Business Career Center.com

If your interest is in economics, there are so many business fields in which you can work. If you are a good economist or financial planner, you could end up having your pick of business careers. The key is to make sure that you know exactly what type of economics work is the most interesting to you.

For instance, if you choose to become a chartered market technician, you will need to be an excellent financial analyst. Then again, if you are leaning towards a career in claims analysis, you will want to have an interest in insurance and valuation. Then again, if you wish to succeed as a commercial credit analyst, you will need to have a fascination with risk analysis as well as an interest in working in a banking environment. In short, economics is not just about money. Every business economics career involves a great deal of knowledge about a wide variety of business applications.

Communications is a broad field, and this is a great reason to major or minor in communications if you are in business school. Communications can mean anything from management to broadcasting. As a business communications major you could end up as an office manager, business consultant, or human resources director, but you also have a chance to become a stock broker or certified financial planner. After all, any business career that involves sales of financial products or other interaction with clients will benefit greatly from anyone who is an excellent communicator.

Other business careers that are possible for those with communications degrees include:

• Certified financial manager
• Certified quality process analyst
• Chartered market technician
• Claims analyst

If you are interested in the world of finance, there are so many business careers you could pursue. Be sure to choose wisely, keeping in mind what your own primary interests are, and exactly what type of thing you enjoy doing. Here are just a few of the many finance careers available to today’s college graduates:

• Bank financial analyst
• Bank underwriter
• Bank compliance officer
• Actuarial analyst
• Budget analyst

If any of these career paths interest you, be sure to solidly research the salary it provides. You must envision the life you want to lead, then adjust for inflation as you estimate the salary necessary for such a lifestyle. Do you hope to have a family? If so, consider the cost of each child when adding up your hoped-for salary. Would you like to be a sole breadwinner, have a working spouse, or even remain single? Each of these considerations must be taken into account when analyzing your financial needs and then deciding upon the appropriate career aspiration. Of course, life never turns out exactly as we expect it to, but with careful planning we can avoid some of the major pitfalls (at least the financial pitfalls) that may lie in wait.

Deciding upon your preferred career is a big step for any college student. You came into college with an idea in mind as to your preferred profession, but a year or two into your college experience is a great time to stop and reevaluate as to whether that initial idea still interests you. At this time, take a careful look at the salary range for your preferred profession, the lifestyle of the career, and the education required for the job. Does it still feel like your dream job? Or do you want to take a look at a few more professions before making a commitment.

For instance, one student had an interest in becoming a bank compliance officer. In his research, he realized that while once a bachelor’s degree was enough, a master’s degree would now be required to be competitive in his area. He had been planning on getting his degree in finance, but found that an accounting degree was beginning to be preferred in this field. He was still interested in the complexities of both law and finance, but after realizing some of the latest information about that career, he decided he could be more competitive as a corporate lawyer. He changed his career plan before he had made an expensive commitment to the wrong major—a wise and timely choice.

The latest business careers reviews in magazines such as Fortune and Newsweek have revealed some interesting surprises in terms of which business positions are lucrative today. Just as health care is an emerging industry in 2010, so is agriculture. With all the new agri-business ventures, as well as the growing popularity of organic farms, being a business manager for an agricultural firm is beginning to be a sought-after position.

Agricultural business managers oversee all aspects of farming and production. These individuals will have to be business men and women, but in addition, they should be extensively experienced with the various phases of farming production. They should be familiar with farming practices, seasonal variations in business needs, and ideal outputs. Agricultural business can be a very rewarding business to go into if you have an interest in working with the outdoors and food-production in addition to engaging in typical business manager activities.

If you are interested in going into the field of actuarial science, be sure to read plenty of business careers information before making your commitment to this very specific field. You should make sure that you have the right personality to be an actuary. This career is geared around analysis and statistics. If you find these interested, perhaps becoming an actuary is perfect for you, but if not, beware. Once you make an educational commitment to a field, it is very expensive to back-pedal and switch to a different major.

