Is it true that non-business majors can work in the business field?

College Majors Business Major
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<p>Is it true that non-business majors like liberal arts majors can snag business jobs as easily as business majors? I mean where else can they work hm?? </p>

<p>I mean we all start at the bottom and the business majors may know more to acceleration their positions, but I don't really care for higher positions. I mean learning all about life and mysteries and learning critical thinking skills may be more attractive to most of us than learning about how a business works, and learning the tools, am I right? Why did you guys major in business if you hear these stories that liberal arts majors work in business and that most business employers seek out those with non-business degrees or saying it's not necessary to have a business degree. How does that make you feel?</p>

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<p>It depends where you go to school. Also, it depends what major. Unless you go to a top tier school, I would think it would be harder. BTW, by business, I suppose you mean like IBanking, Consulting, etc...The most popular careers right out of college?</p>

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Why did you guys major in business if you hear these stories that liberal arts majors work in business

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<p>Most liberal arts graduates do work in business...as a barista at Starbucks.</p>

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<p>Employers seek out people who are capable, and more prepared than their peers. A lot of other things play a role, like nepotism or dumb luck, but those are things you pretty much have no control over. It puts business students at an advantage, although it's not insurmountable and it's not absolute. It's also what puts students from "elite" schools at an advantage, and again, that's not absolute. Anyone can become a stock broker, anyone with a strong mathematical background (or someone who's a quick learner) can get into finance, it's just not as easy. Seeing as it's not easy to begin with though I imagine the degree of difficulty increase in context of the base difficulty isn't that great.</p>

<p>"Business" is all encompassing, there are people who never went to high school in "business." In general, the degree and the quality of work done is more important than the major. You have to find a definition less vague than that if you want answers that are less vague in return. If you want to do well out of college, then you want to focus on developing marketable skills--and people in computer science or economics are going to be a step ahead of people in history or music because the skills the former develop are more marketable (multiple pathways to problem solving like CS, or the ability to analyze and draw conclusions from statistical sources like economics).

What does that even mean? Liberal arts isn't a major, you can't graduate with a degree in liberal arts. Liberal arts is "classical" education, which includes science and mathematics, and even though people consider it history or literature or English they're wrong, because that's not what liberal arts means. In general, any school with a good student:teacher ratio and interaction, a core or some kind of general educational requirement (a general working knowledge of multiple topics), full time faculty teaching almost every class instead of TA's and more of a lean towards instruction over research can be considered a school following liberal arts principles.</p>

<p>Unless I misunderstood and you meant that graduates from liberal arts colleges generally don't do well, which would be an equally dubious statement--although not as inherently nonsensical--since liberal arts colleges and elite research universities are the ones who dominate the SED numbers. I imagine they'd do even better if JD's and MD's weren't excluded from the survey.</p>

<p>Anyone can make money from any background, we do live in America after all. The people who major in philosophy or English or whatever else can be as successful as anyone else, the difference is that they're generally more likely to be oblivious to their career prospects (this is a generalization, but it's an accurate one), to not get any meaningful work experience in college and to generally not care about their future "earning" capability. I used to think these people going around doing nothing who weren't stressed had it all figured out, like they knew some secret and they'd be fine. Now I realize that they just didn't prepare for the future at all, they didn't think about it, it didn't matter to them. But that's a pretty common thing, and those people exist everywhere. So, if that's what you're getting at then you'd have a point, but then again after going through this entire thought process and still having no idea what you're talking about I have to assume you also have no idea what you're talking about.</p>

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<p>Well not only in the financial sector but other areas of business.</p>

<p>I think he meant working as a counterperson at Starbucks. But I think you already knew that, but were thinking deeper into his posts? Hahaha. Anyway, I heard they jump into managerial positions, I've heard that used before, by biology advisors, those that don't move on to grad school basically, that might have the better position prospects.</p>

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Liberal arts isn't a major, you can't graduate with a degree in liberal arts.

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<p>I never said that it was nor that you could. While there may not be a formal Bachelors of Liberal Arts or Bachelors of Science in Liberal Arts (btw, some schools offer this), there are certainly liberal arts degrees.</p>

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Anyone can make money from any background, we do live in America after all.

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<p>Then don't attend college at all.</p>

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In general, any school with a good student:teacher ratio and interaction, a core or some kind of general educational requirement (a general working knowledge of multiple topics), full time faculty teaching almost every class instead of TA's and more of a lean towards instruction over research can be considered a school following liberal arts principles.

