Should I major in business?
From looking into double major opportunities to making sure you have internship opportunities, here are 11 answers to the question, “Should I major in business?”
- Look Into Double Majoring in Marketing or Accounting
- Study Business and Help Create a Better Future
- Stay Genuine and Humble Even if You Achieve Success
- Think About Your Niche
- Think About What End of The Business Spectrum You Want to Land in
- Develop Your Soft Skills Then Focus On Your Niche
- Plan On Adding a Good Minor
- Can You Deliciously Mix Empathy and Strong Leadership?
- Discover How Your Passions and Skills May Align With Opportunities You Havn’t Considered
- Take The Entrepreneurial Path Instead
- Make Sure There is Also An Internship Opportunity
Look Into Double Majoring in Marketing or Accounting
My having been CEO of my business for 15 years, and if I had done it over, I would have majored in business instead of IT. I feel like a business major is a great career path and is a major that will always be needed.
I would recommend to anyone looking to major in business to look into double majoring in marketing or accounting. This would open more career paths down the road and might not require many more classes to get both majors. It might be only an extra semester or a few more night classes, since a lot of the classes overlap, but it will make you stand out from other candidates. Experiencing different parts of a business, you can picture what part of a business you find the most interesting and explore that part of the business.
Evan Mccarthy, President CEO, Sportingsmiles
Study Business and Help Create a Better Future
Consider the kind of person you want to be and how you want to use business knowledge. Business majors can end up in a wide spectrum of careers, each with a unique social impact.
The world needs business leaders who are socially and environmentally conscious, who foster innovation and equality. Business majors can create those opportunities. Yet business is also responsible for some of the greatest injustices in the world, and majors in the field can play a big role in the development of those systems.
Choose the kind of business you want to be in, and you can be part of creating a better future.
Matthew Ramirez, CEO, Rephrasely
Stay Genuine and Humble Even if You Achieve Success
A business degree teaches students the concepts of finance, marketing, management, and administration, as well as how to apply these theories to real-world problems, preparing them for the fast-paced, constantly-evolving business world. Your employment possibilities will increase, professional advancement opportunities will become available, and, statistically speaking, your earning potential and overall lifetime earnings will take off exponentially. The piece of advice I would provide to anyone considering a business major is to be genuine. In other words, be sincere in everything you do, from your personality to how you treat others to how deliberately you set your course. You will be successful in business if you carry out all of these actions in line with your true personality rather than acting overly professional or like you know everything.
Peter Bryla, Community Manager, Resumelab
Think About Your Niche
Majoring in business does open you up to a vast spectrum of career options—sales, marketing, finance, accounting, etc. During your pursuit of a degree, pay attention to the kinds of spaces that interest you the most—and where you perform at your best. Match your interests and skills to your career. Doing what you love is important, but doing what you do well is even more important. I knew a guy who gave a presentation during one of his management classes and discovered that he had a gift for speaking in front of crowds. He wound up taking the marketing route and regularly speaks in front of crowds at expos. He learned what the right path was for him while a business student. That’s what everyone should try to do.
Rachel Blank, Founder & CEO, Allara
Think About What End of The Business Spectrum You Want to Land in
The type of business major you receive should reflect the type of businessperson you want to be. To that end, consider what end of the business spectrum you want to land in. If you want to be up front, working with clients and customers, you may not want to pursue the same type of business degree as someone who wants to run their own business from the back end of things. Make sure whatever degree you get will be the best suited to the job or role you wish to play in your future career. This way, you won’t find yourself ill-prepared for the kind of work that will bring you satisfaction in your chosen field.
Max Schwartzapfel, CMO, Schwartzapfel Lawyers
Develop Your Soft Skills Then Focus On Your Niche
Pursuing a major in business can give you the vital tools and knowledge to understand how to best position yourself in the competitive global economy. There are many avenues that can be explored such as accounting, finance, or management with countless options for specialization.
A degree also equips you with vital soft skills like strong communication abilities, decision-making, and problem-solving techniques, and the ability to lead with confidence. Such talents are invaluable and sure to open many doors throughout your career.
Nowadays, business employers require top talent who have degrees from renowned universities, so pursuing a degree in business is sure to be beneficial when searching for job opportunities post-graduation.
Jim Campbell, CEO, Campbell Online Media
Plan On Adding a Good Minor
Business school is a great investment – you do a lot of networking, learn how to comport yourself in a business environment, pick up a great deal of skills on a huge variety of topics that will let you take to most jobs like a fish to water and it will teach you how to think about work in a structured, intelligent way.
That said, majoring in a business specialization means that you might want to consider a more targeted minor to help grease the entry into the industry you’d like to pursue after graduation. Interested in doing marketing for a sustainable energy company, for example? Major in marketing and minor in environmental science.
Kate Kandefer, CEO, SEOWind
Can You Deliciously Mix Empathy and Strong Leadership?
A business major fundamentally prepares you for a role in administering people and systems. You will be consistently required to manage people and delicate relationships while establishing the behavioral framework for social interaction among staff. This will require high emotional intelligence and sensitivity to know when to show up as a strong leader and when to show up as a cuddling buddy to your subordinates.
As a manager, you will inevitably hurt people to maintain a spirit of excellence in your team. This requires a significant dose of emotional resilience and objectivity. Do you naturally have the stomach if things require playing hardball? Suppose you are an individual that naturally avoids confrontation and is more open to letting sleeping dogs lie. In that case, you will need to critically avoid the side of man management in business administration. You would be better suited to specializing (with your business major) in the financial side of things.
Lotus Felix, CEO, Lotusbrains Studio
Discover How Your Passions and Skills May Align With Opportunities You Havn’t Considered
As a Business Management Information Systems undergraduate, it became clear that even in traditional business there were multiple paths from management to finance to marketing, and to information systems. What I didn’t recognize was the huge variety of other paths that could be taken.
Program management is a great example. Another is Lean Six Sigma. My journey took me through both, where I worked for six years as an engineer in title with a degree in business because business gave me a background that complemented the engineers. Fundamentally, for someone majoring in business, I would suggest finding out what their passion, knowledge, and skills are to open up new ideas and opportunities that they hadn’t considered.
Michael Woudenberg, Chief Innovation Officer, Polymathic Disciplines
Take The Entrepreneurial Path Instead
I’ve founded several successful businesses, am a pioneer in YouTube and then crypto, and am one of the top SEOs in the world. I mentor a lot of teens and college-aged kids, and I tell all of them that if they want to study business or marketing to either not go to college or drop out.
“Those who cannot do, teach” is an undervalued saying. The best way to learn what actually works in business is to try yourself, fail, and try again. Very few get it right on the first try, and you want to give yourself time to have many attempts.
My top piece of advice is to take your tuition and use it for runway. Don’t use it to fund the business – use it to prolong the “ramen garage lifestyle” while hustling and learning at breakneck speeds. The worst case scenario is that your business fails, and you become employable way faster than if you studied business in university.
Edward Sturm, Fractional CMO, Edwardsturm.com
Make Sure There is Also An Internship Opportunity
Make sure that whichever program you choose has an internship opportunity you can take full advantage of. Internships are a great way to learn hands-on business skills and gain valuable experience that can help you stand out in the job market. You should also look for something that offers an internship with a mentor so that you have guidance throughout your experience. Lastly, make sure that you take classes related to the field of business that interests you; this way, you can gain an in-depth understanding of business fundamentals. With the right education and experience, majoring in business can open up a world of opportunities for you!
Yusuf Shurbaji, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Prismfly
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