Career options with a business degree

Career options with a business degree

A business degree is the most popular major among American students, and this is largely because of the diversity of career paths that it can take you on. The degree itself is essential in a wide range of job applications, and useful in even more, while the skills you’ll learn on your degree course are applicable in an even wider range of employment situations.

Many study options

Business degrees can be specialized or general, and degrees in subjects such as accounting, finance, economics, management, marketing and entrepreneurship all fall under the remit of the business school. The business degree program at Bryant and Stratton colleges (see Bryant and Stratton on LinkedIn) includes bachelor’s degrees in accounting, digital marketing, general management and organizational leadership. Diploma and associate-level courses covering other specialties are also available.

One initial route that you might want to take is to further your studies and go on to take a master’s qualification. You might want to consider a master’s in management, finance or business administration. There are also business training programs you can take while already in employment, and in some cases, your employer may pay for your tuition.

A world of choice

Once you’re out in the world of work, you’ll find that pretty much all sectors include careers that fall under the business umbrella and require a business degree. Traditional business sectors where high-level, well-paid careers can be established include banking and finance, but you can also work in healthcare, creative industries such as fashion and media, and the hospitality or charity sectors, to name just a few possibilities.

Business consultancy

Working for a business consultancy firm allows you to apply your skills and knowledge to a wide range of sectors. You’ll be working as part of a team that’s brought in to give a specialized business perspective by companies operating in industries across the board. This will give you a taste of business roles in different sectors and may give you an idea of which one you’d like to work in permanently. Alternatively, you may find that you prefer the variety and independence of remaining in consultancy work.

Accounting

Accountancy is the essence of business – the bottom line, if you will. You’re looking at how the numbers add up and where the money goes. You can combine accountancy with management, streamlining budgets and strategizing business practice from a financial point of view. Or you might just want to concentrate on making sure that everything tallies correctly and is moving in the right direction.

Non-profit businesses

There are also many business roles with non-profits such as charities. These enterprises still have to operate on a business footing even if they’re not making money for their own sake. In order to fulfil their stated functions, non-profits need grounded business professionals to guide and steer them – individuals who combine idealism with a clear understanding of the hard realities of the world in which we live.

Marketing

A business head (and qualification) is also useful in any form of marketing or advertising. The increasing complexity of digital marketing, and its increasing importance, requires sound business sense and a grasp of the underlying business principles. Sales and marketing are at the sharp end of the business world, where strategies are put to the test. They are also growing areas with many well-paid job roles for business graduates.

Entrepreneurship

You may also want to use your business degree to start your own business. Of course, you don’t need a qualification to do this, but the knowledge and skills that you’ll have gained from your course will prove invaluable. The fact that you’ve got a solid business qualification will also impress potential investors, including your bank manager, and will make them more likely to want to back you in your venture.

You may be able to go into a well-paid business role straight away, or you may want to take an internship in order to build up experience and connections. In some cases, an internship with a top firm can be worth more than a paid job with a small company, depending on your long-term goals. You may also be able to combine interning with further business studies or training. The world of work is the world of business, and every sector needs people behind the scenes to manage the business side of things. In many cases, business careers can lead to impressive salaries and high-status executive positions, but in all cases, it’s a rewarding and satisfying field for anyone with the right attitude and inclination. Business makes the world go round, and you can be part of the driving force.

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