If you become an actuary, you will find yourself analyzing statistics and other data to determine risk potential for various investments. Based upon these assessments, you will give  recommendations pertaining to relevant insurance rates for underwriters. If you have always been fascinated by insurance and account management, or even if you enjoy assessing risks in order to pursue investments, then actuarial science will be a good fit for you.

Declaring a major is a big step for any business career seeker. Once you set yourself on the road to finance, marketing, human resources, or any other field, there is no looking back, so make sure that the field you choose to go into will be interesting for you in the long term. The best way to do this is to go online and look for business career info on the various fields and subfields that interest you. For instance, an online career list gives the following career descriptions:

• Account Executive: This individual is a member a sales staff in any firm. He or she will interact with clients and maintain good relationships while assisting in the promotion of the firm’s goods and services.
• Actuarial Analyst: This individual will need a bachelor’s or master’s degree in statistics, math, or actuarial science. He or she will be employed by insurance companies and financial firms for the purpose of applying statistics and financial risk assessment to company endeavors.

For further business career info and descriptions, go online and search for the field of your interest. You will find a great deal of information that could help to steer you on the right path.

In this day and age of low wages and low rates of hire, business graduates should ensure that they pursue business careers that are in high demand. CNN Money recently discussed this issue with national staffing specialists, who gave the reporters a list of the top five business careers in demand today.

1. Accounting
2. Sales/marketing
3. Legal
4. Technology
5. Engineering

Each and every one of these careers offers so many specializations, that it really enables the business graduate to pick and choose among many varied career options. Accounting, for instance, encompasses everything from auditing to CPA work, and the pay can range from $35,000 to $50,000 to start. Within a couple of years, a substantial pay hike or even doubling of the salary could occur if you are great at your job. So keep an eye out for these five top business careers. They offer plenty of variety, flexibility, and room for growth.

Now that you have earned your MBA, you are ready to find your first career-oriented job. But what kind of salary can you expect, and what type of specialization should you pursue? Salaries do vary depending on your specialty, but remember that salary should not be the only factor when you decide upon a specialty. It should be something that will fascinate you for years to come.

If you are in the financial realm, you are likely to make the most money. Financial Controllers tend to start at around $87,000, and Financial Project Managers tend to weigh in at about the same numbers. But if your strengths are as a people person, don’t despair. Those in human resources do tend to start out with the $61,000 to $71,000 mark. It is quite a bit less than those in the financial field, but if you enjoy working with people, you should never try to work against that natural inclination when it comes to a career. Finally, those working in the executive administrative assistance field make a low $37,000 annually. If you have taken the trouble to get your bachelor’s you should never settle for admin assist. It may, however, be a stepping stone to a better job for you, and in that case, the temporary pay cut could be worth it in the end.

Still not sure what to do with your life? Don’t worry. It is actually quite a common problem for college freshmen, sophomores, and even juniors and seniors. Even those who have made decisions about their majors and minors still often grapple with issues around where they want to live, what type of work they want to do, what size company they want to work for, and so forth. Most people, even those graduating with advanced degrees, often don’t have a precise idea of where their life should be headed. So if you are one of them, don’t worry.

One thing that can help confused college students to understand themselves and their futures is a personality assessment. This is a simple test that you take online. But don’t worry. You don’t have to study for this test because it is all about you. The assessment asks what your likes and dislikes are, how you respond to stress, how you prefer to interact with strangers, and what types of environments are most suited to you. Once you have completed the assessment, the software tabulates your responses and tells you what types of things you will likely be good at. In this way, you may learn something new about yourself and it may assist you in making that all important career decision.

Business education isn’t all work and no play, you know. One thing that can be useful for your future career and your current educational life is taking a personality assessment. These fun quizzes ask you questions about yourself and your approach to life that can help you determine which career will, in the end, be right for you.

