<p>Hi, I am a HS senior soon to go to college for business. My main question is that I want to know what major in the business field (accounting, finance, business management, etc...) will give me the best chance of making a lot of money (100K+ per yr. or more) and also gives me the best chance of getting to work downtown in a huge city (NY, Chicago). Also, I want to get into a field where if you work hard and show promise you can be offered more prestigious jobs at bigger and better companies. So, which business field is most likely to get me into a job that matches the description above. Obviously, I know this question seems a big arrogant and childish, but being wealthy and living in a big city is my dream. Also, I will obviously consider other things when choosing my career path. I would just like help on which major usually has the best opportunity for high salary, downtown big city job, and great promotion opportunities (in same business and from other businesses). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Disclosure: I am only an entering freshman this Fall, so I don’t actually know what I’m talking about, but this is my opinion. I think the problem with your question is that your choosing your major based on the ultimate prize. It would be like saying, “I want to be President, so what should I major in”? Well, one problem with that is presidents have majored in many different things considering there has only been 43 of them (yes, 43). Wealthy Fortune 500 CEO’s have very different paths to where they are today as far as undergraduate major and school. </p>
<p>Perhaps a better a better option would be to consider what you are good at and what jobs you might want to set your sights on for after undergrad. Regardless of anything else, the highest paying jobs of undergraduate business majors at top schools is Finance. There are certain exceptions to that though if a school has a particularly strong department other than finance.</p>
<p>I’d probably have to say Accounting since it is the hardest concentration in business school from the courses I have taken. You can become a CPA, or if you work really hard, become a CFO at a big corporation in NYC, Chicago, or even Houston. Just about any job where you have a lot of Financial responsibility, you’re going to make a lot of money. Majoring in Finance can get you some of those jobs as well, but Accounting teaches you more the skills you need and goes really deep on how to keep track of money. As far as big cities go, don’t rule out Southern cities since Southern states tend to be more friendly to business. Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, and Charlotte have a lot of big companies and are big cities as well. </p>
<p>But back to your concentration, Accounting would be the way to go to make really big money. Just study your ass off, don’t let yourself freeze up on tests the way I did, and do internships as an undergrad.</p>
<p>Well two things:</p>
<p>(1) Give us some of your interests.
(2) What are some of the schools you’re looking at?</p>
<p>1) I am fascinated by everything that has to do with money and businesses financial success. I like to understand how money work, everything a company does to gain money and all of the details to do with this kind of stuff.
2) I am about 90% sure I want to go to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My credentials are above average for their business school so I am hoping I will be accepted.</p>
<p>Translation:</p>
<ol>
<li>I want to make a lot of money</li>
<li>I like Illinois</li>
</ol>
<p>Accounting would be the safest way to a comfortable high 6 (maybe 7 at the CFO/CEO level) figure salary. Become a CPA, work in a big city, get an MBA then move up the corporate ladder over the next couple decades. </p>
<p>Finance would the bigger risk/bigger reward. You’d start of on Wall Street making near 6 figure and coulld end up in the 7, 8, maybe even 9 or 10 figure salary. but like I said, the risk is big, and your job is never safe (ask the bankers at Lehman Brothers).</p>
<p>Really? He could end up making hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars?</p>
<p>Not a chance he ends up on Wall Street going to UIUC. Big 4 anywhere in the country? Absolutley. But Wall Street and billions of dollars? No…</p>
<p>I thought I’d come to this forum thinking it is a place where business professionals give advice to college students. Turns out it is just a bunch of college students relaying advice they hear from other college students, with absolutley no idea what they are talking about.</p>
<p>You people are jaded as hell…peace.</p>
<p>Actually UIUC is one of the best accounting schools in the nation and has been consistently so for a while. Of course accounting is the safer of the business majors especially with current market conditions. Your starting salary at a big 4 will probably be around 60-70k. </p>
<p>Honestly though, I feel like your description matches a Finance route along the lines of banking or trading. You are looking to be the stereotypical “banker” who basically lives by the work hard play hard motto. Your starting salary at a BB, MM, or even boutique firm can be anywhere from 60-90k. Performance based promotions would also be more commonplace. After performing well in banking, a lot of people move onto hedge funds, or private equity where hours are less intense and profits are bigger.</p>
<p>Many people double major in finance/accounting which is definitely a good option as it opens you to both doors down the road, and it can never hurt to enhance your accounting skills in finance.</p>
