international relations vs. international business major

<p>i know im intrested in a career/major that has to do with international studies. Does it matter which major i chose if im interested in a career with the united nations? im also interested in other international careers likes business hints international business major.i just want to have good and a lot of career options when i graduate from college. i was also thinking of making a double major of one of those with spanish and maybe a minor in french. thoughtss?</p>

<p>Entry to UN careers is very competitive. Realistically, consider it a long-shot, in fact. Having said that, there are many different career pathways at the UN and people are hired from many different specialties, depending on the need. Language skills are important as is a knowledge of international affairs. Rather than an interdisciplinary major such as IR, I think you’re better off with a solid grounding in a traditional discipline. Given that you also have interests in business, consider economics (or, depending on which programs are offered at the university you attend, applied economics.) As for international business, it’s my impression that many universities choose to offer international business only as a minor or as a joint major with one of the traditional business fields. In general, I think it’s perceived as a “weaker” business major. Is there a particular area of business that might interest you?
Is there a particular world region that interests you? With your consideration of a joint major in Spanish, I’m guessing possibly, Latin America. If so, consider a joint major in Latin American Studies + a traditional discipline, like economics. French is good as a minor, but also consider Portuguese as a minor.</p>

<p>I’ve thougt about economics but I’ve also heard it isnt very enjoyable and im not sure its for me but ill look into it a little more. Ive thought about finance as well. </p>

<p>I really am intrested in the UN but it seems realisticly i should give myself other options, one day I really want to reach the level of an ambassador but I know thats also competitive. what would be other careers similar to this? What would you recomend as a more solid major other than something in business?</p>

<p>Im really interested in south american countries and spanish european countries they seem to interest me the most. Mostly South America though. Portuguese seems like an intresting language but i figured that there is more of a demand of French because of all the African countries that speak it plus some european countries.</p>

<p>See my other posts about international studies in these threads. While they don’t directly address the question you asked, I think they make some important points to consider:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/749245-undergraduate-foreign-policy-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/749245-undergraduate-foreign-policy-schools.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/902677-political-science-vs-international-relations.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/902677-political-science-vs-international-relations.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Some more information on languages: [The</a> Twelve Most Useful Second Languages for English Speakers](<a href=“http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-twelve-most-useful-second-languages-for-english-speakers.html]The”>http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-twelve-most-useful-second-languages-for-english-speakers.html)</p>

<p>I think you have a point about French. However, Brazil is a rising country and if you are interested in South America, Spanish and Portuguese gives you access to almost the whole continent as well as Iberia and some areas of Africa. (You probably could pick up both French and Portuguese if you wanted and just focused on the language skills and didn’t do a formal minor.)</p>

<p>thanks for the links</p>

<p>so would it be better for me to major in business than duble in spanish and minor in french? or do you think i should major in somthing else? With an internation business major would i still have the qualifications to get a career in the UN and with an international relations career can i still get a career in any sort of international business of any sort?</p>

<p>can i do the same things plus more with a degree in internation relations rather than business?</p>

<p>IR doesn’t necessarily equip you for business; business doesn’t necessarily equip you for some of your other interests. Whether you study IR or business, economics is an area common to both and it’s a field relevant/valued in the career areas that interest you. So I think a solid languages/area studies concentration + a solid major in a traditional discipline like economics or applied economics gives the most options and best prepares you, if you are otherwise qualified. As I previously noted, UN careers might draw on people with qualifications in a number of different fields: relatively few are at the ambassadorial level and few perform an ambassadorial function. As I also mentioned in the threads I linked, a number of more technical fields are relevant and important for international careers, and should be considered as well. Ultimately, follow your interests and aptitudes, and don’t try to game it. Rather, take a realistic look at the qualifications and selection process for these careers, and what people actually do who are in these careers. Some of your options and opportunities will depend on the offerings of the particular university you attend, and they will always depend on your ability to use those opportunities.</p>

<p>BTW, I mentioned Portuguese/Brazil in an earlier post. Here’s just one example of what I think is important about that rising nation: [Brazil’s</a> Rising Food Power in a Hungry World - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://politics.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2008/05/08/brazils-rising-food-power-in-a-hungry-world.html]Brazil’s”>http://politics.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2008/05/08/brazils-rising-food-power-in-a-hungry-world.html)
—Increasingly important nation, potentially great business opportunities.</p>

<p>Here’s some pics—just because I like them: [Tropical</a> Brazil: A rising global economic power - SkyscraperCity](<a href=“http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=823630]Tropical”>http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=823630)</p>

<h2>so would it be better for me to major in business than duble in spanish and minor in french? or do you think i should major in somthing else? With an internation business major would i still have the qualifications to get a career in the UN and with an international relations career can i still get a career in any sort of international business of any sort? ~ Collegekid</h2>

<p>There is no single pathway to the UN. Languages are helpful, but don’t forget, you are dealing with a multi-national organization with employees from all over the world - native speakers. </p>

<p>I know a guy who works for the UN who is a former police Detective.</p>

<p>One of the best routes is to become a Physician.</p>

<p>Zapfino,
thank you so much for your help. I reaqlly apprecciate it.</p>

<p>Bigeeastbeast,
You think I should go into a medical field and then also major and inor in languages? Im not even intrested in the medical field, I understannd your trying to give me adive on how to get to the UN but it wont help if Im not happy with the career</p>