When you take a career personality assessment or other business career test, it is fun to compare your results with friends and ponder whether or not the computer correctly assessed your personality. They should be taken lightly, as sometimes these assessments can actually help you to see your future from a new angle, but other times the solutions they come up with are simply not right for you at all.

So enjoy taking a career assessment test once a year or so. It is fun to answer such questions as:

• Do you keep your thoughts to yourself?
• Are you the life of the party?
• Do I enjoy meeting new people?
• How would my friends describe me?

The computer’s ultimate assessment of your potential may be a wonderful boon or end up as a silly joke, but either way there is no harm done.

When you are looking into the type of career you want to pursue, it is always important to look at the business career statistics that can tell you a lot about the lifestyle you look forward to having. One of the most important statistics is, of course the salary. Those serious about business, in this day and age, should always go right through to earning a master’s degree, if they want to succeed in business. An MBA, especially from a prestigious college, will take you far. But then again, a PhD will take you further. Let’s look at the salary difference between these education levels.

With a masters in business administration and an excellent resume filled with top-tier internships, volunteer work, and community involvement, you should be able to start your career making around $90,000 to $100,000 annually. You will be eligible for such careers as financial consultant, healthcare executive, manufacturing executive, and director of a nonprofit agency. All of that depends, of course, upon your concentration in college.

With a  business Ph.D., your education will be a great deal higher and a great deal more specialized. Those with doctorate degrees tend to see themselves as on the fast track to becoming a CEO or CFO or on the faculty at a business school. Their salaries tend to range anywhere from $110,000 to $150,000 annually to start. As you can see, the higher your education level, the higher your starting salary, but remember that your student loan repayments will also be quite a bit higher. There is a lot to consider when evaluating the advantages of taking your education all the way.

If you are just now heading into your college career and still undecided as to whether you want to get an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in business, it is a good idea to look at your earning potential with each of these degrees. Business career salaries vary widely, but they always depend upon your degree and accomplishments.

If you have minimal education, yet manage to accomplish numerous career goals and well-reviewed projects, you could move up beyond the average salary for your education level, but when you are first starting your job search, expect your salary to begin at the low to average level for your education level.

If you go into the job market with just an associate’s degree, you can make a nice start for yourself in positions ranging from office manager to human resources expert. The salary range you should expect will vary between around $30,000 to $40,000, depending on the position you take and the area where you live. A bachelor’s degree, however, will help you start somewhere between $40,000 and $80,000. That is a really wide range, of course, and where your salary falls will depend on whether or not you qualify for a high-paying job like a financial controller or something lower on the ladder, such as an executive administrative assistant.

When you are first getting started looking for that dream job or career, it is a good idea to test yourself to find out if you have prepared properly. Sure, you have a resume in hand and you have circled a few help-wanted ads in the local newspaper, but is that really enough? Monster.com offers resume readiness quizzes to help you take a good honest look at your paperwork and your job search strategy. These quizzes will help you determine if you need to do more work before presenting yourself to future employers or not.

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Business career quizzes on Monster.com include such items as:

• The resume readiness quiz
• The admin resume quiz
• The IT resume quiz
• Quizzes for professionals
• The healthcare resume readiness quiz

So whether you are pursuing a career as an executive, a doctor, or a software engineer, be sure that your resume is in top form before starting to look for that essential job or career. A business career quiz is a fun and easy way to double check your readiness before heading out into the world of job interviews.

New mba’s need to think outside the box if they are to find meaningful work in today’s difficult economy. One option for them is to look into nontraditional or emerging business fields. These fields include computer-oriented fields like online marketing, database management, and social networking site management. Other emerging business fields lie in the field of green business. Solar and wind power are emerging as important new industries, recycling is gaining in momentum, and companies that sell “fair trade” products have seen their stocks skyrocket in recent years.

If you are a new mba looking for work in something with a future, be sure you look into all the emerging markets that are out there. Your university career center or guidance department should be able to point you in the right direction. There are so many new and interesting business fields in this volatile and fascinating age, that you will be kept very busy exploring all the possibilities.

