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Hi everyone! I've been researching majors and after a lot of consideration I feel like the business field would be the most beneficial and easiest way to get a job. Although I hate the retail sector of business, I feel like there are many different paths to choose from.
So I've come up with an economics major with a minor in either:
1) information technology: bc knowing computers looks good to employers and could potentially open up some more opportunities in technology companies. I thought computer science at first but was redirected after someone gave me some more information on it. Will an IT minor even mean anything? And would the classes be too hard to handle? I don't want it to drop my GPA too low.
2) finance
orrr
3) applied mathematics?
or any other suggestions?
Also, I've seen business economics as a major (BSBA) at the school I want to attend. Is this more attractable than just "pure" economics since it is business related?
I hope to go on to attain a MA in finance or an MBA. I'm assuming an MBA will be more practical but I know colleges want you to have work experience before applying to that program and I would like to start right after my BA bc of time and money. Another thing, is the GMAT super hard to pass? If both of those things are going to prolong my process, I will probably go towards the MA in finance.
Will my choices honestly be smart in the hope of me getting a high paying business job?
Sorry for the long post and so many Qs, I'm just still really confused as to what I want to do but I thought that this path would lead down a good one. Any answers and suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Unless you want to be an engineer or a physician, choosing an undergraduate major because of what you think your career path may be is more likely to result in your choosing a major that was not the best for you. This is especially true if you are pursuing a liberal arts education.
The bachelor degree education is usually not vocational training. Choose a major because you like the subject. Choose a major because studying the subject interests you, motivates you, excites you. Then you will be the best possible student you can be. You will learn more. You will be a better developed and more interesting person. You will have academic skills that you will be able to use later when you are more focused on vocational training that you will acquire -- whether through a graduate degree or on the job training. Be a great undergrad student. What you are great at studying will matter much less than how good you are at studying it. The after you finish your undergrad work, focus on the vocational training you will need for your chosen career. You will have a lot more options for the rest of your life by following this advice.
Choose a major because you like the subject. Choose a major because studying the subject interests you, motivates you, excites you.
I appreciate your advice and understand that it is important to go for something that I'm interested in. However, I have a wiiide range of interests and have become sadly discouraged after researching my options and finding out that there was either a very low salary or extreme lack of jobs. I've looked at things such as psychologist, veterinarian, paralegal, journalist, forensic science technician, public relations (still interested in actually but feel like I might not go anywhere with it), etc.
I want job stability in my future and don't want to struggle as I've had to watch my parents do while I was growing up. I'm solely relying on financial aid and scholarships to get me through college so I can't go after something that requires an excessive amount of time or money, which brings me back to business which seems like a pretty diverse field to get into and feel like I could be good at it (minus the retail or sales parts because I hate those as I stated previously).
^^ A little info about myself so you can see where I'm coming from and so I don't get anymore "do what you love" answers because I'd like to think of myself more as a realist and more practical
As a recent college grad, here is my advice. It is about who you know. Even if you were to get a science or math degree, it is really hard to find a job. Do you have relatives or friends of parents who are higher up at a particular company? Talk to them first to see if their industry is growing. If yes, see if it is something that will interest you. Once you start college, use that connection to get an internship at that company. I think that is the best way to secure a job after graduation.
"do what you love" is much much much more practical than trying to pick some courses before you have had a chance to obtain much work experience and then expect that those will be the courses that teach you what you need to know to be good at "business" for the rest of your working life.
If you still doubt that I offered you practical advice, do more research on what college graduates earn right out of college. Look at how the major impacts those numbers. The sad truth is that while an undergraduate degree makes your earning potential much higher, it is not because of your specific degree. Virtually no undergrad degree is going to provide you with information that you will apply directly to that "business" job you land.
Take one example. Let's say you are interested in becoming a financial advisor. Now, you might think that a four year course of study concentrated on economics would be more useful than say, a degree in history. But I bet if any financial advisors are out there, they would agree that your people skills will dictate more of your success than your ability to analyze numbers. You will be a much more interesting person and have better people skills if you were a great history student than if you had just been an average economics student. The better your people skills, the more likely you are to succeed in business. You get better people skills from being a better person. That is much more practical than deciding whether to study macro economics or a survey of accounting principles course.
I hope you get some successful business people to add to this thread. If you don't, however, reach out to some and ask them what they think. Ask them what is more important for your undergrad degree, a pre-biz major or an I-loved-this-stuff major.
Business academics is a complete oxymoron. Use college to get prepared for life. You still have time to focus on your vocational training later. This is the most practical and profitable approach there is toward higher education.
