Business

Are you a team player? Could you see yourself managing a team or an assignment? Would you also possibly be interested in running your own organization or company some day? Are you able to communicate well with others? Are you extroverted? If you answered yes to most of these questions, a degree and future career in business could be exciting for you. As a business major, you should learn material from a variety of courses such as: accounting, finance, economics, and organizational behavior. However, you will also be required to take courses such as psychology, communications, and statistics. As a business major you have to be relatively well-rounded and personable, so a diverse range of courses will be helpful for your future career.

Common Career Paths:

Human Resources Specialist

If you work well with people and would like to work on hiring and recruiting for an organization, this job could be perfect for you. You will usually start off as a junior HR specialist and advance according to your skills and experience. If you are a business major, it is important to have taken at least a few courses regarding organizational development or human resources of organizations during your undergraduate education. However, most companies will train you regarding their specific processes and hiring requirements. If you have a business degree and would later like to enroll in human resource management courses, many Fortune 500 companies will pay for your courses and further education (if you are one of their employees). Most human resources specialists are required to keep track of employee records and performance. They usually need to make sure employees and management are in compliance with commissions such as the United States Equal Opportunity Employment Commission. Human resources specialists are also the go to people for any payment or general problems employees have. For example, if an employee had incorrect information on his payment check, he/she would have to contact someone from human resources. Human resources specialists also work with managers to record results from performance reviews. This is important to keep track of for employee promotions and overall assessments. Lastly, human resources specialists are involved in the hiring process. For example, they keep track of new resumes sent to the company for open positions. According to Pay Scale, entry level human resources specialists make anywhere from $29,603 to $44,201.

Systems Analyst

A systems analyst is another entry or mid-level position for a business major. Are you interested in new technologies? Did you do well in your technically-oriented business courses, which covered new software and computer hardware for business use? Did you enjoy your computer science courses? This may be the perfect career for you. After you prove yourself in this occupation, you may be able to move around into IT or other management positions. Usually companies have associate and senior systems analysts. A systems analyst conducts research and provides solutions regarding software and systems. You need to know about different types of computer programming languages and operation systems. For example, you may need to research which type of software is most useful for solving a financial problem. Your tasks will not be solely technical. You will often have to explain to others why you chose to use a certain program and write briefs requesting certain technical needs. Therefore, great communication and writing skills are vital to success in this position. You should also enjoy making presentations and working with others. Usually, systems analysts are the mediators between IT employees and finance/business employees. They also have to do a mix of other tasks such as: write user requests, develop cost spreadsheets, and set deadlines for software implementations. You may also have to test new software and systems. According to Pay Scale, entry level systems analysts can usually make anywhere from $39,422 to $50,726.

Market Researcher

If you have great presentation skills and enjoy conducting research about various industries, a job as a market researcher could be an interesting opportunity for you. Although market researchers may have diverse types of undergraduate degrees, business majors often excel in this career. This is because business programs give students an understanding of various industries and markets. As a market researcher, you will conduct research regarding business strategy. However, you will do this in a very organized manner. You need to help your employer (business/company) gain a competitive advantage in the market in which it operates. There are four different areas of a market you may have to conduct research on: market information, market segmentation, market trends, and market effectiveness. If you are conducting research on general market information, you will have to evaluate supply and demand of consumers for the product or services you (or your clients) sell. If you are asked to conduct research on market segmentation, you may have to divide market players into different subgroups. You may have to divide consumers or potential competitors into these subgroups. When you are evaluating market trends, you need to see how an industry has done over time in the market. For example, if you are conducting research regarding an engineering and construction company, you need to see how the company has performed over a long period of time. Lastly, market effectiveness looks at how a company's competitors have performed over a certain period of time. Have they effectively captured the market? According to Pay Scale, entry level market researchers make around $42,000.