Can I build on a business degree in the future?
According to estimates released by the federal government, business degree programs currently rank as the single most popular major chosen by today’s college students. The reasons for this are actually pretty simple: Business is a versatile degree that offers numerous opportunities for later specialization and expansion into new areas. The degree also equips job candidates with the skills they need for a vast number of entry-level positions in fields as diverse as marketing, management, accounting, and public relations.
1. Master’s Degrees in Business or Related Fields
One of the best ways to build on a business degree is to pursue graduate-level coursework relevant to a business-related field. Most graduates prefer to do this by pursuing a Master’s of Business Administration, choosing a concentration in something executive leadership, marketing, entrepreneurship, or international commerce. Each of these options increases a candidate’s marketability while building on their undergraduate education and giving the candidate more knowledge about a very specific aspect of the industry.
Candidates who are more interested in fields related to business, rather than business itself, might choose to forego the traditional MBA in favor of a master’s degree in accounting, business education, public policy, or numerous other fields. Because business is so versatile, its fundamentals set students up for success in each of these areas quite well.
2. Professional Certifications in a Specific Area
Certifications are available for business professionals to help them manage everything from general accounting and bookkeeping to work as a paralegal, executive assistant, executive manager, and more. These certification programs are almost always considered post-baccalaureate in nature, but they afford students the opportunity to forego exams like the GMAT and take fewer credits while still building on their solid, undergraduate foundation.
Perhaps best of all, certifications fall in line with numerous professional development requirements enforced by today’s businesses. When ongoing professional education is required, these certifications help business leaders specialize and meet their maximum earning potential.
3. Professional Work Experience Inherently Builds on Business Degree Coursework
Business degrees are only the start of the educational experience for those who will make a career out of corporate life and management. Most corporations host their own series of employee seminars that serve as stand-ins for professional development requirements and the pursuit of either graduate-level coursework or certifications. In addition to company seminars, simply landing a job in the business world will build on a degree. Employees will get hands-on experience dealing with government requirements, company policies, accounting, marketing, investments, and client relations.
4. Teaching Others Can Build on Existing Skills
It might sound counterintuitive, but one of the best ways to build on business degree coursework is to teach that same coursework to new students. Many people marvel at the amount of information they’ve learned about the industry, especially when combined with their experience, when they take a position preparing new business students for their role in this popular field.
Great Ways to Turn a Business Degree into Long-Term Growth and Success
A business degree’s solid foundation lays the path for future advancement and success, whether via continued coursework at the graduate level or simply through hands-on experience, teaching, networking, and professional development. Those students interested in pursuing business should feel comforted knowing that they will spend their entire career learning, building, and growing, in ways that will only enhance their success.
For more information, check out ” TOP 25 BEST VALUE ONLINE MBA PROGRAMS 2013“.
