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When students choose a major, the process can be daunting. Adding to the pressure is choosing a specialization. For those who want to pursue a degree in business, the best major is the one that suits your goals. First, why are you pursuing a business degree? Do you want to start your own business? If so, what kind? Are you majoring in business because your mother told you that business people make a lot of money? It’s important to face your “why” and then combine that with your “what,” because knowing why you’re going to pursue business as a profession will lead to what you should study. An examination of some majors should help.
Accounting
Accounting is the rule by which businesses are run. Poor accounting leads to errors that can lead to insolvency. Ignoring the accounting that is taking place will do the same. The job of your typical accountant is a sedentary one, so if you hate sitting at a desk and love being creative, then this profession is a poor choice. However, if you love inputting data and then tying it all together, this is a great profession. Additionally, if the idea of working on the inside of several companies (small and large) appeals to you, accounting is a great path to take.
Finance
While accountants make sure that everything stays inside the box, finance people try to expand it, and sometimes peek outside to see what else is going on in the world.
Careers in finance involve banking, trading, and analysis. While there is much time at a desk, it is not quite the same as being an accountant because there is freedom to move around, and most finance people do not bill by the hour, so the need to finish tasks without diverting one’s focus is not quite the same.
Economics
A degree in economics is a more robust version of one in finance. Economics students can get all of the same jobs that a person studying finance can, but there are additional options. This is because they generally learn everything a finance major does, but more.
Careers in economics can lead to careers in the government or private sector. As an economist, you’ll learn how to understand markets, what makes them work, and what effects certain decisions will have. While finance people were the ones who made the loans that led to the 2008 financial meltdown, economists figured out how to clean up the mess.
Management
Do you think you’d enjoy managing people instead of ideas? Then management is for you. For anyone who’s watched “The Office,” it’s obvious from the interactions that people have with Michael Scott (Steve Carell) that, despite his ridiculous antics, there is a lot that goes into running an office. Managers grade people’s performance, enact measures of rewards and discipline, and have many other important responsibilities. This is a job where a desk is available, but most of the work is done away from it.