable than someone without a degree, except you might have a huge student loan to payoff. My advice is to distinguish yourself in some way OUTSIDE ACADEMIA: Join a non-profit, or a charity group, or the military.

Scott recommends the following next steps:

Join a non-academic group to distinguish your "Brand."
Thank you comment icon Scott - Thank you for your answer. We need more advice like this, now more than ever! There are more than 1k unanswered questions on CV right now. Hoping you'll answer a few more this week! Jordan Rivera, Admin COACH
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Ann’s Answer

Hi Bradford,


I think everyone else has done a great job outlining the pros of a business administration degree. I would say that the biggest con is that a lot of students choose it because it is broad and covers a lot of topics. This presents two problems, the competition in the job market is higher because it is saturated with business admin students. The second problem is that it is a "jack of all trades" degree. You learn a little about a lot of topics, and many employers are looking for specialized talents. For both reasons, you will need to do additional work to set yourself apart from the others. One way is to get a major or specialize in a specific field. Some hot areas right now are big data, communication, social media marketing and training to name a few. I would also recommend getting a good internship that gives you the opportunity to not just observe but develop new skills. I also recommend taking additional coursework on the side. For example, I am currently using the app Grasshopper to learn JavaScript. There is also an app for edX where you can take free courses on various topics.


Hope this helps!
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Kirby’s Answer

I am currently a business major in Supply Chain and Operations Management. I would say that some of the pros of business are that it is a very broad major so it is great if you are not sure specifically what you would like to go into it. There is great flexibility with the degrees that can be applied to many careers. Next, with being a business major there is less school than if you were to go into the medical field. Also, being a business major exposes you to skills such as how to interview, how to build a resume and how to do presentations. It gives you the skills to be a professional and gives you skills you can take with you for years beyond school or one career.

However, I would say that the cons associated with being a business major include that because it is so broad, it can at times feel like you aren't learning as much as you would as if you were, say a math major. This is because you aren't learning an expansive amount of one skill like how to do math. But, you are learning a great range of skills regardless.

I hope this helps!
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April’s Answer

Hi Bradford - I'm April, a business major grad!

Great question - I think that there are many pros and cons to each major so I will share my thoughts on a business major here:

Pros - it's generic, so that you have lots of job options and potential. It's a good, well rounded education/knowledge base, with info applicable in all area of life. You could be able to work in any industry.

Con - it's not specific, so you may have many choices. It may cost more than other majors?


I hope that help and I wish you luck deciding! Have fun! Stay positive!



April recommends the following next steps:

Research typical business major jobs
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Vinay’s Answer

Pro: it provides great details about all the departments in a business, really good for anyone who is interested in entrepreneurship. Really teaches you time management because it requires you to spend a lot of time in all courses. Provides you practical knowledge that will be really useful for your future jobs.

con: i don’t see any con except that it requires a lot of time and effort.
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Daniel’s Answer

I am a business management and Accounting double major, so here are some pros and cons to a business major:

Pros:
Being very "numbers-oriented" and being able to do small, fairly-simple calculations in your head.
Having solid Excel experience.
Knowing the inside of a business well, being able to look at books and see how well a company is performing.

Cons:
Depending on what you're relating it to... Less marketing experience from my viewpoint
Less experience with finance-related topics when majoring in only accounting
Less presentation experience in accounting
Less involvement with other departments from a day-to-day work standpoint
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