<p>I have to agree with the guy before me. Every other thread on here is about someone (who is really interested in business) that wants to make 100k right away. </p>
<p>The thing is no one understands are all the odds piled against them. (Although I don’t think 100k is that difficult to achieve.)</p>
<p>WorkingAtBig4 does it once again. He’s absolutely right in his post. Hkem123 and MattC84 are quite accurate as well.</p>
<p>You will see misinformed hs/college kids on here giving advice from things they have read from other hs/misinformed college kids. It’s kind of like the bible, people translate it over and over again and it gets completely misinterpreted and loses its original meaning.</p>
<p>Making partner at an Accounting firm is incredibly tough and saying it’s the “safest way” to high 6 figures…well it’s strange.</p>
<p>60K-70K starting salary in Accounting is a little too high and is by no means the starting salary range. You will see around 60K starting for high finance entry levels.</p>
<p>To the OP, yes your post is extremely arrogant and CHILDISH. Reflect back on this thread when you are a junior/senior and see how naive you sounded.</p>
<p>Money is nice but it =/= happiness, not to mention that like half of CC is a joke anyway. I’m a rising HS senior and even I figured that out.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not a chance? C’mon, everyone knows breaking into IB, especially on Wall Street from a Big Ten school, save NU or Michigan, is very hard, but it’s not impossible. Recruiters won’t be all over you like they would be at an Ivy/Stanford/MIT level school, but a kid coming from UIUC can make it to Wall Street. Will definitely have to do a lot of work/networking on his own, but not impossible. </p>
<p>Hell, even Miami Ohio apparently had a few interns work for BBs this summer.</p>
<p>Miami Ohio is a top 30 business school in the country and top 15 for finance so that shouldn’t come as a huge surprise</p>
<p>I can just see you being one of those who gets to the age of 40, looks back at his life, and realizes just how little he has done despite living in a 3 million dollar loft in NYC.</p>
<p>And, I actually agree with Big4 despite his typically dramatic response. I find it slightly humorous how some of the responses are illegitimately feeding this kid’s ego.</p>
<p>Hey. I need some help as well. </p>
<p>Good luck poster.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/business-major/1185371-change-heart-need-help-few-decisions.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/business-major/1185371-change-heart-need-help-few-decisions.html</a></p>
<p>60-70k including signing bonus at a Big4 metro office is what most of my friends that just graduated received. I think that most of the responses weren’t necessarily intended to feed the OP’s ego. Rather it was based on a student who was able to perform reasonably well could expect to get if put in the position.</p>
<p>No one needs to bash on the OP for being immature, when he himself acknowledged it. It’s definitely a step beyond the majority of business school applicants who simply want to go into business to make money but don’t even recognize their own naivety.</p>
<p>I think you should determine what career sparks your interest more because a 6 figure salary is easily possible if you put in the work regardless of which career path you choose. This is opposed to you attempting to choose your career path based on</p>
<p>“will give me the best chance of making a lot of money (100K+ per yr. or more) and also gives me the best chance of getting to work downtown in a huge city (NY, Chicago)”</p>
<p>Because the fact is that they are all very different. If you end up picking a career path that you end up disliking, it is likely that you wouldn’t perform well enough to get your promotion, or even just decide to quit on your own. </p>
<p>For example, IBD is probably what matches your description of a “large paycheck, and big city baller” like most other incoming business students, but ask them what banking is and most of the time they will say “I don’t know but I know I want to do it.” Simply because of the public image through the media, and movies (ie. Wall Street 2 etc). What fails to get shown is that they really do put in the work for their paychecks, the money doesn’t just roll in. Many people decide to go that route and then end up getting burnt out by the 100+ hour work weeks.</p>
<p>Do what interests you, do it well, and the rest will come.</p>
<p>I was talking about banking in general. I never said UIUC would make you a wall street billionaire. Calm down people</p>
<p>60K-70K? What planet are your friends living on??</p>
<p>Get real. You were lied to.</p>
<p>AoDay, great post.</p>
<p>sp1212, that planet is called Earth. For instance in NYC, PwC pays 65k plus a bonus. However, if you take into consideration the high cost of living, and high income taxes, a person will save only 30-35k out of 70k, which is not that good.</p>
<p>Toshtemirov:</p>
<p>[CPAnet</a> Forum: Big4 Starting Base Salary!](<a href=“http://www.cpanet.com/cpa_forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=27832&PN=0&TPN=9]CPAnet”>http://www.cpanet.com/cpa_forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=27832&PN=0&TPN=9)</p>
<p>Of course this is just one example. I can find numerous more (including bonus).</p>
<p>You are one of those misinformed kids I mentioned early in this thread who rely on posts made by other misinformed kids.</p>