As a recent college grad, here is my advice. It is about who you know. Even if you were to get a science or math degree, it is really hard to find a job. Do you have relatives or friends of parents who are higher up at a particular company? Talk to them first to see if their industry is growing. If yes, see if it is something that will interest you. Once you start college, use that connection to get an internship at that company. I think that is the best way to secure a job after graduation.
This is true. And another great way to make connections is through common interests. Be interested in something, anything, but be really committed to it. When you have a passion about it, the passion will lead you to others who share the passion. Your excellence that is an inevitable byproduct of your passion and commitment will make you a person that others who share your interest will want to know. From there, job opportunities will come.
Yes, people skills are important. Join clubs. Socialize with your classmates. They may get you that next interview. It'll also show at your interviews. They don't want someone who is shy and socially awkward.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coco6163
Take one example. Let's say you are interested in becoming a financial advisor. Now, you might think that a four year course of study concentrated on economics would be more useful than say, a degree in history. But I bet if any financial advisors are out there, they would agree that your people skills will dictate more of your success than your ability to analyze numbers. You will be a much more interesting person and have better people skills if you were a great history student than if you had just been an average economics student. The better your people skills, the more likely you are to succeed in business. You get better people skills from being a better person. That is much more practical than deciding whether to study macro economics or a survey of accounting principles course.
Sorry, that makes no sense. Why would someone want to be a history major if he is interested in becoming a financial advisor? I feel like a major in economics with a minor in history is more suitable. Hell, skip the history minor and minor in something more useful like computer science and learn history in your own time. When you are trying to score that interview w/o strong connections, the only thing they see is your resume. Are they really going to pick someone with a history major over a econ major? I don't think so. Employers these days don't care if you are an interesting person. They want cheap labor who can do the job efficiently with little training. You need the people skills to convince them that you are that person.
Yes, people skills are important. Join clubs. Socialize with your classmates. They may get you that next interview. It'll also show at your interviews. They don't want someone who is shy and socially awkward.
Sorry, that makes no sense. Why would someone want to be a history major if he is interested in becoming a financial advisor? I feel like a major in economics with a minor in history is more suitable. Hell, skip the history minor and minor in something more useful like computer science and learn history in your own time. When you are trying to score that interview w/o strong connections, the only thing they see is your resume. Are they really going to pick someone with a history major over a econ major? I don't think so. Employers these days don't care if you are an interesting person. They want cheap labor who can do the job efficiently with little training. You need the people skills to convince them that you are that person.
Give yourself another 15 years of work experience. It will make a lot more sense then. If you don't want to wait that long, start talking to people who have been in their field for a while (20+ years) and are happy and successful at what they do. Talk with them about how they got on the path that led them to their job that has made them so happy and successful. I bet very, very, very few will say, it was my mastery of XYZ class. Instead, most of the folks like this that I know (and I know a lot of them) will tell you a story that seemed to have nothing to do with the business, but for reasons that would make sense only to the person who lived the story, changed their lives and made them feel very lucky. But it is rarely about luck. It is about putting yourself in the place to seize the opportunity. No one class or even curriculum is designed to do that.
Of course it is not about the classes. A lot of people of don't even utilize the things they learned in the classroom. However, it is about putting yourself in a position that will give you a higher chance of getting a job at a company that will treat you well financially and personally. If you can't do that right out of college, you have to suck it up for the first several years at a crappy company. You build your knowledge, your resume, and your contacts to get that "dream" job.
We are in a recession. I have friends who can't find jobs even w/ a 3.8-4.0 GPA from a known university. The biggest concern for people of my generation is to score that first job..any job that can feed us, pay rent, and get rid of those student loans.
Of course it is not about the classes. A lot of people of don't even utilize the things they learned in the classroom. However, it is about putting yourself in a position that will give you a higher chance of getting a job at a company that will treat you well financially and personally. If you can't do that right out of college, you have to suck it up for the first several years at a crappy company. You build your knowledge, your resume, and your contacts to get that "dream" job.
We are in a recession. I have friends who can't find jobs even w/ a 3.8-4.0 GPA from a known university. The biggest concern for people of my generation is to score that first job..any job that can feed us, pay rent, and get rid of those student loans.
No doubt, your job seeking concerns are legitimate. That said, I still think most employers would prefer an English major who graduated with high honors and can engage a conversation during a job interview over another grinding business administration student with a 3.25 gpa and working hard at applying all the interview techniques that student read in a book because it was assigned homework.
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and so I don't get anymore "do what you love" answers because I'd like to think of myself more as a realist and more practical