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<p>That may be what you want liberal arts to mean but it is not what it means. </p>

<p>Per the encyclopedia britannica, liberal arts is a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum."</p>

<p>This would obviously include English and literature.</p>

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they're generally more likely to be oblivious to their career prospects

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<p>Agreed. Otherwise, they wouldn't have majored in English or literature.</p>

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liberal arts colleges

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<p>You are way off topic. This thread is not about liberal arts colleges.</p>

<p>The fact remains that career prospects are not as good for liberal arts graduates as they are for those in specialized studies. Sure, there are exceptions (ie perhaps at top schools). However from my own personal experience, I graduated from a school that wasn't even top 100 but I was still recruited by dozens of companies on campus, most of whom only recruited students in my major. If you majored in something else, you would often not even know they were on campus.</p>

<p>Even today companies often bypass the fancy recruiting systems (or just open a job up to certain majors in that system). I am focused on real estate. However, those who aren't in our real estate club don't even hear about most of the real estate job opportunities. If you aren't in the consulting club, you can't attend many of the company events because employers make arrangements through the club.</p>

<p>In undergrad, employers often go directly to professors, student organizations, or the college of business to recruit.</p>

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Then don't attend college at all.

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Why wouldn't I want to attend college? It improves my chances of making money (notice I use improves and not determines), and more importantly I'm going there to learn and expand as a human being! </p>

<p>There's more to going to college than potential job prospects. Having a basic generalized knowledge of multiple topics is beneficial, it makes you a more capable human-being in everything you do. According to Heinlein specialization is for insects.

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That may be what you want liberal arts to mean but it is not what it means.</p>

<p>Per the encyclopedia britannica, liberal arts is a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum."</p>

<p>This would obviously include English and literature.

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Which comes from the trivium and the quadrivium, which is everything I stated, which forms the foundation of almost all education today.</p>

<p>From Merriam-Webster:

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1 : the medieval studies comprising the trivium and quadrivium
2 : the studies (as language, philosophy, history, literature, abstract science) in a college or university intended to provide chiefly general knowledge and to develop the general intellectual capacities (as reason and judgment) as opposed to professional or vocational skills.

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<p>To use your quotation, "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing intellectual capacities, in contrast to a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum."</p>

<p>Is computer science technical curriculum? It's essentially applied discrete mathematics, no? Basic computer science is really a lot of algebra. Is economics a professional curriculum? Economics is closer to sociology than it is to business administration--unless the resources it studies specifically relate to money, which to the chagrin of plenty of economics graduates I've met is often not the case. It's like the computer scientist who never learns server-side scripting in college and complains that he can't get a job because he doesn't know PHP. A large amount of a good computer science program is theory, you should understand languages enough to learn them quickly, you are not attending ITT Tech. Much of economics is analysis of means, and it just so happens to apply itself very well to financial analysis.</p>

<p>What's being quoted as liberal arts is a core, not a major. There is no major that "imparts general knowledge and expands intellectual capacities" and does nothing else--that's called high school, although many don't live up to what it is they're supposed to do.</p>

<p>I also fail to see how this isn't about liberal arts colleges. They have liberal arts in the name, y'know.

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The fact remains that career prospects are not as good for liberal arts graduates as they are for those in specialized studies. Sure, there are exceptions (ie perhaps at top schools). However from my own personal experience, I graduated from a school that wasn't even top 100 but I was still recruited by dozens of companies on campus, most of whom only recruited students in my major. If you majored in something else, you would often not even know they were on campus.

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Yes, that's accurate, and you're right. And I'm not arguing it. Out of school, your best bet is to have majored in something close to what it is you intend to do professionally. Life not set, and when we move past recruitment out of college (don't pretend that's what the thread is about, the original post was very vague) plenty of business majors burn out, or they just aren't very good, or they never really get a solid job or whatever the case may be and they end up doing something totally unrelated to their major, and plenty of people who majored in philosophy end up in business. It's all about cultivation of skills, though recruiting from college is a lot more mercenary and a lot more about what's on paper.</p>

<p>My theory is that you should study something you're good at--whether it may seem impractical at the time or not--and that you keep your eyes open for opportunities to market a skill where you actually are, well, skillful. I imagine you wouldn't disagree with me, although we probably differ slightly in opinion there. Obviously your inaccurate generalization was made as a joke, but it gave me a little reason to vent. The reality is that most people would be surprised just how incompetent those in the higher echelon of anything--whether it be business or politics--actually are, and that so much more of your prospects are not what you majored in but the quality of your work done, the quality of network of the school you attended and how you handle yourself once you are in a business environment (from an initial interview to trying to climb the latter).</p>

