There are certainly worse things you could major in (read: less lucrative).
I majored in Sociology and then got my Masters in Innovation Management - took a mix of MBA and innovation/strategy courses. I liked that it was specialized rather than just general business. Typically having a niche helps with job prospects and/or having a better idea of what kind of career path you want to pursue.
Now I am a real estate broker. I also help run an online portfolio management business. Looking back, I'm glad for the circuitous route I took. There are some sociological theories I've used as a springboard for my real estate marketing.
Anyway, if business is what you want to do, do it and don't look back.
That's definitely nice to hear. And yes, my interests are in business for the time being, I'm open to changing my mind as many time as it needs to. I want to explore as much as i can through taking internships and being undecided for as long as possible.
i think business majors are a dime a dozen now a days as many people who dont know what they want to do pick this as a major. personally i'd go technical and minor in business and then get an MBA... accounting and CPA is probably the safest path of those as the others are pretty open ended IMO. i work in a technical field we dont hire business management people we just turn engineers with a knack for management into these roles.
By go technical, do you mean like learning a trade? I wanted to do that too, but my parents are forcing me to go to college, and with it being free, there's little reason not to. I do want to learn a trade as well, maybe after I'm FI, but who knows.
I'll have to see if Accounting is my thing. I'm not looking for the most guaranteed career prospects, just looking for something I'd be okay with doing that I'm good at. Money will follow given enough hustle and hard work.
I'm about 90% positive going to Troy University. Thanks to my 32 on the ACT, that qualifies me for a full ride merit-based scholarship. If for whatever reason Troy doesn't workout, a full ride to Jacksonville State University.
The reason I ask is that many schools have a specialty and employers specifically target and hire graduates of that major. So your mission is to find out what those are at Troy and Jacksonville State.
Also, you may want to look farther afield:
http://blog.prepscholar.com/79-colleges-with-full-ride-scholarships
Oh that makes sense! I will definitely look into that and ask questions. And thanks for the link, I will be looking at those two. The problem with MOSt colleges offering them is that there's no guaranteed chance of you getting a scholarship, usually its nominations and being selected from a pool. From the two colleges I mentioned, the 32 basically guarantees that I have secure full ride scholarships.
What do you mean by "I want to do business"? I had that same thought when I was in undergrad and got a general business degree. Then I found out that "do business" doesn't really mean anything? Most of the people I graduated with as business majors went to work for consulting firms, sales, or whatever the could get.
I would strongly consider a major in finance or accounting.
That was always the plan, like stated before i didn't know you could just get a "general" business degree, and I would have never wanted too. ANd yes, I'm keeping an eye on those disciplines.
I got my degree in "business." My emphasis was accounting, but after getting to my last year, I decided that I didn't want to be an accountant (I stuck with the major since I was close to finishing anyways). I instead went into insurance sales. My degree means nothing; it basically opened doors for me to move away from the actual sales component into a staff ops role in the company. All of my coworkers and bosses have business degrees and/or MBAs. It's basically a piece of paper that you need in order to check off some HR person's box if you want to move up in some/most corporations.
My advice: if you're going to get a business degree, get it in "accounting," then actually become an accountant (of course, do internships at the big accounting firms if you can while you're in school). "CPA" tattooed on your forehead will open a lot of doors. Otherwise, computer science or nursing are probably your next best bets, as they are both fields that are growing and that pay well.
A big key for getting a solid return for your time in college is to do internships in your field, no matter what major you end up choosing. Don't do like I did; I worked unrelated fields because I got paid a decent amount as a salesman, and at the time I "needed" to make money to pay for school; my peers that are doing "the best" got into relevant internships as soon as they could, which led to lucrative job offers waiting for them at graduation.
Gotcha. So it's one of those artificial requirements, where you really don't need it for day to day, but you need it to get through the door? I'm okay with that, if it opens opportunities. And that would be the dream goal/plan, intern in interested field, and have an entry-level job waiting for me after graduation, with plenty of upward mobility. This may certainly be an issue though, as I want to travel the world for a year after college....
Business degrees are an excellent choice. But certainly specialize. And make sure your school has a co-op program where you are in classes two semesters, work-term one, school, work, school, etc. That way when you graduate, you already have entry level experience.
I will say that the difference in accounting and marketing is HUGE. Check to see if you need to chose your specialty right away or if you can do it after you've tried the entry level courses.
With both colleges the way they teach it is this:
1. First year they teach general business, applicable to all disciplines
2. more of 1
3. intro to discipline
4. further discipline
If that makes sense. So yes, I have plenty of time to sample/intern I think. I will make sure with whatever college I do decide on that this is the case.
Lots of great job opportunities if you major in Accounting. You'll need 150 hours to sit for your CPA exam, so check to see what the program is at your college. Some people get a Masters in Accounting when they get 150 hours, which looks good on a resume but doesn't really mean anything.
150 credit hours? What do you mean by hours? I'm not familiar with the term. And yeah, being a CPA is definetley lucrative I believe, but I've also heard arguments for staying in private sectors.. What's your take?
I'm about 90% positive going to Troy University. Thanks to my 32 on the ACT, that qualifies me for a full ride merit-based scholarship. If for whatever reason Troy doesn't workout, a full ride to Jacksonville State University.
Auburn University at Montgomery graduate and CPA here. For business school, take a look at AUM, also, since you are in Alabama. They are AACSB accredited, and I can testify that they will work your tail off, and you will know a lot when you come out of there.
I second the suggestion to sit for the CPA exam. Another suggestion, if you are okay working for a firm or the Federal government, is to take a double major in accounting and information systems. This can set you up as an IT auditor (for which there is a constant crying need) or as the uber-valuable IT person in a corporate accounting team. There are CISA and CISM exams for these career tracks.
Troy is ACBSP credited, and I'm really not sure what the difference is. Is it that big of a deal?And I'm looking at AUM now. It'll take a lot of convincing on my end to get my parents to let me go there if there's not a scholarship that covers all of college costs because I'm basically talking them into making their "precious child" take on some student debt. I believe I'd be able to manage my finances well and pay that off like the plague, but they don't.
And professors have suggested that to me in the past, data management and information systems are hot careers and will continue to be so. Will keep that in mind also.
I would agree with others. Get a technical degree or a more specific business degree. Good internships. Minor in business or get an MBA later.
I am an RN with an MBA. I basically manage relationships and craft dialogues. It doesn't get more businessy than that. But it's tough to get there without a specific skill set in an industry or field.
I agree with the others as well. The balance is to keep it narrow enough so you know where to focus your time, but broad enough you don't cut off opportunities.
For MBA's the school typically wants you to have a couple of years of work experience after you graduate from college. I got a masters in accounting but only because my undergrad was in something else and I was a "career changer" even though I was 23 and had never had a career. Accounting is definitely the safer option but it depends on what you want.
Noted. If I end up having a knack for accounting, then great high career prospects. If not, we look elsewhere.