Business Jobs & Career Types – Requirements

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A promising job outlook, multiple training and certification options, high-end salary potential–these are just a few reasons why so many high school grads and mid-career changers choose a business degree over other academic programs. Discover why business degree program grads are so vital to today’s economy and why employers demand their services.

Business Jobs & Careers

Very few academic preparation programs offer the kind of professional diversity found with the business degree. It is literally the most popular undergraduate degree in the United States, claiming more than 20 percent of the undergraduate degrees conferred in the 2005-2006 school year. For those interested in careers in finance, management, administration, sales, and consumer research, there is simply no substitute.

Business degrees are highly-specialized, augmenting basic principles with focused training in a wide range of disciplines. Credentials range from the two-year associate’s degree all the way up to the doctoral degree, and are available on-campus or online to suit a variety of learning styles. Business graduates go on to hold challenging positions with major corporations and start-up firms–not to mention as owners of their own companies, keeping the entrepreneurial spirit alive.

In a consumer-driven economy, business operations represent a major cross section of employment. Due to inherent specialization, a business career typically takes on the talents and interests of the professional. Just a few of the possible career paths for business degree program graduates include:

• Accountant
• Administrative Services Manager
• Advertising, Marketing, Promotion, Public Relations, and Sales Manager
• Appraiser and Assessor of real estate
• Auditor
• Budget Analyst
• Claims Adjuster, Appraiser, Examiner, and Investigator
• Computer and Business Information Systems Manager
• Construction Manager
• Cost Estimator
• Education Administrator
• Engineering and Natural Sciences Manager
• Farmer, Rancher, and Agricultural Manager
• Financial Analyst
• Financial Manager
• Food Service Manager
• Funeral Director
• Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Manager and Specialist
• Industrial Production Manager
• Insurance Underwriter
• Loan Officer
• Lodging Manager
• Management Analyst
• Medical and Health Services Manager
• Meeting and Convention Planner
• Personal Financial Advisor
• Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Manager
• Purchasing Manager, Buyer, and Purchasing Agent
• Tax Examiner, Collectors, and Revenue Agent
• Top Executive

Business Career Profile: Training and Certification

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a mixed bag with respect to the employment outlook of business-related professions. For example, the hiring outlook of advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations and sales managers is especially promising with an expected increase of 12 percent from 2006 to 2016–faster than the national average for all occupations. On the flip side, job prospects for top executives are projected to increase by only 2 percent over the same period. These estimates can change dramatically depending on several factors related to how business is conducted in the future, shifting federal regulations, and the emergence of new markets.

The demand for business degree program graduates is expected to increase in response to several key trends:

• The growth of the financial sector with respect to profit potential
• Increased advertising, marketing and branding channels
• The prevalence of technology and its incorporation into business practices
• An expansion of various financing and investing methods
• Consumer attitudes, tendencies, and buying activities

Business Time: Degrees, Certifications, and Specializations

Professional certification is one way that business degree holders can differentiate themselves in a fiercely competitive hiring atmosphere. Business disciplines such as technology, human resources, supply and operations, personal finance, and educational administration offer professional certification as a means of augmenting academic study with the experience-centric activities that employers crave. Methods of delivery include online modules, conferences and seminars, and local in-service opportunities. The costs associated with certification can even be offset by company funds and scholarships.

Nurture the competitive, capitalist spirit inside you by starting work on your business degree–and your future–today.

Kelly Richardson
Kelly C. Richardson, MEd is a freelance writer, marcom consultant and digital entrepreneur. He’s written content for Fortune 500s Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft and Wells Fargo. Find out more about him at kellyrichardsoncopywriting.com.

Find Business Schools Near You

Find the right school today.