Is a Finance degree in today's crisis worth it?

<p>Bump Bump Bump</p>

<p>I think majoring in finance is a great investment a few years down the line which is why I’m getting a BBA.</p>

<p>Finance is a fine degree. Just because investment banking is hurting doesn’t mean every company in the world suddenly has no need for financial professionals of any kind. It is still definitely one of the more employable majors and the good programs can still land you a sweet gig.</p>

<p>Depends on if your school is a target or not.</p>

<p>Yes. What do you think, commerce suddenly stops because of a crash? As long as people exist there will be needs and wants. With needs and wants comes trade. With trade comes finance.</p>

<p>How much of a future does a finance degree bring? I mean, I may sound ridiculous, but couldnt a computer do the job of most accounting and finance majors? Sorry if i sound naive, I’m attending the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign next year and am just thinking ahead for when I graduate in 4 years, but also in the next 10-20 years.</p>

<p>I think learning technology and science will give you a much brighter long-term outlook than studying finance. Like you pointed out, computers can do many of the jobs finance people used to be able to do, which is why so called “finance” careers are either really sales jobs or secretarial work. The men who control the technology are really in charge.</p>

<p>Inmotion12, you are an econ major.</p>

<p>As the originator of the thread, “Everything you wanted to know or should know about accounting,” let me opine on some issues raised here.There are a number of conflicting issues contained in this thread, and I wanted to somehow concretize them in some understandable format.</p>

<p>First, I am going to present a novel concept. College shouldn’t just be about jobs. It should also be about education. Developing critical reasoning, writing and reading skills will serve people very well in life. These skills should also be developed regardless of the major.</p>

<p>Secondly, the best jobs go to either those who graduate from top schools OR ( with emphasis) to those who get great grades. Thus, either go to a top ivy caliber school or your goal should be to get top grades. Contrary to what is said on College Confidential, you can get into top firms and can get into consulting if you have top grades even from a no-name school.</p>

<p>It logically follows that if you don’t like your major or aren’t good at it, you won’t do well and won’t get great grades. Thus, majoring in a vocationally oriented major such as engineering, accounting, math, english etc., is fairly pointless if you don’t do reasonably well in it.the good news is that I don’t think that you need a 3.5+ in these majors, but you do need to do well enough. Generally , the better the grades , the better the chance of hiring by a top firm.</p>

<p>However, assuming that you have the ability to do well in a variety of subjects, majoring in a "vocationally"oriented major does have its advantages. Thus, folks who do well and major in engineering, hard science, math, accounting, criminology, and even applied arts have an advantage in the job market. This becomes particularly true if you are not attending a very well regarded ivy caliber school.</p>

<p>I frankly have a problem with BBA in general business. It really is a nebulous major despite its ostensible vocational orientation. What do you really do with it? It doesn’t provide the necessary good writing and reading skills and doesn’t really train folks for a specific profession.</p>

<p>However, some specific business majors can provide these advantages such as accounting and acturarial studies and to a lessor extent finance and marketing, although marketing can be fluffy major in some schools. However, as I noted above, even with these types of majors, you should seek out courses that will hone your critical reading and writing skills. Too many kids don’t have these skills coming out of college. I believe that not having these skills can be a huge detriment to your career.</p>

<p>Bottom line: The ideal would be to attend an ivy caliber school and get good grades. However, absent that, majoring in a vocationally oriented major while seeking courses that will improve your reading, writing and critical thinking skills such as philosophy courses. However, if you are very one sided, such as very verbal and not mathematical then majoring in something that will get you top grades can be a good choice even if not vocationally oriented. Good grades are very important to employers and especially crucial if you attend a non ivy caliber school. I think most employers would take a top grad from a no name school over that of a grad from an ivy caliber school with mediocre grades.</p>

<p>I regret posting in this thread.</p>

<p>I’m getting a dual degree in economics/math and computer science. My goal is to work in the technology/energy industries (my worthless economics major has taught me that this is where future labor market demand will be).</p>

<p>GPA is King.</p>

<p>I’m an undergraduate in McComb’s School of Business at UT-Austin, currently undecided. I’m thinking of majoring in finance. Is this a good choice or would I be better served choosing another major within McComb’s?</p>

<p>^ Depends. What do you want to be when you grow up?</p>

<p>TMT, you should look at this webpage:</p>

<p>[Overall</a> Undergraduate Salaries 2008 - BBA - McCombs Career Services - The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin](<a href=“http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/career/bba/bba09_salary.asp]Overall”>http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/career/bba/bba09_salary.asp)</p>

<p>I would rank post-graduate employment opportunities as follows:</p>

<ol>
<li>MIS</li>
<li>Accounting</li>
<li>Finance</li>
<li>Supply Chain</li>
<li>Management</li>
<li>Marketing</li>
</ol>

<p>I want to go to law school afterwards and pursue corporate law. If I don’t get in a T14, i’ll most likely go for an MBA. With all this talk about some business majors being “useless” unless you attend a top school, I want to make sure that a BBA from McComb’s has value. </p>

<p>Immotion, thanks for the link.</p>

<p>Inmotion, since you are an economics major and know where the future of demand lies
Can you tell me the future of supply chain management?</p>

<p>I’m only a college sophomore so I’m far from qualified to give career advice. All I can do is give you my opinion and here it is:</p>

<p>Future demand for supply chain related careers should stay relatively steady, but there is danger in the fact that overall employment in the manufacturing sector is expected to continue its decline. The BLS reports 7% growth for “purchasing managers, buyers, and purchasing agents”. It reports an 8% decline for “Industrial Product Managers”. Although growth will be slow relative to other business occupations, I don’t see many students clamoring for these types of positions so I think there will be jobs out there, they just won’t be plentiful. </p>

<p>Personally, I’m not a fan of the supply chain degree. It’s a narrow subfield within business and doesn’t allow a lot of flexibility post-graduation. A big problem I have is that any job that a supply chain major qualifies for is a job that is traditionally filled by degree holders with majors in industrial engineering, business management, and economics. The difference is that an industrial engineering major, a business management major and an economics major will qualify for many other jobs that a supply chain major won’t. Do the supply chain degree if you are absolutely 100% positive that you want to work in supply chain and logistics management. If you aren’t 100% sure that’s what you want to do you’d be better off doing BM, economics, or an industrial degree. Those give you much broader options and are also more well known by employers.</p>

<p>Job titles you will qualify for as a supply chain major.</p>

<p>Buyer
Procurement specialist
Logistics Manager
Demand Planner (sounds like a job for an economist to me)
Facilities Manager (An industrial engineering major will get this job over you)
Inventory Control Analyst
Supply Chain Analyst</p>

<p>If you’re sure one of the job titles above is what you want to be doing for the rest of your life then go for the supply chain major. If not, I would go for something broader and more flexible.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.utexas.edu/student/cec/careers/booklets/supplychain.pdf[/url]”>http://www.utexas.edu/student/cec/careers/booklets/supplychain.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Well I’m majoring in finance, and my school has “Management Science” which basically seemed similar to supply chain management.
At first I did it because I figured all the extra math has to help in whatever business route i chose, but then I thought about using that for supply chain.</p>

<p>When I was in elementary I was looking for a job with a lot of money. When I was in middle school I thought of a job that would provide me joy. In high school I was looking for a job that will have security.</p>

<p>Now I am entering college. I am older, and wiser, and I’m looking for a job with a lot of money.</p>

<p>Edit: I probably don’t want to do investment banking though</p>