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<p>it's true that some harvard art history majors end up working for goldman sachs. however, only bulge bracket banks have the resources to provide training. boutique banks need people who know their stuff so they can come in and work hard.</p>

<p>oh, you'd better have a 3.95+ GPA if you are that art history major.</p>

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<p>I was a journalism/polisci major and worked at a huge mutual fund and a major employee benefits consulting firm. They liked liberal arts types. Smart, flexible, trained to think on their feet, widely read, able to present ideas to a group, and we could actually write letters to clients that made sense. :) The math and business majors went through the same job-specific training we did, so unless one was doing seriously involved actuarial work, a liberal arts person who was good with numbers was at no disadvantage. (The firms asked for our SAT scores and did pre-employment testing on both math and verbal/writing skills. And you thought you'd never have to do THAT again!) :)</p>

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<p>Many companies will only hire people who have demonstrated an interest in the particular field. Ibanks would probably be an exception as they are mainly interested in candidates that they can use and abuse.</p>

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<p>Does that mean you want to weed out those not interested in their field like hm business majors? Anyway, I've heard some people have a hard time getting a job because of other factors. I don't know.</p>

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<p>To list my guess at the largest reasons for this trend
1. Business majors tend to have more career related events offered through their respective Colleges of Business. This gives them information and possible contacts for internships.
2. If you are an employer you want to try to avoid risk with your hires. In most cases you don't need a creative-savant to carry out the responsibilities of an entry level positions. Therefore, you seek out candidates who will require less training (cheaper), and who seem to be a safer bet (in their competence). Business majors can come off as less risky than an art history major.<br>
If you go to a top school employers would be more inclined to think you are intelligent, conscientious enough to fulfill your duties, and able to be relatively reliable as a worker. That is certainly not always the case, but it is reasonable to suggest this is how employers might think.
One can certainly major in something that is not quantitative or not related to business and still move up in the business world. However, doing so would be relatively harder than simply majoring in a business-related field. (That is not meant to suggest that everyone would be better off simply majoring in business).</p>

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<p>Take Chemical Engineering.</p>

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<p>Have you been reading my other topics? Argh, no more suggestions hahaha! I'm settling with economics, even though I'm not experienced or feeling competent in it, I just want to finish school and work, hahaha.</p>

<p>Besides I would be burnt out if I started fresh with chemical engineering. o_O</p>

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Take Chemical Engineering.

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<p>Why?......</p>

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<p>Ok, so my thinking is, if you go to an ivy league school or an ivy caliber school (stanford, U of C, etc) then you can pretty much major in anything and still expect decent offers. However, any less (even if it's Berkeley or UofV) then you have to major in business because the top firms won't think to recruit at your school. Would you say that's a sound assumption? Please correct me if I'm wrong.</p>

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<p>"Ok, so my thinking is, if you go to an ivy league school or an ivy caliber school (stanford, U of C, etc) then you can pretty much major in anything and still expect decent offers. "</p>

<p>any major, as long as you have a 3.8+ GPA. and all that does is get you the first round interviews. you simply can't expect decent offers these days. you gotta work extremely hard.</p>

<p>"However, any less (even if it's Berkeley or UofV) then you have to major in business because the top firms won't think to recruit at your school."</p>

<p>not true. lots of econ, physics, engineering and math majors at my school, UVA, get recruited for banking, trading and consulting.</p>

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<p>So recruiters actively go to schools and ask for contact information for engineering majors?</p>

<p>What if we were to go 1 step down? Like Boston College, or UCLA, or U or Wash.</p>

<p>I'm not questioning whether or not they can get jobs, I just didn't know that they were actively recruited. </p>

<p>So would they start lower in the company than a business major? Less starting salary?</p>

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<p>When I was at orientation at UT during the summer thay had a huge presentation about the increased demand for liberal arts majors and how 2/3 of every current CEO majored in something that was liberal arts related, not business. Im torn between the two now but Im starting to think my liberal arts major and business minor will help me be more marketable in the future</p>

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<p>Whether you become a CEO or not has little to do with your major. It is more positvely correlated with your role in the organization. More Fortune 500 CEOs come out of operations than any other area. However, many come from marketing and finance/accounting backgrounds also. So, there is no definitive road to success.</p>