For those of you who dream of a corner office and boxes of business cards with initials after your name, then you are probably already thinking of majoring in Business. Let’s talk about this because you actually have options.Many colleges and universities do offer business as a major, but there are just as many who do not. These schools may offer Finance or Business Finance or Business Economics, or some-such. Do not let this deter you. You can major in Business or in Economics or Finance, and you can still get a job in the Business field and you can still go on to pursue an MBA.
Many students look at the Majors offered by a college and when they do not see Business they move on from that school, but this is not necessary. Companies do not require you to have a Business degree in order for them to hire you. They require you to have experience via internships and concrete skills as demonstrated on your resume.
Furthermore, MBA programs do not favor Business majors. MBA programs look at your resume and your results in your first few years out of undergrad. Most MBA applicants work for a few years after college and then apply to grad school to pursue the MBA. This is the standard procedure. In this way, you gain valuable on-the-job experience that you can reference during your business school years. With regards to your major, in fact, many B schools like diverse backgrounds and majors in their candidates because of the creativity and diversity this will bring to all discussions.
So whether you choose to apply to a school that has a Business major or one that does not, there are still some basics to keep in mind about preparing for your career path in Business:
- You will need to do summer internships during college
- You should start asking people you admire to meet for coffee now and interview them how they got where they are in their career
- Learn to network now, practice during college, and never underestimate its importance
- Consider a double major which will perhaps make you a more attractive MBA candidate
- Get involved in Business clubs and orgs during high school and stay involved in the same types of activities in college
- Every job is valuable
- Career-interviews, job shadows and internships are all valuable for different reasons
- If you start a business, find some advisers and meet with them regularly for mentoring
It’s great to get involved in the local business community in whatever ways you can, also. Go to MeetUps and networking events in your city. Just tell people you’re there to learn. Everyone loves to help a young person on their career path. There are lots of ways to start early when Business is your goal, so put your thinking cap on, and get to it!
