<p>I've read topics talking about things like private equity, hedge funds, investment banking, etc. I have no idea what any of this stuff is, nor do I know how to get started if I ever become interested.</p>
<p>Do business majors teach you the basics of topics like these? If so, are they of any use? How does one begin a career in these areas, and can things like this be learned or is it just intuition?</p>
<p>"business" is a very broad category and involved multiple concentrations and industries. The possibilities are truly endless.</p>
<p>to be honest.....not much....in the classroom, anywys.</p>
<p>a good biz school teaches you the "soft" skills: communication skills, leadership skills, social skills, networking skills, interviewing skills, analytical skills, respect for diversity, and common sense...you cant get these from reading a textbook</p>
<p>There are only two areas in business where you actually get to learn something from textbooks - Accounting and Finance. Other than these two, you really don't acquire any significantly enlightening knowledge, and as MrTrojanMan said, you will concentrate on the soft skills, which are most critical in the real business world.</p>
<p>I agree with the previous two posters. The general business program I completed focused heavily on case studies, presentations, group projects, corporate analysis, leadership, arguementative discussions, diversity issues, etc.. For me, business skills that I could actually use on a daily basis were more easily absorbed than those utilized less frequently. And unless you are focused on a more formulative major such as accounting, you will probably utilize the soft skills more than you could imagine.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses.</p>
<p>Can anyone enlighten me with some insight on the topics like private equity, hedge funds, investment banking, etc.?</p>
<p>steevee - </p>
<p>Try googling each of those phrases. But please keep in mind, lest you be greed-ridden like much of the people who post around here, money is not the holy grail of your life. Enjoy :)</p>
<p>I wouldn't post here if I found relevant information.</p>
<p>Just because I'm curious doesn't mean I'm hungry for money. And even if I am, you don't know what I'll be doing with it.</p>
<p>I wasn't assuming you're hungry for money. I was merely trying to provide some advice. I understand that you wouldn't post here if you found relevant information, but its unlikely that you googled and still came up short. I'll make it easy for you. </p>
<p>Wikipedia helps too (and shows up on google searches):</p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_equity%5B/url%5D">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_equity</a></p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedge_fund%5B/url%5D">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedge_fund</a></p>
<p>There's 'some insight' for you.</p>
<p>I've googled and wiki'ed and those don't answer my questions.</p>
<p>Let me repeat my questions.
[quote]
Do business majors teach you the basics of topics like these? If so, are they of any use? How does one begin a career in these areas, and can things like this be learned or is it just intuition?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>
[quote]
Just because I'm curious doesn't mean I'm hungry for money. And even if I am, you don't know what I'll be doing with it.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>growing the biggest pot farm in the world?</p>
<p>let's do it!</p>
<p>You begin a career in one of those areas by having the right background and the right connections. </p>
<p>You may find courses in a finance department that teach M&A, corp. finance/valuation, investment mangagement, etc. The full scope of IB and PE are not usually expounded on at a university, but taking finance courses can spark your interest and develop your knowledge. It's also helpful to do some research on the major IB's and PE's websites to get more information on what they actually do.</p>
<p>steevee-</p>
<p>My aplogies, my post was the answer to this question:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Can anyone enlighten me with some insight on the topics like private equity, hedge funds, investment banking, etc.?
[/quote]
</p>