WHAT CAN I DO WITH A BUSINESS DEGREE?
“Play by the rules, but be ferocious.” – Phil Knight
A business degree is one of the most versatile degrees you can earn. Both graduate and undergraduate business studies can lead to positions in management, finance, marketing, or a variety of other career paths. The field of business is as wide-ranging as it is customizable.
Each business degree starts with a foundation of communication and leadership principles. Depending on your concentration, you could build on that foundation by taking classes in the specialty of your choice. Interested in marketing? You could focus your studies on a suite of marketing courses. Have a head for numbers? Focusing on finance can position you to lead a company as a CFO.
Studying business offers students a lot in terms of preparation for the workplace. Being skill-forward and workplace-relevant keeps business degrees positioned as one of the most popular degree fields around.
SKILLS THAT CROSS INDUSTRIES
A degree in business is a path toward becoming a strategic leader and problem-solver. A business degree leads students in skills like data analysis, critical thinking and accounting. If you enjoy developing different skills and applying them to a business environment, then this is a good choice for you.
Business programs teach technically minded, creatively oriented students how to recognize business opportunities and execute their business ideas. Students also learn how to promote their work, manage their finances, assemble teams of people, harness data they receive and produce, prepare for the future, and contribute to the economic development of their communities.
Jobs that require analytical and quantitative skills, such as finance and data analytics positions, tend to be the highest-paying occupations for business grads since math and diagnostic skills are always in demand.
Another field to consider is supply chain management. Supply chain managers are sought worldwide to keep up with global manufacturing and distribution trends. Transportation and health sectors are also industries with tremendous opportunities for those with a business degree.
The education also provides many marketable skills, including insight into the people, the process and the product of any given organization and an instinct for figuring out what an organization needs in order to succeed.
POSSIBLE OCCUPATIONS
Business programs are built to align with skills that employers want. No matter what area of business you choose, make sure it’s the area that most closely aligns with your interests. Business majors are poised for success in careers such as:
· Accounting: where responsibilities may include preparing tax returns, monitoring budgets and preparing financial documents and forecasting reports
· E-commerce: where you may engage in different aspects of buying and selling goods online
· Entrepreneurship: where you may start your own business or help get a start-up business off the ground
· Finance: where you may become a financial planner or analyst, securities trader, insurance agent or hedge fund manager
· Human Resources: where you may be involved in talent acquisition, hiring and training employees or administering employee benefits
· Marketing: where you may work as a copywriter, account executive, market research analyst or brand manager
· Information Systems: where you could work as a computer programmer, network administrator, systems analyst or database manager
· Logistics and Supply Chain: where you may have a leadership role in inventory, procurement, purchasing or manufacturing
These areas help business majors learn how to make decisions based on the science of data and the use of predictive analytics. These are both incredibly important skills for creating sustainable growth with any business.
If you know you want to work in a particular area of business, such as marketing or operations management, you might opt for a marketing degree or an operations management degree rather than a broader business or business administration degree.
Other examples of opportunities could be:
· Corporate positions.
· Jobs at startups.
· Nonprofit management roles.
· Government and public service occupations.
· Serving and volunteering on boards.
The possibilities of what you can do with a business degree are only as limited as your imagination. The rigor of learning new information is challenging and fun. The foundational skills of every business degree will position you to be ready to succeed.
