|Part 1 here | Featured Image here|
Computer Information Systems
Employment Prospects: B+ in 4 years
Courseload: 8/10
This is the same thing as Management Information Systems (MIS or CIS or just IS). IS deals with computer applications of business. IS professionals make sure that businesses can communicate within itself, with other businesses, and their clients. This is through integrating business knowledge with programming and other IT work. If you feel like you’re considering both computer science/engineering and business and are indecisive, IS might be the course for you. Recognize, however, that a lot of jobs requiring IS professionals also consider computer science and software engineering majors for the same positions.
Management
Employment Prospects: B- in 4 years, B+ in 6 years (masters)
Courseload: 7/10
Unlike Accounting and Finance, degrees labelled management are often about handling a team of people. People majoring in management rely on strong leadership and people skills rather than math, although math based business majors also learn about management skills. Branches of management include operations mgmt, project mgmt, supply chain mgmt.
Operations Management
It’s about maximizing profits through efficiency. Operation managers have to be strategic thinkers in order to balance costs and revenue. They work closely with other business professionals both from the financial and management side to achieve their goals. Operations management is especially in demand for management consulting positions.
Project Management
Unlike operations manager, project managers deal with the entirety of a specific endeavour (eg. laying down a pipeline or creating a computer software) rather than focusing on an aspect of a project. Leadership skills is the biggest asset to a project manager. Also, an employee from any field can become a project manager provided they gain enough experience and expertise. A management degree is not the preferred way for many people looking to become a project manager.
Supply Chain Management
Deal with the supply side. They keep track of inventories, distribution, and development. While supply chain also deals with efficiency, it focuses in on the cost rather than revenue.
Human Resources Management
HR focuses on the policy regarding people. Unlike other managers, HR managers might have to deal with individuals that might not necessarily be either from a third party company or part of the HR team. People skills are thus valuable. HR managers deal with staffing, defining work, and benefits for employees.
Management is a diverse field. However, general advice for most business majors, which I will be talking about in the end of this article, apply as well for prospective managers. One of the biggest factors that draw in Management majors is the lack of math in the curriculum past calculus I and two semesters of statistics. While a lot of university programs require math to be employable, Management is the big exception.
Marketing and Sales
Employment Prospects: B- in 4 years
Courseload: 8/10
Marketing majors study human behavior regarding buying and selling. This focus on analyzing statistical data and behavioral studies make marketing an application of economic theory. Sales is the most in demand side of marketing, using marketing research to produce actual results. This makes sales and marketing knowledge valuable to prospective entrepreneurs. There is fierce competition among marketing majors, owing to the fact that marketing knowledge is all-in-all valuable and interesting to learn about. Make sure to also learn to market yourself if you decide to get into marketing.
Entrepreneurship
Employment Prospects: C in 4 years
Courseload: 8/10
I might make a separate article on this, seeing how diverse and exciting Entrepreneurship is. It requires creativity and a great blend of business skills while offering great reward to the successful ones: money. Unlike other degrees, entrepreneurship is not meant for prospective employees. But since business degrees focus on skills directed towards employees, majoring in Entrepreneurship might not be the best bet for those who want starting a business to be their full time career.
Yeah I’ll make a separate article. Stay tuned.
Business sounds like my thing
I have helpful advice for those who might have switched their minds from engineering to business somewhere along the way. This is quite common among some of my peers who are iffy about being admitted to engineering, found engineering too difficult, or feeling something along those lines. Keep in mind that business is not an easy major. While engineering is definitely more challenging, business still does require a lot of academic commitment. Aside for academics, in order to be successful, business majors must also strive to set themselves apart. With many business graduates, the most competitive positions go to the fraternity executives, successful student interns, curve wreckers*, and the young entrepreneurs. Just put in extra effort to have something that sets you apart from the run of the mill business major, and you should be fine.
My final parting advice would be to research more into designations. There are a lot of designations available and intricacies related to how to achieve them. Make sure to research what major designations there are available for your dream job in the business world.
*Some classes in university base GPA on the bell curve of the class rather than the actual mark of the individual student. Curve wreckers basically wreck the curve for everyone else by doing too well. If you feel like you’re a curve wrecker, try applying for internships or starting a business rather than studying more. Your class might just stop hating you 🙂
Next career advice article is Medicine and Healthcare 🙂