Learn more about what you can do with a degree in business. Find information on business careers, job outlook, salary, and recommended schools. View popular schools that prepare students for careers in business.
Overview
The decision to seek a career in business provides a myriad of opportunities for the professional. Individuals with business degrees may work in a number of broad fields including: management, accounting/finance, human resource management and marketing. Some professionals working in business may be eligible to seek executive positions in their organizations. Although executive positions carry with them a host of perks—including generous salaries and benefits—executive leadership is a challenging arena that requires considerable expertise and dedication.
Regardless of the specific area selected for concentration by the business professional, many careers in this profession offer a unique set of opportunities to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment. Business professionals are responsible for many of the essential decisions that drive business operations. In these positions, business professionals must be able to communicate effectively and work well with others to achieve specific goals and objectives. Careers in business also provide professionals with flexible working environments that change on a regular basis. The nature of this type of work is often appealing for individuals that do not want to be stuck in a job with a high degree of repetition. Even though business professionals enjoy a broad range of benefits in their jobs, it is important to note that business careers are demanding and require considerable time and effort from those employed in these positions. Professionals considering entering the field of business need to be aware of the challenges inherent in these positions as organizations will expect a considerable amount from individuals hired in these positions.
Careers
As noted, individuals seeking careers in business can work in a number of different areas. While it is not possible to review all of the careers available for business professionals here, it is possible to provide some insight into the particular careers that individuals can pursue in this discipline. For instance, individuals seeking a career in business may choose to work in accounting and finance. Accountants provide information and analysis regarding the organization’s financial health. Accounting executives include the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), who is responsible for making strategic financing decisions for the organization.
Individuals seeking business careers may also choose to work in management or marketing. Management professionals are employed in a number of different positions in the organization. However, their chief responsibility is the management of people. Individuals in management positions will be responsible for addressing key elements of employee behavior that will be essential to the organization’s success. Finally, business professionals may seek careers in marketing. Marketing includes all of the activities that are used by the organization to promote its products and/or services. Marketers focus on the promotion of the organization to external stakeholders including customers and communities. Through their work, marketers serve as a liaison between the organization and the public.
Industry Salary Info
Generally speaking, salaries for business professionals are quite high. This is due to the fact that organizations demand a considerable amount from their business professionals. Again, while it is not possible to cover the salaries for all professionals working in business careers, it is possible to review some of the salaries provided to individuals working in specific areas of business. Data regarding average salaries for human resource professionals indicates that salaries for these individuals range between $50,000 and $80,000. These amounts are for professionals that possess a Bachelor’s Degree in business or human resource management. Professionals that are able to procure a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) are capable of making over $80,000 annually. Operations managers who are responsible for overseeing departments and coordinating production can achieve annual salaries between $70,000 and $90,000. Business professionals working in finance typically make in excess of $100,000 annually. While salaries are generally quite substantial for business professionals, these individuals also enjoy generous benefit packages. Professionals working in business careers enjoy perks such as health insurance, 401K investment plans and company cars. When compared with salary and benefit packages available to professionals in other fields, the perks provided to business professionals are often difficult to beat.
Job Outlook
The job outlook for business professionals overall is quite positive. Although there is some variation across different career areas, most careers in this field are expected to grow at a higher than average rate, indicating that business professionals in all areas of the profession will be needed to fill positions. Even though most business careers are growing, it is important to note that competition in this arena is quite substantial. Unlike government jobs that provide some degree of security based on the employee’s years of service, business careers are based primarily on performance. As such, employees that do not perform well in their jobs do risk job loss, opening up the field for more talented business professionals. Additionally, because of the heavy demands that organizations place on business professionals there is often a high degree of turnover in business positions. Professionals entering the field need to be aware of these issues in order to effectively balance their work lives and ensure that they remain at the top of their field. Given all of the perks provided to business professionals, jobs in this discipline can have significant benefits and drawbacks. Thus, individuals entering into the field must ensure that they are well suited for their positions.