Those entering a business career high school, business vocational college, or university program all know the difficulty that comes with deciding your major. After all, this could (and should) end up being the path you pursue for the rest of your life. No amount of thought is too much when it comes to deciding. There will, of course, be those who would like to decide the issue for you. One parent may want you to follow in his footsteps, another relative may wish to see you fulfil his own dreams. Don’t fall for any of this interference. Your decision about your major is your own and no one else’s.

One way to get to the heart of the matter is to do a business careers interest inventory. This simple survey will ask you probing questions about exactly what type of thing you enjoy doing, what type of environment you enjoy being in, and what style of interaction you enjoy with others. The business career interest inventory will then analyze your interests based on the answers to the questions and spit out some suggestions as to your preferred business fields. Of course you don’t have to follow the inventory’s suggestions, but they may help you to realize interests you may not have known that you had. The inventory may or may not provide you with a definitive answer to your question, but in any case it will help you make this crucial decision that is only yours to make.

If you have just graduated from school and have a new mba, congratulations. This is a wonderful time in which you can decide which business path you are going to go down. Will you work for a large corporation? Will you take your chances with a small company? Or will you engage in the riskiest choice of all and open your own business? This last choice may be something that your parents and others warn you against simply because it is such a gamble, but the truth is that fulfillment lies in risk. Those who choose a guaranteed path may have their necessities taken care of, but they will never experience the exhilaration that business can bring when one takes the risk upon one’s own back.

Starting your own business is something that can be done in so many ways that they are nearly impossible to count. You could decided to go with an online business, a storefront, or both. You could market your wares to other businesses or to private consumers. You could go into any field, from entertainment to accounting. The choices are endless, and that is the fun of starting your own business. Don’t let the naysayers change your mind. If you enjoy seeing the fruits of your own labor, then start a small business and enjoy utilizing each and every thing for which your mba prepared you.

Students who have a sense of what they want to do early on in life are in the best position to really excel. Sometimes they even decide to go to a specialized high school in order to get that extra boost to their career. Those attending business career high schools, for instance, have excellent chances of making it into some of the finest business schools in the country. But this doesn’t mean students should take success for granted. Be sure your business career high school is teaching you the skills you need, such as the following:

• Resume writing
• Job application skills
• Interviewing skills
• Writing business letters
• Business communication skills
• Public speaking
• Business math skills
• Career planning
• Accounting
• Money skills

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” It’s a classic interview question, yet it continues to stump applicant after applicant. The only reason is because if you, as an applicant actually do have a five year goal, you have no idea if it is in line with what the company views as the right answer. But the irony is, this doesn’t matter at all. Let’s say, for instance, that your five year plan is to move into management, whereas the company is looking for employees whose plans focus on expanding skills within their fields, not moving up. Go ahead and state your goal anyway.

Remember that you are interviewing them—it doesn’t just go one way. If their goals for you are not in line with your goals for  yourself, there is nothing wrong with stating it. They may do one of three things:

1. They may thank you and send you on your way, never to call you again.
2. They may like your spunk and strong sense of goals enough to hire you anyway.
3. They may actually create a job with a career path that is in line with your stated goals if they really want you to join the team.

Never underestimate a company that likes you, as an applicant. Many times they will do whatever it takes to ensure that you come aboard.

Boeing’s business career foundation program is one that new mba’s should take a look at. This full-time, company sponsored employee development program offers an introduction to business careers within Boeing. It is a challenging and rewarding opportunity for business degree holders interested in knowing all that a corporation like Boeing has to offer.

Participants in this program will enjoy exposure to a wide variety of positions in business including:

• Financial planning
• Accounting
• Contracts
• Estimating and pricing
• Program cost management
• Supplier management
• Procurement cost analysis

With all of these options, any mba will get a wonderful opportunity to experience business from practically every standpoint. Completing this ambitious program does not guarantee employment with Boeing, but it does serve as an excellent foot in the door to one of America’s most solid companies.