<p>I'm torn about majoring in business vs majoring in something more interesting and fun, like a language, sociology, political science, etc. It's hard to double major in business and anything else at UNC, so I'm thinking I'll have to choose. However, isn't it commonplace these days to get a job "in business" without actually having a bachelor's in it? I really want to do international business, but the coursework for it seems boring, although the careers themselves are quite interesting and fun. </p>
<p>I'd appreciate any thoughts, experiences, or ideas. :-)</p>
<p>Yes. You most definitely can get a job "in business" without a bachelor's degree in it. You can take courses and major in fields that relate to your business interests - in your case, sounds like various international relations, language etc. courses, choosing one of those type of fields as your major.</p>
<p>I counseled a young friend IRL who had a similar issue and found that, at his school, there weren't many business courses open to non-majors. But if there are some at your school (maybe by petition to the prof; I <em>know</em> you've got the credentials and style to convince any of them ;) ), I would suggest that. I would also suggest you take the two basic Econ courses (macro and micro intro level). Then you can "pick off" a few Econ courses that fit your interests and will make you a stronger candidate when applying for jobs.</p>
<p>Search around over the next year or so for good summer job or internship opportunities. Those will really really help you when you are looking for your first post-college position.</p>
<p>In fact, unless you're going into a field like accounting, that requires specific skills, many businesses prefer undergrads who do not have business degrees. They can teach them their specific business their way, without the graduate thinking that he or she knows it already.</p>
<p>Yes, but it depends on the school you're going to. A sociology major from Harvard or Penn can probably get an investment banking job, but not a soc major from any school outside of the top 25 or so.</p>
<p>Sure, why not? I know a lot of biology, psychology and history majors who are now VPs in big corporations. I don't think you undergrad major is important. It basically just depends on what the corporation is looking for.</p>
<p>Right now, most businesses seem to want people who can communicate and know how to deal with others, both clients & co-workers. I work in insurance, and I can tell you that sociology majors are at no disadvantage. And if they have people skills, they're in demand.</p>
<p>Business is a wide open field and unless you are in a very specific arena such as accounting the answer to your question is yes. </p>
<p>You can succeed in business w/o an undergrad degree in business just as you can become a journalist w/o attending journalism school. You merely need the skill set and the drive and, of course, a bit of luck!</p>
<p>I worked for a large multinational corporation for many years (I was a French major) and became one of the youngest VP's on record. However, there were some departments that decided they would only hire Harvard MBA's.<br>
(Some employers will invest in you if they see potential and like you; they'll send you to an MBA program on them.)</p>
<p>Why not major in something you love, that will make you a more interesting person and improve your analytical, writing and verbal skills, and then go to a great grad school?</p>
<p>(Of course, just my opinion and just one way to go. Good luck.)</p>
<p>Unless the world has changed a lot (and it may have), even accounting firms are willing to hire impressive, articulate liberal arts grads who have only a smidgen of background in accounting. At least that's what the accounting recruiters told me.</p>
<p>I'd say yes but the info about Top 25 schools is pretty accurate and applies mostly to getting jobs at certain high paying high stress firms in the northeast with some smaller offices in other major cities. If you want more of an 8-5 business job with a corporation or in accounting you will probably have a harder time as they do most of their recruiting at top 25 business schools. Most firms abolished their training programs for random undergrad majors a generation ago. Now they want plug and play. The stats are 90% of top 25 business school undergrads get jobs with major firms right out of school. Liberal arts grads may have to knock around and get some experience as assistants etc before getting a real professional track business job. The moral of the story is if you go to an IVY, near Ivy or top LAC you have a good shot at a financial or consulting job if you are their type. If you aren't hired by the top firms there's always Teach for America or grad school. If you go to Miami Fla or Wooster and major in history you are in for some difficulty getting a good business job right away (outside of sales which often does hire any major).</p>
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Unless the world has changed a lot (and it may have), even accounting firms are willing to hire impressive, articulate liberal arts grads who have only a smidgen of background in accounting. At least that's what the accounting recruiters told me.
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<p>Yes but those positions would be in the support category, better known as "back office" jobs.</p>
<p>getoutta
I know the mom of one of Ds friends has her BS in mechanical engineering.
She is currently the CEO of a successful national company ( 2006 sales exceeded 1.16 billion in US)
so yes- you don't need a business degree to be in business</p>
<p>But it would depend of course, on what you wanted and what you were willing to do to get there.</p>
<p>I agree you do not need a business degree, but you need to bring something to the table. Hone those writing skills to perfection. Don't waste your summers, use them to learn a business. Talk to a professional in your desired field of business. Ask them what progression of jobs would be desired by employers. Map out at plan for your summer jobs. Think about what you want your resume to look like when you start knocking on doors (steady increase in responsiblity with in the same company or a plate of marketing, sales, inventory exprience?). After each summer ask your supervisor to write a letter of recommendation and assessment of your skills. They won't remember the details four years later. Try not to loose those letters.</p>
<p>IMHO a degree (business or otherwise) will get you in the interview door, but next question will be "What else you got?"</p>
<p>While I agree with others who are telling you that an undergraduate business degree is not necessary to pursue a career in business, you can get some verifiable information from your school.</p>
<p>After you're a little settled into life as a student in Chapel Hill, pay a visit to the Career Services office. You'll be able to get information on companies that interview on campus, the kind of jobs they are looking to fill, and what major/field of study is required (if any.) The Career Services office will also have statistical information on the category of jobs that undergrads get from each of the different schools at UNC (and probably detailed by major.)</p>
<p>While you may not eventually get a job or internship from an on-campus interview, you will get a sense of what business employers "friendly" to UNC are looking for.</p>
<p>UNC--most high profile business recruiting is from the business school and econ. I'd bet for every 1 liberal arts major getting an IB job there are 10 from the b school. And only maybe the top 5% of the b school grads get into the high prestige firms. It is very competitive and I doubt the firms will be doing as much hiring in the next 5 years as they have been in the last five.</p>
<p>It seems to me that majoring in business and then taking classes in areas of interest would be a safer option than majoring in an area of interest and taking class in business. This is assuming you are not attending an Ivy-like university.</p>
<p>I've read thru the thread and while you're question has been answered, you haven't been given much advice on how to prepare for a business career. The most important thing is internships (or coop experience, if available). As you can imagine, someone who has spent a summer working in a marketing department is a much stronger candidate than someone who has no real-world exposure to the field but thinks they'd like it. Having real-world exposure lets you avoid picking something you thought you'd like but ended up finding you didn't. And working lets you see people doing other jobs other than the one you're working in, giving you some ideas about things you may not have thought of.</p>
<p>Start working with your career center from frosh year to find out what's available in the way of internships and summer jobs, how to apply, what successful kids in the past have done to land them, etc. Many colleges offer a wide variety of clubs and these are very valuable, too. As you see seniors getting jobs you have the advantage of being able to learn from them what they did in college to prepare for it rather than having to figure everything out on your own. The career center will also host talks from people in the business world, and many schools can put you in contact with alums who are willing to meet for an hour or two and give advice about their field.</p>