Business Article - Business Courses
A business major is one of the most versatile degrees that a person can have. With a business major you can find yourself prepared for positions in the private sector, in companies all around the world, for government organizations or for non-profits. The basic skills that all business majors get give them the tools that they need to succeed in each of these environments. Here are some tips on what a business major is like and what kind of classes are involved.
The first two years of your college life as a business major are likely to be much the same as other majors at your school. Most universities have certain core requirements that all majors have to take, so you will be taking classes such as psychology, science, English, calculus, computers and writing. A business major will also have some basic business oriented classes to start you down the road of developing business problem solving skills.
Once you get into your junior year, you will start to focus on the courses that are part of the business major. Your basic business courses will help to ground you in the areas of marketing, finance / accounting, organizational behavior and management. You will also have to choose a specific major within your college's school of business, and starting the second half of your junior year you will start taking classes which relate to that particular major. This may be marketing, accounting, management etc. within a particular field, or you may choose to go with a more generic major that will prepare you for a variety of positions.
A good amount of the training that is necessary for being successful in a company takes place on the job once you have been hired. A popular way to get that experience ahead of time during your educational years is to go for internships. Most internships are unpaid, although there are also paid internships which are usually the subject of strong competition. During an internship you can get invaluable experience within the industry that you see yourself working in. When it becomes time to get a job, employers will know that you have the basic skills needed to start work immediately. The contacts that you make within the industry when you work as an intern may also be able to help you find a job directly. By staying in contact with them and sending them your resume when you graduate (or even before!) you can get a jump start on all of the other people looking for jobs in your field.
During your final year in business school you will continue to finish your major specific requirements, including higher level versions of some of the generalized courses that you have been taking in marketing, management and so on, and the high level specific courses for the field that you are entering. These courses will be designed to give you skills that translate directly to your future jobs. You are also likely to hear speeches from visiting speakers on the field that you are training for - a good chance for you to make contacts, and you will be encouraged to attend a job fair (if you haven't already) and to take advantage of the resources that your school offers to help place alumni in positions at companies whose hiring departments coordinate with your college. Keep track of all the people that you meet during this period from companies that you may want to work for, because when you graduate (or even somewhat before) you will want to send them all your resume.
This is a general overview of what the business major is like. The specific classes that you take during the final two years of your degree are likely to have some leeway for you to pick things that interest you or that you think will have the best application to your future work. If you want to enter the workforce in a leadership position, then you will want to focus on classes that are about management or that handle common business subjects with a management bent, and you will also need to take classes on sociology and organizational behavior. If you are mathematically minded and like to work with computers, you may want to focus on taking more finance classes with an aim towards becoming an accountant or a finance broker. If you want to own and grow your own business, then you will want to take courses on entrepreneurship, as well as a broad range of all the other courses. No matter what your concentration is, a range of low-level courses in all areas will help you to understand other people that you will need to work with and have respect for the jobs that they do.
Also keep in mind that you should try to find a balance in your business classes between theory and practical usage. Theory is good for giving you the generalized mental skills to deal with a wide variety of problems, but it isn't until you practice coming up with answers to practical problems that you begin to truly develop a sense of what theory is good for and how it relates to real life. Which classes in your school are more theory oriented and which ones are more about finding solutions to issues which come up in the course of real life is a topic that you should discuss with the advisors in your major. You should try to get a good balance of both, but when in doubt it may be best to go with practical classes for the most useful impact on your ability to make decisions in the future.
Another thing to keep in mind as you pick which business courses you want to take is the word of mouth among people at your school. Students will often have connections in the job industry developing during their years at school, and the upper classmen can tell you which classes are useful and which ones to avoid if possible. The academic advisor for your major may also have suggestions on which classes are the most useful, but may tend not to badmouth less useful classes just in the interests of keeping the peace, so be sure to talk to other students when you are deciding which classes to take. You can even ask people while networking at job fairs or when talking to guest speakers what kind of classes are the most important to prepare for work at their companies. When companies work closely with a university there are often specific classes which they prefer that applicants have taken, and if you find out what the needs of your prospective employer are early enough and take all of the right classes while networking, it will make it much easier to get yourself placed into a job shortly after graduation.
While the courses that you take while you are in school have a strong effect on the jobs that will be available to you in the future, you should also keep in mind that extracurricular activities can have an influence on prospective employers. Working in a leadership capacity in campus organizations, or volunteering for nonprofits in your local area, are both good ways to demonstrate that you have the ability to work effectively with people in a management track position. By keeping yourself active in a range of social activities you can demonstrate to employers that you are outgoing and good at working with people.
Finally, keep in mind that while the courses that you choose as a business major and the range of extracurriculars that you take part in are both important factors in finding a job, personality also plays a large part. Networking is vital to getting a job, with about half of all successful job applicants finding their work through networking. To make a good impression while networking you have to have a winning personality and present yourself in the most positive light. Many companies have a specific kind of corporate culture, and if you know what it is like at a company that you are trying to get a job for you should be sure to mention while networking what characteristics you have that make you well suited to get along with people there. Learning about these company cultures and how to work well with others is one of the best reasons to go for an internship position during school. If you begin the process of looking for work and networking while you are studying, you will already have a jump on the competition as you come down the final stretch towards graduation, with the ability to make strong lasting impressions and present yourself consistently with an eye towards getting hired. Keep all of these tips in mind as you chart a course through your education as a business major, and before you know it you will be well on your way to the job that you have been dreaming of!